Thinking AllowedEpisodes Episode guide
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27/01/2026
New research on how society works
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Dogs
Laurie Taylor on the history of keeping dogs as pets and the politics of dog-human links.
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Learning Disabilities
From cruel jibes to institutional care, a history of people with learning disabilities.
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The Irish in the UK
How Irish nurses shaped the NHS. Also, Irish migrants, in London and the UK.
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Russian Propaganda
How propaganda in Russia has intensified since the war in Ukraine.
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Death
A social history of death in the UK. Also, attitudes to dying in China.
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Objects and Stories
How objects like shoes and watches help tell the history of slavery and wartime atrocities
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Solidarity
Racial sympathy amongst white Americans and the meaning of solidarity.
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Motherhood
The politics of motherhood and US mums on the sharp end of the law.
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Smoking
Smoking in modern Britain and the Soviet Union.
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Dress Culture
How culture, stigma and discrimination impact dress choices.
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ECOLOGY
Ecological harms: from the Californian desert to the Salisbury Plain.
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Crowds
The rich and diverse history of crowds in entertainment, sports and politics.
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Underwear
From the humorous to the sensual, the hidden story of underwear.
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Wealth
Offshore finance and a millennial history of the wealthy.
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Touch
Touch: what a single sense can tell us about changing ideas of intimacy and privacy.
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Crime Stories
Why do stories about true crime exercise such a grip on the popular imagination?
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Playgrounds
The social history of the playground.
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Tech Workers
The hidden exploitation of workers at the heart of artificial intelligence.
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Food Systems
From tin cans to stretch-wrap, the secret life of food packaging.
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Meaning of Work
What makes work meaningful, from nurses to lawyers? Also, cleaners' quest for dignity.
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Sea Travelling
Shipboard travels and maritime maps.
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Gender and Radicalisation
How does gender influence men and women's participation in extremist politics?
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Architecture and Hope
Can building design create hope, from high security prisons to homeless hostels?
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Sight and Power
From Bentham's panopticon and surveillance cameras to conflicts over views of Mount Fuji.
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Medical Icons
Medical revolutions that transformed out relationship to our bodies and the world.
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Coffee Culture
Hipster baristas in Philadelphia and Chinese-run espresso bars in Italy.
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The British Elite
Who runs Britain today? Are they a conservative chumocracy or a different kind of elite?
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Shopping
From the rise of the mall, to the closure of shops during Covid.
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The swimming pool
The swimming pool: its iconic role in our society and culture. Also, pool etiquette.
