In Our Time (BBC Radio 4)
| Genre | Discussion |
|---|---|
| Running time | Approx. 45 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Hosted by | Melvyn Bragg |
| Produced by | Thomas Morris |
| Air dates | since 15 October 1998 |
| No. of episodes | 727 (as of 7 July 2016) |
| Website | bbc.co.uk |
| Podcast | bbc.co.uk |
In Our Time is a live BBC radio discussion series exploring the history of ideas, presented by Melvyn Bragg since 15 October 1998. It is one of BBC Radio 4's most successful discussion programmes, acknowledged to have "transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time". As of 24 November 2016, 738 episodes have been aired and the series attracts a weekly audience exceeding two million listeners.
The series, devised and produced by Olivia Seligman (with others) and produced by Charlie Taylor and James Cook, runs weekly throughout the year on BBC Radio 4, except for a summer break of approximately eight to ten weeks between July and September. Each programme covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic. Melvyn Bragg hosts discussion of the week's subject featuring what Bragg has characterised as "three absolutely top-class academics" on the subject. The programme is normally broadcast live and unedited on Thursday mornings at 9am, lasting around 42 minutes, and is then available online. Bragg begins each episode with a short summary of the week's topic, then introduces the three guests. He guides the discussion along a generally chronological route. Bragg then either concludes the programme himself or invites summation remarks from one of the specialists.
The programme is considered one of the BBC's most successful projects, acknowledged to have "transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time". Frequent contributors to the programme since 1998 include A. C. Grayling, Angie Hobbs, Ian Stewart, Simon Schaffer, Martin Palmer, John Mullan, Steve Jones and Carolin Crawford
In a November 2009 interview, Bragg described how he prepares for each show: "It's not easy, but I like reading. I enjoy what was called swotting in my day. I get the notes late Friday afternoon for the following Thursday morning. I find all the spare time I can for reading, get up very early on a Thursday morning, have a final two hours of nervousness, and away we go."
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