Free Thinking

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

The ideas shaping our lives today - with artists and thinkers in debates and interviews.

The ideas shaping our lives today - with leading artists and thinkers in extended interview and debate.

Free Thinking: Being Human 2021

Being Human 2021

BBC Radio 4 - Free Thinking, Being Human 2021

Reseach into covid comics, codes in Dickens, projecting books onto hospital ceilings.

Laurence Scott's guests showcasing their research at this year's Being Human Festival are: Dr Claire Wood, Prof Anna Feigenbaum, Dr Amanda Potter, and Prof Matthew Rubery.

Deciphering Dickens's shorthand, how the National Health Service uses graphic art to convey messages, creating a comic strip from Greek myths: these are some of the events taking place at the annual Being Human Festival in which universities around the UK introduce their research in a series of public talks, walks, workshops and performances.  Laurence Scott meets some of those taking part and discusses different ways of recording and presenting information from comics to coded notebooks, to a scheme that projected books onto the ceilings of hospitals, which made it possible for thousands of people with disabilities to read after the Second World War.

Dr Claire Wood is at the University of Leicester. Her event is called Cracking the Dickens Code 

Professor Anna Feigenbaum is at the University of Bournemouth. Her event is called Covid Comics and Me.  Find out more at https://www.covidcomics.org/   

Dr Amanda Potter is at the Open University. Her event is called Greek Mythology Comic Writing Workshop

Professor Matthew Rubery is at Queen Mary University of London. His event is called Projected Books for Veterans of the Second World War 

The Being Human Festival runs from November 11th to 20th  https://beinghumanfestival.org/ 

Producer: Phoebe McFarlane. 

You can find other programmes reflecting on research showcased in the Being Human Festival in our New Research playlist on the Free Thinking programme website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03zws90

Main image: Professor Matthew Rubery with the machine used to project books on ceilings

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