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The Ideas That Make Us

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

Factual: History

Bettany Hughes reveals the history of civilisation's most influential ideas.

Bettany Hughes reveals the history of the most influential ideas in the story of civilisation.

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The Ideas That Make Us: Series 1

The Ideas That Make Us: Series 1: Episode 2: Fame

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Episode 2

Episode 2: Fame

Series 1

Fame

BBC Radio 4 - The Ideas That Make Us, Series 1, Fame

Bettany Hughes considers the fame game through the ages.

Bettany Hughes considers the idea of fame and how our attitude to celebrity has changed throughout the centuries, from Achilles to YouTube. From September 2013.

The Ideas That Make Us is a new Radio 4 series which reveals the history of the most influential ideas in the story of civilisation, ideas which continue to affect us all today.

In this 'archaeology of philosophy', the award-winning historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes begins each programme with the first, extant evidence of a single word-idea in Ancient Greek culture and travels both forwards and backwards in time, investigating how these ideas have been moulded by history and have impacted on history and the human experience. In this, the second of five programmes, Bettany investigates the idea of fame with philosopher Angie Hobbs, British Museum curator Dr Irving Finkel, historian Stella Tillyard and YouTuber Benjamin Cook.

Other ideas examined in the first series are desire, agony, fame and justice. Wisdom, comedy, liberty, peace and guest-host friendship will be explored in January 2014.


Producer: Dixi Stewart.

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Bettany Hughes reveals the history of civilisation's most influential ideas

Bettany Hughes reveals the history of the most influential ideas in the story of civilisation

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The Ideas That Make Us

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Episode 2: Fame

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