New Generation Thinker: David Petts

David Petts, one of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Thinkers, gives a talk calling for the physical preservation of the industrial heritage of the North East, recorded at the BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival

The North-East of England was once one of the industrial heartlands of Britain, yet today the physical traces of entire industries have been swept away. Archaeologist and Durham University Lecturer David Petts argues that this is no way to treat the past, and that the physical remains of our recent history should be preserved now before they are lost forever.

This essay is recorded in front of an audience at the BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival 2011, which takes place at The Sage Gateshead 4 - 6 November. The New Generation Thinkers are winners of the inaugural talent scheme run by BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to find the brightest academic minds in the arts and humanities with the potential to turn their ideas into fascinating broadcasts.