The Rest is Science launches, The Reith Lectures begin, and more: Radio and podcasts of the week
Materials of State
Radio 4/BBC Sounds, 1.45pm
Historian Sir David Cannadine is fascinated by how we invest certain objects with cultural meaning. His last series looked at politicians’ props, such as Margaret Thatcher’s handbag. This time, he’s examining objects and regalia that are uniquely British, from the ancient Stone of Scone to the black rod in parliament and even the humble ballot box. Tuesday’s episode on the Sword of State will resonate with those who were impressed by Penny Mordaunt wielding it at the Coronation, but he begins today by examining the Union flag’s unique place in our shared cultural heritage.
Tuesday 25 November
The Rest is Science
Tuesdays & Thursdays, all platforms
Goalhanger, the UK’s biggest independent podcast company, adds another impressive show to its chart-topping The Rest is… stable alongside its History, Politics, Entertainment and other formats. This time, the dream-team hosts are Prof Hannah Fry and the hugely successful YouTuber and science educator Michael Stevens. Their mission? To explore the forces, patterns and questions that define the world around us and to see the familiar through fresh eyes. Their opening focus is water, including whether it’s wet or not.
The Reith Lectures: Moral Revolution
Radio 4/BBC Sounds, 9am
Historian Rutger Bregman stands out among his peers by being an optimist. In his view, history doesn’t show us what we’ve lost but where we’ve lifted ourselves up from. He argues that we’re far better off than we are led to believe and that without much effort – especially by those who can most afford it – we could make everybody else’s lives better as well. In the opening lecture of the annual BBC series, he outlines the key ideas behind his theory of the “realist utopia”.
Wednesday 26 November
Married to the Machine
Wednesdays, all platforms
Another hugely enjoyable – and fully accessible – tech podcast, hosted by former Radio 4 producer Stephanie Power and her computer boffin husband Prof David Reid, who’s spent most of his career in the field of artificial intelligence. Together they set out, in terms we can all understand (even the spousal bickering), to cut through the noise around the past, present and future of AI and explain how it’s changing our lives already and what it could mean for our jobs, our homes, our health and, god forbid, our politics.
