In Our Time (radio series)
Melvyn Bragg stood at a career crossroads in 1998. He had just left his decade-long role as presenter for Start the Week due to a perceived conflict of interest from his appointment as a Labour life peer. The BBC offered him a Thursday morning time slot that was known as the death-slot. It attracted an audience of only 600,000 listeners at the time. Bragg decided he would do what he always wanted to do. He hastily battered out a simple idea with producer Olivia Seligman. They expected the show to last only a few months. The series began on the 15th of October 1998. It runs weekly throughout the year except for a summer break between July and September. Each programme covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic.
By September 1999, the audience had grown to 1.5 million listeners within one year. The format evolved from a half-hour show into a 45-minute broadcast by 2000. This expansion included three guest speakers instead of fewer participants. The weekly audience now exceeds two million listeners as of 2023. The programme passed its 1,000th episode in September 2023. It is acknowledged to have transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time. The show normally broadcasts live and unedited on Thursday mornings at 9a.m. Episodes last around 42 minutes before being made available online.
In 2004, the programme became available as a podcast from the BBC website and iTunes for just one week after each broadcast. Listeners could sign up for weekly email newsletters until July 2014. These emails contained additional information relating to the programme along with snippets from Bragg's personal life. Since 2010, every episode has been available from its website as streaming audio. This made it one of the first BBC programmes to release its entire archive. Since 2011, the complete archive has been downloadable as individual podcasts. Selected transcripts were compiled in a book edited by Bragg in 2009 titled In Our Time: A Companion to the Radio 4 series.
Listeners voted in a popularity contest for the greatest philosopher in history during 2005. Thirty thousand votes were cast for this event. Karl Marx won with 27.9% of the total vote share. Other shortlisted figures included David Hume who received 12.7% of the votes. Ludwig Wittgenstein followed with 6.8%. Friedrich Nietzsche secured 6.5% while Plato took 5.6%. Immanuel Kant also received 5.6% of the ballots. Thomas Aquinas gained 4.8% and Socrates matched that figure. Aristotle received 4.5% and Karl Popper finished with 4.2%. The poll was controversial but led to widespread reporting across UK news outlets. Various celebrities championed their favourites which boosted overall listenership significantly.
Olivia Seligman devised and produced the original series alongside others. Simon Tillotson currently produces the show along with Victoria Brignell. Frequent contributors since 1998 include Angie Hobbs, Simon Schaffer, Martin Palmer, Steve Jones, Paul Cartledge, Carolin Crawford, Edith Hall, A. C. Grayling, Patricia Fara, David Wootton, Jonathan Bate, and Karen O'Brien. Bragg prepares for each show by reading notes late Friday afternoon for Thursday morning broadcasts. He gets up very early on Thursdays to spend two hours in nervous preparation before recording begins. He guides the discussion along a generally chronological route during the live broadcast.
On the 3rd of September 2025, Melvyn Bragg announced he was stepping down as presenter. The BBC reported this decision ahead of its new series. A new presenter would be announced in due course following his retirement. On the 3rd of December 2025, Misha Glenny was named programme's new presenter. Glenny takes over from the 15th of January 2026. This marks the end of an era that began in October 1998. The transition ensures continuity for a show that has transformed serious ideas at peak listening time for decades.
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Common questions
When did In Our Time radio series begin broadcasting?
The series began on the 15th of October 1998. It runs weekly throughout the year except for a summer break between July and September.
Who is the new presenter taking over from Melvyn Bragg in In Our Time?
Misha Glenny was named programme's new presenter on the 3rd of December 2025. He takes over from the 15th of January 2026 following Melvyn Bragg's retirement announcement on the 3rd of September 2025.
What percentage of votes did Karl Marx receive in the 2005 greatest philosopher poll?
Karl Marx won with 27.9% of the total vote share during the 2005 popularity contest. Thirty thousand votes were cast for this event which also included figures like David Hume and Ludwig Wittgenstein.
How many listeners does In Our Time attract as of 2023?
The weekly audience exceeds two million listeners as of 2023. The show passed its 1,000th episode in September 2023 after growing to 1.5 million listeners within one year by September 1999.
When did In Our Time become available as a podcast?
In 2004, the programme became available as a podcast from the BBC website and iTunes for just one week after each broadcast. Since 2011, the complete archive has been downloadable as individual podcasts.