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: Toys

Toys

BBC Radio 4 - Free Thinking, Toys

How toys are shaped by politics and why they have a spooky side.

Matthew Sweet and guests look at what toys tell us about our times, at the spookiness of dolls coming to life in horror films and why there's a boom in toys for 'kidults'.

A stunt track and farting game are said to be this year's must have toys but what can we learn from the toys children played with in Argentina during the Cold War and from Beatrix Potter's anger at the production of cuddly German Peter Rabbits? And why is the idea of toys coming to life both endearing and terrifying? Matthew Sweet is joined by Jordana Blejmar, Miranda Corcoran, Filippo Yacob and Nadia Cohen.

Jordana Blejmar is Lecturer in Visual Media & Cultural Studies at Liverpool University and is leading the research project Cold War Toys: Material Cultures of Childhood in Argentina.
Miranda Corcoran is a lecturer in twenty-first-century literature at University College Cork.  Her book Exploring the Horror of Supernatural Fiction is out now.
Filippo Yacob is the CEO & Cofounder of URSOR, a browser and search engine for children, Design Director at product studio FINH, partner at Studio Playfool, and creator of the coding robot toy Cubetto.
Nadia Cohen has written biographies of Enid Blyton, A.A. Milne and Roald Dahl.  Her latest book The Real Beatrix Potter is out now.  

Producer: Torquil MacLeod.

You can find a playlist on the Free Thinking website called The Way We Live Now which has a host of conversations on everything from breakfast to time, punk to breathing, accents to autism https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p072637b

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