<p>This year's Reith Lecturer is British lawyer Lord Radcliffe. He was Director-General of the Ministry of Information during the Second World War, and is most famous for his role in Partition, the division of the British Indian Empire, His work led directly to the creation of Pakistan and India as independent nations. He examines the features of democratic ... Show More
Jan 2025
Introducing two gripping BBC podcasts: Intrigue and Gangster
Hear thrilling investigations and stories of crime, power and control from Intrigue and Gangster.Intrigue from Radio 4 tells dramatic true stories with gripping narratives, including the award-winning series, To Catch a Scorpion.In the latest Gangster series, Livvy Haydock invest ... Show More
2m 2s
Dec 2024
Can we change violent minds?
In her final lecture, the forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, assesses how we deal with violent offenders and asks is it time for a re-think? The UK has more than 70 people on whole life tariffs, at incredible expense – all to appease a sense of revenge, she says.Dr Adshead as ... Show More
57m 40s
Dec 2024
Does Trauma Cause Violence?
How best do we understand how to manage powerful emotions such as rage, fear and shame? With very rare access, Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead gives her third Reith Lecture inside HMP Grendon, where she talks to prisoners and staff, and asks the question: “Does trauma cause ... Show More
57m 48s
Jun 2023
Douglas Kerr, "Orwell and Empire" (Oxford UP, 2022)
George Orwell was born in India and served in the Imperial Police in Burma as a young man. Douglas Kerr's book Orwell and Empire (Oxford UP, 2022) is a study of his writing about the East and the East in his writing. It argues that empire was central to his cultural identity and ... Show More
42m 30s
May 2018
Tarak Barkawi, “Soldiers of Empire: Indian and British Armies in World War II” (Cambridge UP, 2017)
Tarak Barkawi, a Reader in International Relations at the London School of Economics, has written an important book that will cause many of us to rethink the way we understand the relationships between armies and societies. In Soldiers of Empire: Indian and British Armies in Worl ... Show More
38m 55s
Mar 2023
Rahul Sagar, "The Progressive Maharaja: Sir Madhava Rao's Hints on the Art and Science of Government" (Oxford UP, 2021)
Hints on the Art and Science of Government was the first treatise on statecraft produced in modern India. It consists of lectures that Raja Sir T. Madhava Rao delivered in 1881 to Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III, the young Maharaja of Baroda. Universally considered the foremost Indian sta ... Show More
1h 8m
Apr 2020
Kate Imy, "Faithful Fighters: Identity and Power in the British Indian Army" (Stanford UP, 2019)
In her fascinating and remarkable new book Faithful Fighters: Identity and Power in the British Indian Army (Stanford University Press, 2019), Kate Imy explores the negotiation of religious identity, military service, and imperial power in the context of twentieth century British ... Show More
1h 10m
Feb 2024
Comment l'Inde est-elle devenue britannique pendant 200 ans ?
Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour !L’empire colonial anglais a été gigantesque, et encore aujourd'hui, le roi d’Angleterre a 15 couronnes de royaumes autonomes, mais tous membres d’une alliance commerciale : le Commonwealth. Alors comment les Anglais ont-ils dominé la planète ... Show More
14m 22s