Radio Roundup
Jan. 27th, 2016 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tealinMixing up the categories this week, because things group more readily this way:
SCIENCE
The Meteorite and the Hidden Hoax - In 1864 a 'peaty' meteorite fell on France, and its pieces were heralded as evidence life existed outside Earth. This show tracks the idea of 'panspermia' – that the seeds of life are scattered throughout the solar system – from the nineteenth century to the present.
The Infinite Monkey Cage - I was introduced to the term 'race' through bird guides, so have found the hue and cry over whether or not it's biological to be a little confusing. The Infinite Monkeys and their guests have now capably sorted that out, as far as humans are concerned. Thanks, guys!
Reith Lectures: Stephen Hawking - They throw this stuff at us at 9am on a Tuesday. Because they care.
Rethinking Anorexia Nervosa - Doctors are testing deep brain stimulation, usually used for depression, as a treatment for anorexia, with encouraging results.
HISTORY
Titanium - Kate McAll directs wonderfully atmospheric radio dramas; this one, about Yuri Gagarin, is probably the most so. I've heard it a few times and still get lost in it.
The Manchester Ballads - In the Chetham library is a collection of songs from the first industrialised generation, which crystallise a turning point in British culture. Also features a brief digression into the cottage printing industry.
Utopias - The legacy of Thomas More's influential book about the ideal society, with input from writers and thinkers who have given time to their own Utopian visions.
Utopia - Dramatisation of Thomas More's book. I'd recommend listening to the documentary (above) first; it adds layers of interest which the narrative alone might not muster.
Robin Hood and the Cuban Revolutionaries - The last year of Errol Flynn's life, he was hanging out in Cuba, making movies with his teenage girlfriend and Fidel Castro. Viva la revolución!
The Oxbridge Murder - René Girard talks about each society having a 'founding murder', though his is usually encoded in folklore. Cambridge University's is historical fact. And folklore.
In Our Time: Thomas Paine - I do love learning about the American Revolution from non-American sources. Paine only moved to the Colonies at age 36, and later got swept up in the French Revolution, but this programme focuses mainly on Common Sense and his influence on American independence.
FUNNIES
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - Episode 3, meaning we're now sadly halfway through the new series. This episode is particularly dear to me as I was lucky enough to be at the recording where about 80% of these sketches were taped. Worth it for the Procrastination Song alone, but of course there's so much more.
The Consultants - Songs and sketches from a lightheartedly twisted group of comedians.
Susan Calman is Convicted - The strongly opinionated Glaswegian funny lady talks seriously, and less seriously, about depression.
Mark Steel's In Town - If you only know the town of Ottery St Mary as the destination for a fictional piano, you may be interested to learn more about its famous sons and fiery traditions.
SCIENCE
The Meteorite and the Hidden Hoax - In 1864 a 'peaty' meteorite fell on France, and its pieces were heralded as evidence life existed outside Earth. This show tracks the idea of 'panspermia' – that the seeds of life are scattered throughout the solar system – from the nineteenth century to the present.
The Infinite Monkey Cage - I was introduced to the term 'race' through bird guides, so have found the hue and cry over whether or not it's biological to be a little confusing. The Infinite Monkeys and their guests have now capably sorted that out, as far as humans are concerned. Thanks, guys!
Reith Lectures: Stephen Hawking - They throw this stuff at us at 9am on a Tuesday. Because they care.
Rethinking Anorexia Nervosa - Doctors are testing deep brain stimulation, usually used for depression, as a treatment for anorexia, with encouraging results.
HISTORY
Titanium - Kate McAll directs wonderfully atmospheric radio dramas; this one, about Yuri Gagarin, is probably the most so. I've heard it a few times and still get lost in it.
The Manchester Ballads - In the Chetham library is a collection of songs from the first industrialised generation, which crystallise a turning point in British culture. Also features a brief digression into the cottage printing industry.
Utopias - The legacy of Thomas More's influential book about the ideal society, with input from writers and thinkers who have given time to their own Utopian visions.
Utopia - Dramatisation of Thomas More's book. I'd recommend listening to the documentary (above) first; it adds layers of interest which the narrative alone might not muster.
Robin Hood and the Cuban Revolutionaries - The last year of Errol Flynn's life, he was hanging out in Cuba, making movies with his teenage girlfriend and Fidel Castro. Viva la revolución!
The Oxbridge Murder - René Girard talks about each society having a 'founding murder', though his is usually encoded in folklore. Cambridge University's is historical fact. And folklore.
In Our Time: Thomas Paine - I do love learning about the American Revolution from non-American sources. Paine only moved to the Colonies at age 36, and later got swept up in the French Revolution, but this programme focuses mainly on Common Sense and his influence on American independence.
FUNNIES
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - Episode 3, meaning we're now sadly halfway through the new series. This episode is particularly dear to me as I was lucky enough to be at the recording where about 80% of these sketches were taped. Worth it for the Procrastination Song alone, but of course there's so much more.
The Consultants - Songs and sketches from a lightheartedly twisted group of comedians.
Susan Calman is Convicted - The strongly opinionated Glaswegian funny lady talks seriously, and less seriously, about depression.
Mark Steel's In Town - If you only know the town of Ottery St Mary as the destination for a fictional piano, you may be interested to learn more about its famous sons and fiery traditions.
