Free Thinking - A Festival of Ideas 2010

Picture: Audience member studies a face laughing in extreme slow motion in the Laughing Portraits installation on the concourse at the festival.

Radio 3’s Free Thinking festival returned to The Sage Gateshead for a weekend of public debate, interviews and performance on 5-7 November 2010.

Listen now

Listen now to debates and discussions from the festival broadcast in Radio 3's Night Waves.
Listen now to 'New Histories of the North East' recorded at the festival and broadcast in Radio 3's The Essay.

Download the drama Take Me to the Bridge as an mp3 as featured on The Verb.

What is the Free Thinking Festival?

It's a celebration of the whole of the world of ideas, explored in more than 30 events across one weekend. Our theme in 2010 is The Pursuit of Happiness, explored in debate, conversation and through our speakers.

Listen to broadcasts from the festival on Radio 3 each evening 7 - 12 November 2010 and then regularly until Christmas.

Read blogs and tweets for 2010 festival insights.

Broadcasts and on demand

All the debates and discussions are available online after broadcast in perpetuity.

Other programmes from the festival including Words and Music, Drama on 3 and The Verb are available as usual in iPlayer for 7 days after broadcast.

Broadcasts festival weekend

Fri 29 Oct
9.15pm The Verb
Featuring 'Take Me to the Bridge', new audio drama from poet Sean O’Brien, which is designed to be listened to on a walk from The Sage Gateshead and onto the Millennium Bridge.
Download the mp3

Mon 1 Nov to Fri 5 Nov
around 9.00am on Breakfast
A two-minute "Free Thought" of brand new writing commissioned from leading novelists and poets

Friday 5th Nov
9.15pm The Free Thinking Lecture with Jacqueline Wilson
Beyond the Fairy Tale - happiness in the real world
Watch BBC School Report interview with Jacqueline Wilson

Saturday 6th Nov
12.15pm Music Matters live from the festival
What is Music for?

Saturday 6 Nov
9.15pm The BBC Radio 3 & BBC Radio 5live Late Night Debate live from the festival
What does Britain do best: Sport or the Arts?

Sunday 7th Nov
8.00pm An Evening of Free Thinking
Highlights from the festival including Drama on 3 and Words
and Music recorded over the weekend.

Broadcasts week following the festival

Monday to Thursday from 8th Nov
9.15pm Night Waves and The Essay

9.15pm The best of the interviews, lectures, performances debates and
audience discussion recorded at Free Thinking.

Mon 8 Nov

9.15pm Night Waves
Session 8: Angie Hobbs ‘No need for heroes?’

11.00pm The Essay
Session 7: New Histories of the North East - Old Religion, New Ideas.

Tue 9 Nov

9.15pm Night Waves
Session 23: Comedy vs Tragedy debate

11.00pm The Essay
Session 10: New Histories of the North East - Earl Grey and the promise of reform

Wed 10 Nov

9.15pm Night Waves
Session 11: Matt Ridley & Matthew Taylor ‘Can the Government make us happy?’

11.00pm The Essay
Session 24: New Histories of the North East - Hadrian's Wall - Across the Divide

Thu 11 Nov

9.15pm Night Waves
Session 25: Fiona Shaw ‘What acting can teach you about life’

11.00pm The Essay
Session 27: New Histories of the North East - Inheritance Tracks