Arts & Ideas

Wilfred Owen is one of the greatest First World War writers. The poets Fred d'Aguiar and Michael Longley discuss the work of the poet whose poetry inspired Britten's War Requiem. This programme, is presented by Ian McMillan and was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms

Professor Sugata Mitra's pioneering experiments gave children in India access to computers to teach themselves and inspired the novel which became the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is now using retired volunteers in the UK to share their knowledge and guide children across the other side of the world. At the Free Thinking Festival he outlines the way he plans to use the $1 million 2013 Ted Prize to further his vision of "schools in the cloud". Presented by philip Dodd and recorded on Saturday 26th October 2013 in front of a live audience at Sage Gateshead.

Can a map reveal too much? How do they direct our thinking? From ancient atlases to satnav and Google, maps continue to be a key planning tool, but how much are they now instruments of control? To discuss what the very word ‘mapping’ now means Rana Mitter is joined by Vanessa Lawrence CB, head of the Ordnance Survey and Professor Jerry Brotton, Professor of Renaissance Studies in the Department of English, Queen Mary, University of London. Recorded on Sunday 27th October 2013 in front of a live audience at Sage Gateshead as part of Radio 3's Free Thinking festival.

Melbourne prides itself on being the 'cultural and sporting capital of Australia'. It's a UNESCO City of Literature. As the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform at tonight's Prom concert the publisher Carmen Callil, founder of Virago Press, and novelist Helen Fitzgerald discuss Melbourne. The programme is presented by Rana Mitter and was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms

Increasing resistance to antibiotics is a threat to Britain which could be as dangerous as terrorism. That's the argument put by Professor Dame Sally Davies in her Free Thinking lecture at Sage Gateshead. She is joined on stage by Professor Hugh Pennnington and Dr Andrew Sails to talk about strategies for combatting infection and improving the nation’s health. Recorded on Saturday 26th October 2013 in an event hosted by Anne McElvoy in front of a live audience at Sage Gateshead.

Award-winning novelist and poet Helen Dunmore and the writer Simon Heffer discuss the myths and realities behind the idea of the Lost Generation of World War 1. This programme, is presented by Rana Mitter and was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms

Nature writers Miriam Darlington and Horatio Clare join Rana Mitter to discuss the Scottish author of Ring of Bright Water Gavin Maxwell on his centenary. Readings by Scott Handy. This programme is presented by Rana Mitter and was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms

The current National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and the painter Peter Blake celebrate the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. The reader is Trystan Gravelle. This programme, is presented by Shahidha Bari and and was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms

The poet and playwright Tony Harrison talks to Matthew Sweet about his passionate commitment to the classics, poetic language and political writing over the last fifty years. This programme, presented by Matthew Sweet, was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms

The poet Craig Raine discusses the ways in which borrowing and reshaping existing phrases is a feature of music and literature and why writers adopt a magpie approach to language. This programme, presented by Anne McElvoy, was recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of the BBC Proms. To find out further information about the events which are free to attended go to bbc.co.uk/proms