Free Thinking

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Free Thinking: Tacitus, Byron's fanmail and Bluey

Tacitus, Byron's fanmail and Bluey

BBC Radio 4 - Free Thinking, Tacitus, Byron's fanmail and Bluey

Mary Beard, Konnie Huq, Helen Carr and Tom Peck join Shahidha Bari.

Classicist Mary Beard, historian Helen Carr, sketch writer Tom Peck and screen-writer and former children's TV presenter Konnie Huq join Shahidha Bari to reflect on topical ideas.

Classicist Mary Beard picks Tacitus as a figure who still has relevance if we're thinking about satire, power and celebrity. Shahidha Bari is joined by Mary, historian Helen Carr, who co-edited What is History Now? political sketch-writer from The Times newspaper Tom Peck and Konnie Huq, writer and former presenter of the children's TV show Blue Peter.  On April 21st 1964, the tv channel BBC 2 launched with an episode for children of Play School and programmes like Bluey and Peppa Pig, have been making headlines so what do we want from kids TV?  Plus - poet Lord Byron died 200 years ago this week - scholar Dr Corin Throsby has been reading the fan mail he received. 

Listen out for Mary Beard and the new series of Being Roman coming to BBC Radio 4 in May - and the first series is available on BBC Sounds. 
And if you're a fan of Oliver Postgate - The Clangers, Bagpuss and Noggin you can find a Free Thinking episode exploring those programmes. 
 
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer

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