100 Free Thoughts!
One hundred key figures from the arts, media, politics and science offer their personal cultural thoughts for the day in Free Thought - broadcast daily on BBC Radio 3's Breakfast around 8.30am and BBC Radio Merseyside from Saturday 2 August.
Use this index to view Free Thoughts coming up and to access the audio online.
Each of the one hundred will be available online from the first weekday after broadcast.
| Date | Contributor | Theme | Listen & comment | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9 Nov | 1: Keith Thomas and Hannah Spiers | Advice two generations can give each other |  | |
8 Nov | 2: Vasily Petrenko | How music can transform people's lives, both socially and mentally |  | |
7 Nov | 3: Ian McMillan | Limericks about the way form can dictate content |  | |
6 Nov | 4: Matthew Sweet | The power relationship between pedestrians and drivers |  | |
5 Nov | 5: Bidisha | Modern interpretations of iconic mythical characters |  | |
4 Nov | 6: Rana Mitter | Why we need to engage with history |  | |
3 Nov | 7: Philip Dodd | The shock of the good |  | |
2 Nov | 8: Roger Phillips | The importance of Free Thought |  | |
1 Nov | 9: Hilary Boulding | Elitism in the arts |  | |
31 Oct | 10: Simon Armitage | A new poem "Old Boy", about growing old and being left behind |  | |
30 Oct | 11: Roberto Cuoghi | Sound as an art form |  | |
29 Oct | 12: Lizzie Nunnery | How culture is a shared process |  | |
28 Oct | 13: Neil MacGregor | Why we prefer myths to reality |  | |
27 Oct | 14: Jon Cullen | The power of community arts |  | |
26 Oct | 15: James MacMillan | Where classical music meets culture |  | |
25 Oct | 16: Jennifer John | How singing can empower and transform people's lives |  | |
24 Oct | 17: Sarah Hall | The importance of one's imagination |  | |
23 Oct | 18: Ken Loach | The role of the traditional film-maker |  | |
22 Oct | 19: Karl Francis | Bilingual Wales |  | |
21 Oct | 20: Alexei Sayle | Memory |  | |
20 Oct | 21: Peter Ward | You CAN teach old dogs new tricks |  | |
19 Oct | 22: Dr Tom Shakespeare | Art as a tool for thinking |  | |
18 Oct | 23: Stephen Pratt | How music is one of the quickest routes to memory |  | |
17 Oct | 24: Edith Hall | Why class matters |  | |
16 Oct | 25: Norman Lebrecht | In defence of criticism |  | |
15 Oct | 26: John Byrne | Smoking on stage |  | |
14 Oct | 27: Steve Connor | Taking offence |  | |
13 Oct | 28: Ceri Hand | To celebrate art for art's sake |  | |
12 Oct | 29: Zia Chaudhry | Islamic culture |  | |
11 Oct | 30: Lynda La Plante | Celebrity culture |  | |
10 Oct | 31: Kenneth Steven | A new poem, entitled "Listening", about the sound of silence |  | |
9 Oct | 32: Elaine Agnew | Being prepared to take a new musical direction |  | |
8 Oct | 33: Esther Wilson | Homage to creativity |  | |
7 Oct | 34: Stephen Bayley | Why cities need traffic |  | |
6 Oct | 35: Grayson Perry | Originality |  | |
5 Oct | 36: Sarah Caisley | The meaning of life |  | |
4 Oct | 37: Bryan Biggs | How culture is a vital, living process |  | |
3 Oct | 38: Paul Farley | Looking busy |  | |
2 Oct | 39: Godfrey Worsdale | Celebrating culture in the regions |  | |
1 Oct | 40: Kwame Kwei-Armah | How art can inspire change |  | |
30 Sept | 41: Bill Herbert | The significance of translation |  | |
29 Sept | 42: Sir Christopher Frayling | The future of Public Service Broadcasting |  | |
28 Sept | 43: Shirley J Thompson | Singing and dancing for a socially cohesive society |  | |
27 Sept | 44: Kerenza McClarnan | How art can bring people together |  | |
26 Sept | 45: Dreadlockalien | A new poem - written especially for Free Thought - entitled "I Think" |  | |
25 Sept | 46: Gemma Bodinetz | How theatre can transform our lives |  | |
24 Sept | 47: Geoff Dyer | Why is the novel considered the ultimate literary proving ground? |  | |
23 Sept | 48: Rosemary Kelly | How art can shape the image and identity of a community |  | |
22 Sept | 49: Tim Robertson | The power of prison arts |  | |
21 Sept | 50: Rogan Taylor | Football, like art, has the power to move us |  | |
20 Sept | 51: Dreda Say Mitchell | Lost voices of the working classes |  | |
19 Sept | 52: Eleanor Rees | On An August Midnight |  | |
18 Sept | 53: Professor Dai Smith | Why creativity equals identity in emerging Wales |  | |
17 Sept | 54: Roy Williams OBE | The similarities between theatre and football |  | |
16 Sept | 55: Baroness Susan Greenfield | The impact of 21st century technology on society |  | |
15 Sept | 56: Lord David Alton | Citizenship |  | |
14 Sept | 57: Lucy Beckett | The Nobel prize-winning author Czeslaw Milosz |  | |
13 Sept | 58: Sir Nicholas Kenyon | Participation in excellence |  | |
12 Sept | 59: John McGrath | The audience as a work of art |  | |
11 Sept | 60: Glenn Patterson | The dangers of oversimplification |  | |
10 Sept | 61: Arabella McIntyre Brown | The changing nature of culture |  | |
9 Sept | 62: Jatinder Verma | Culture without restriction |  | |
8 Sept | 63: Maureen Freely | Fiction in Translation |  | |
7 Sept | 64: Mike Stubbs | Human Futures |  | |
6 Sept | 65: Victor Adebowale | Opportunities for all |  | |
5 Sept | 66: Gillian Reynolds | A day out in the Capital of Culture |  | |
4 Sept | 67: Jeremy Hunt | Inspiring children through the arts. |  | |
3 Sept | 68: Carl Chinn | Championing the talents of working class Britain |  | |
2 Sept | 69: Justin Welby | Internationalism and its importance for Liverpool |  | |
1 Sept | 70: Ekow Eshun | Misunderstanding of contemporary art |  | |
31 Aug | 71: Margaret Busby | The magic of radio |  | |
30 Aug | 72: Lewis Biggs | The economics of recognition |  | |
29 Aug | 73: Adam Sampson | Why poor people should not be excluded from society |  | |
28 Aug | 74: Ruth Gould | The culture of Deaf and Disability Arts |  | |
27 Aug | 75: Beatrix Campbell | Two TV series which have captured her imagination recently - Gavin and Stacey, and The Wire |  | |
26 Aug | 76: Nitin Sawhney | The relationship between music and politics |  | |
25 Aug | 77: A L Kennedy | Literacy isn't just a right, it's a necessity |  | |
24 Aug | 78: Howard Jacobson | The politics of envy |  | |
23 Aug | 79: David Fleming | International Slavery Remembrance Day (23rd August) |  | |
22 Aug | 80: Paul Bailey | The relationship between music and silence |  | |
21 Aug | 81: Sister Anthony Wilson | The beauty of old age, as portrayed by Rembrandt |  | |
20 Aug | 82: Lisa Appignanesi | Free expression, fame and reputation |  | |
19 Aug | 83: Roger Hill | The importance of looking after the ecology of the mind. |  | |
18 Aug | 84: Janet Street-Porter | How the British landscape inspires and comforts me. |  | |
17 Aug | 85: David Sulkin | The baby boomer who won't lie down. |  | |
16 Aug | 86: Frank Cottrell Boyce | In a world of partial attention, attention to detail is highly important. |  | |
15 Aug | 87: Christoph Grunenberg | The enduring power of Viennese Culture. |  | |
14 Aug | 88: Richard Holloway | The importance personal dissonance in creativity. |  | |
13 Aug | 89: Liam Fogarty | The advantages of city-dwelling over countryside life. |  | |
12 Aug | 90: Jane Davis | The value of the written word. |  | |
11 Aug | 91: Lord David Puttnam | Why cinema matters. |  | |
10 Aug | 92: Marina Warner | The commodification of art. |  | |
9 Aug | 93: Gwilym Simcock | The importance of children learning a muscial instrument |  | |
8 Aug | 94 :Kamila Shamsie | The experience of being a Pakistani citizen in London |  | |
7 Aug | 95 :Margaret Hodge | Estate agents boards |  | |
6 Aug | 96 : The Singh Twins | How their cultural heritage informs their paintings |  | |
5 Aug | 97 : Stuart Maconie | high & low culture |  | |
4 Aug | 98 : Germaine Greer | The British obsession with houses |  | |
3 Aug | 99 : Osi Rhys Osmond | Eisteddfod |  | |
2 Aug | 100 : Phil Redmond | Culture for all |  |
| Date | Contributor | Theme | listen & comment | Photo |
|---|
| Date | Contributor | Theme | Listen & comment | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
14 Oct | 27: Steve Connor | Taking offence | | |
6 Oct | 35: Grayson Perry | Originality | | |
5 Oct | 36: Sarah Caisley | The meaning of life | | |
3 Oct | 38: Paul Farley | Looking busy | | |
2 Oct | 39: Godfrey Worsdale | Celebrating culture in the regions | | |
28 Sept | 43: Shirley J Thompson | Singing and dancing for a socially cohesive society | | |
27 Sept | 44: Kerenza McClarnan | How art can bring people together | | |
26 Sept | 45: Dreadlockalien | A new poem - written especially for Free Thought - entitled "I Think" | | |
16 Sept | 55: Baroness Susan Greenfield | The impact of 21st century technology on society | | |
14 Sept | 57: Lucy Beckett | The Nobel prize-winning author Czeslaw Milosz | | |
7 Sept | 64: Mike Stubbs | Human Futures | | |
6 Sept | 65: Victor Adebowale | Opportunities for all | | |
4 Sept | 67: Jeremy Hunt | Inspiring children through the arts. | | |
3 Sept | 68: Carl Chinn | Championing the talents of working class Britain | | |
2 Sept | 69: Justin Welby | Internationalism and its importance for Liverpool | | |
31 Aug | 71: Margaret Busby | The magic of radio | | |
30 Aug | 72: Lewis Biggs | The economics of recognition | | |
29 Aug | 73: Adam Sampson | Why poor people should not be excluded from society | | |
23 Aug | 79: David Fleming | International Slavery Remembrance Day (23rd August) | | |
16 Aug | 86: Frank Cottrell Boyce | In a world of partial attention, attention to detail is highly important. | | |
14 Aug | 88: Richard Holloway | The importance personal dissonance in creativity. | | |
13 Aug | 89: Liam Fogarty | The advantages of city-dwelling over countryside life. | | |
12 Aug | 90: Jane Davis | The value of the written word. | | |
7 Aug | 95 :Margaret Hodge | Estate agents boards | | |
5 Aug | 97 : Stuart Maconie | high & low culture | | |
4 Aug | 98 : Germaine Greer | The British obsession with houses | | |
2 Aug | 100 : Phil Redmond | Culture for all | |
