The Forum

by BBC World Service
99

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

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Recent Episodes
  • What makes us nostalgic?
    May 17, 2025 – 49:27
  • How airports took off
    Apr 19, 2025 – 49:03
  • Libraries in the digital age
    Mar 15, 2025 – 49:27
  • How the US dollar came to dominate the world
    Feb 15, 2025 – 49:27
  • The seductive dance of charisma
    Jan 18, 2025 – 49:27
  • The rise of fans and fandom
    Dec 21, 2024 – 48:54
  • The enduring allure of jewellery
    Nov 16, 2024 – 49:27
  • Why sleep sometimes eludes us
    Oct 19, 2024 – 49:26
  • The high-speed train race
    Sep 21, 2024 – 49:31
  • The diary: A life page by page
    Aug 24, 2024 – 48:44
  • The only way is up: A history of mountaineering
    Jul 20, 2024 – 48:39
  • Music on the move
    Jun 15, 2024 – 49:25
  • The fight for women’s education
    May 18, 2024 – 49:28
  • Feeding the world and the Green Revolution
    Apr 20, 2024 – 49:26
  • Etiquette
    Mar 16, 2024 – 48:52
  • Supermarkets
    Feb 17, 2024 – 48:42
  • Diplomacy
    Jan 20, 2024 – 48:51
  • The story of throwaway living
    Dec 16, 2023 – 48:32
  • Political parties and us
    Nov 18, 2023 – 48:39
  • What makes a good boss?
    Oct 21, 2023 – 48:39
  • The joy and sorrow of roads
    Sep 16, 2023 – 48:18
  • Pets and us
    Aug 19, 2023 – 48:41
  • The evolution of teenagers
    Jul 15, 2023 – 49:22
  • Global mass tourism
    Jun 17, 2023 – 49:37
  • A deep dive into deepfakes
    May 20, 2023 – 49:16
  • How the mobile phone changed everything
    Apr 15, 2023 – 48:38
  • The submarine: Stealth machine
    Apr 13, 2023 – 39:19
  • Hazel Scott: Jazz star and barrier breaker
    Apr 6, 2023 – 41:12
  • The bittersweet tale of cocoa
    Mar 30, 2023 – 39:25
  • The dam builders
    Mar 23, 2023 – 39:27
  • Alexander the Great or not so great?
    Mar 16, 2023 – 39:29
  • Rituals: Our anchors in a changing world
    Mar 9, 2023 – 48:48
  • Tropicália: the movement that defied Brazil’s dictatorship
    Mar 2, 2023 – 42:18
  • How the shipping container changed the world
    Feb 23, 2023 – 39:57
  • Neanderthals: Meet the relatives
    Feb 16, 2023 – 39:14
  • Cavalry and code-breaking: The Polish-Soviet war
    Feb 9, 2023 – 39:40
  • How we work: Redesigning the office
    Feb 2, 2023 – 39:48
  • When money died: The world's worst inflation
    Jan 26, 2023 – 43:41
  • The writer Rachel Carson who fought insecticide wars
    Jan 19, 2023 – 39:02
  • Why do we have a seven-day week?
    Jan 12, 2023 – 45:09
  • Forugh Farrokhzad: A trailblazing voice for women in Iran
    Jan 5, 2023 – 39:12
  • The Cynics: Counter-culture from Ancient Greece
    Dec 29, 2022 – 39:35
  • Calories: How to fuel a human
    Dec 22, 2022 – 43:54
  • Belarus: The crossroads of Eastern Europe
    Dec 15, 2022 – 39:40
  • Margaret Sanger: Mother of birth control
    Dec 8, 2022 – 39:45
  • Alice Guy: The first female movie mogul
    Dec 1, 2022 – 39:35
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh: A quest for immortality
    Nov 24, 2022 – 39:27
  • Uruguay 1930: The first football World Cup
    Nov 17, 2022 – 43:23
  • Moths: The story of the butterfly of the night
    Nov 10, 2022 – 39:39
  • The end of civilisation: Bronze Age collapse
    Nov 3, 2022 – 41:48
Recent Reviews
  • Palunargar
    Great podcast- Very entertaining !
    I enjoyed the history of the teenagers
  • LolaMackerel
    Not what used to be
    What’s happened to The Forum? We used to hear expert discussion and now it’s at least half a call-in show with listeners. What a disappointment, but the archive is still available, thankfully.
  • milzpg
    One of the best
    This is an amazing podcast where so many different topics are discussed in a concise yet thorough way! Please keep it going!
  • Donthun
    Very interesting shows
    I learned new information due to your shows/episodes. thank you so much.
  • Joanne Keane Green
    What an amazing podcast
    I love the subjects this podcast explores- the approach - the questions- makes the world even more fascinating— thank-you!
  • Azucarious
    Top notch!
    Thanks for all the wonderful work! Fascinating topics with engaging presentation.
  • Peanutforlife
    Entertaining variety of topics!
    Love all of the different topics of discussion. Nice flow, and the hosts/speakers have pleasant voices to listen to. Thank you for keeping me curious, and getting me through my repetitive manufacturing job!
  • Latin teacher
    excellent, adult topics
    Knowledgeable adult conversation on history and other topics. No trendy bits. Along the lines of BBC’s “In Our Time.”
  • avm1406
    Intelligent, entertaining, all round stand out
    Rajan, how about a program on Anna Karanina?
  • Cozzum
    Part of My Weekly Regimen of Exploration
    Pleasant presenters who are inquisitive in all the right ways. One thing I appreciate is having no clue where they will be taking me each week until I press play.
  • August Consumer
    Wonderful
    Informative and enjoyable. Better than most college lectures. And free!
  • AEFoulkes
    Outstanding
    This is a fantastic podcast. Very interesting topics and great questions probed. Thanks.
  • gommy_gom
    Great show
    Interesting and informative.
  • pnblake
    One of the Best
    This program is one of the best shows on the radio. Always insightful, and alway's makes me think of something new.
  • NewDawns
    Great Show
    Understanding and learning is easy and pleasant.
  • RHM7
    Forum, A World of Ideas, podcast
    Great show every week! I;m definitely a fan now. Listened for 20 minutes each Sunday on the way to church, but never got the whole show. Now I can. How can I go back and listen to what I've missed?
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