Comment by DC-3 - Hacker Neue

DC-3 Mar 8, 2023 parent

Nice project OP. I also love In Our Time.

Some favourite episodes off the top of my head:

* Wilfred Owen - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001df48

* The Evolution of Crocodiles - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zmhf

* The May Forth Movement - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001282c

* The Valladolid Debate - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fgmw

* Gerard Manley Hopkins - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003clk

* Henrik Ibsen - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b42q58

* Wuthering Heights - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095ptt5

And finally, in which three mathematicians heroically attempt to explain asymptotic analysis to (septuagenarian novelist and cultural broadcaster) Melvyn:

* P v NP - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06mtms8

genmon Mar 8, 2023

Great list! Some personal faves in return, in no particular order:

- The evolution of teeth https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003zbg

- The fish-tetrapod transition https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001d56q

- The late Devonian extinction https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sz7x

- The American West https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548gg

- Metamorphosis (Ovid) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546p6

- Politeness https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y29m

- The Bronze Age collapse https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07fl5bh

- Doggerland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggerland

yung_steezy Mar 8, 2023

Also going to chime in to recommend the Gin Craze episode https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084zk6z

rosetremiere Mar 9, 2023

One thing I am slightly wary about after listening to quite a few episodes is Melvyn Braggs seems to be a bit too patriotic oftentimes. It's nothing really obvious, but you hear a lot of "we" when talking about positive aspects of english history, and a lot of focus on all english innovations compared to other countries. Maybe I'm wrong though.

petesergeant Mar 9, 2023

Seems pretty reasonable for a national broadcaster, no? Also British encompasses more than just the English, unless you specifically mean he’s excluding the other Home Nations…

rosetremiere Mar 9, 2023

Sorry, I didn't mean English more than British (the distinction being a bit too subtle for me to make). It's "par for the course" I guess for a national broadcaster, but:

* That doesn't mean it's not less than ideal.

* It's something one might want to bear in mind, when listening, since it might introduce some kind of a bias to the whole thing (maybe the other comment about number of episodes about european vs african history is a good argument in that direction)

mellosouls Mar 9, 2023

Wrt bias it's actually a refreshing change for some of us to hear the voice of a traditional (old-school) leftist, as they tend to be more interested in actual social problems rather than the made-up ones that infest modern discourse, and - perhaps - shift the centre so much that plain common-sense is now perceived as "bias".

DC-3 OP Mar 9, 2023

I am also an english patriot so that doesn't bother me.

gadders Mar 9, 2023

He's a Labour peer in the House of Lords. They're not known as a group for rampant patriotism.

My criticism of him his how much he struggles with anything of a maths or scientific nature.

rosetremiere Mar 9, 2023

Good to know, it might be me putting such thought in his mouth then!

DrinkMoreAle Mar 9, 2023 (dead)

dendrite9 Mar 8, 2023

I really enjoyed the recent Superconductivity episode. Especially hearing Melvyn say 'Good god' half way through.

martinpw Mar 9, 2023

I like the way they keep the very end of where the producer comes into the studio and asks the guests politely if they want coffee or tea. Something very satisfyingly British about that.

aslfjiasf Mar 8, 2023

I clicked on the May Fourth movement because I thought it was odd that BBC would make a documentary about the origins of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Day.

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