Thinking Allowed Podcast
New research on how society works
Episodes to download
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Dogs
Tue 15 Jul 2025
Laurie Taylor on the history of keeping dogs as pets and the politics of dog-human links.
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Learning Disabilities
Tue 8 Jul 2025
From cruel jibes to institutional care, a history of people with learning disabilities.
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The Irish in the UK
Tue 1 Jul 2025
How Irish nurses shaped the NHS. Also, Irish migrants, in London and the UK.
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Russian Propaganda
Tue 24 Jun 2025
How propaganda in Russia has intensified since the war in Ukraine.
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Objects and Stories
Tue 10 Jun 2025
How objects like shoes and watches help tell the history of slavery and wartime atrocities
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Crowds
Tue 25 Feb 2025
The rich and diverse history of crowds in entertainment, sports and politics.
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Touch
Tue 4 Feb 2025
Touch: what a single sense can tell us about changing ideas of intimacy and privacy.
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Crime Stories
Tue 28 Jan 2025
Why do stories about true crime exercise such a grip on the popular imagination?
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Tech Workers
Tue 5 Nov 2024
The hidden exploitation of workers at the heart of artificial intelligence.
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Meaning of Work
Tue 22 Oct 2024
What makes work meaningful, from nurses to lawyers? Also, cleaners' quest for dignity.
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Gender and Radicalisation
Tue 8 Oct 2024
How does gender influence men and women's participation in extremist politics?
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Architecture and Hope
Tue 1 Oct 2024
Can building design create hope, from high security prisons to homeless hostels?
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Sight and Power
Tue 24 Sep 2024
From Bentham's panopticon and surveillance cameras to conflicts over views of Mount Fuji.
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Medical Icons
Tue 17 Sep 2024
Medical revolutions that transformed out relationship to our bodies and the world.
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Coffee Culture
Tue 10 Sep 2024
Hipster baristas in Philadelphia and Chinese-run espresso bars in Italy.
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The British Elite
Tue 3 Sep 2024
Who runs Britain today? Are they a conservative chumocracy or a different kind of elite?
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The swimming pool
Tue 18 Jun 2024
The swimming pool: its iconic role in our society and culture. Also, pool etiquette.
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Explore further with The Open University
BBC Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with The Open University
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