19. The Theatres of Cruelty

The publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon. An annotated copy of the Collected Works of Shakespeare reveals the extent to which Shakespeare has inspired and influence ...  Show more

A set of designs for the Coronation Procession of James I reveals the extent of classical knowledge amongst Shakespeare's audience.Object-based history series presented by Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.Taking artefacts from William Shakespeare's time, he e ...  Show more

It is one of the most pivotal inventions in human history - the wheel.

New research suggests that the wheel was first created by prehistoric miners in the Carpathian Mountains to transport copper. Tristan Hughes speaks to the team behind this fascinating theory; arch ...

Is math discovered or invented? Neil deGrasse Tyson & Chuck Nice explore information theory, talking to aliens with prime numbers, Mandelbrot sets, and why math is often called the "language of the universe" with Grant Sanderson, the math educator behind YouTube channel 3Blue1 ...

The inside story of the CIA from the perspective of Eloise Page (Kim Cattrall), who joined on the Agency’s first day in 1947 and, in a 40-year career, became one of its most influential figures. Eloise takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of US foreign p ...

Worlds within worlds - Matthew Sweet talks to filmmaker and author Neil Jordan about his new novel Carnivalesque, which features a hall of mirrors and stolen children. He makes a tour of Flat Time House in south London and speaks to the Turner Prize-winning artist Laure Prouvost ...  Show more