Free Thinking Folgen

BBC Radio 3's annual Free Thinking festival of ideas continues its summer of activity around the country. In the first of 2 programmes from Derry-Londonderry Matthew Sweet celebrates the city's status as City of Culture 2013 and explores its cultural past and present with a series of discussions, events and interviews recorded at The Playhouse. Writer Owen Hatherley, Derry-based architect Mary Kerrigan and local crime writer Brian McGilloway reflect on the architecture and landscape of Derry and the lives of its citizens.

Rana Mitter chairs a debate from the York Festival of Ideas on whether we can afford ethical business. The panel includes The Guardian's Lucy Siegle, Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist, founder of Ethical Superstore Andy Redfern and economist Virginie Perotin. As austerity bites into family finances and public services, cheap goods seem ever more attractive, even vital. But is there a price to pay in fairness, and to the environment? York has a long history of making ethical business ideals a reality, but can those ideas be carried forward into the era of austerity?

BBC Radio 3's annual Free Thinking festival of ideas continues its summer of activity as it takes up residency at leading summer events across the country. Anne McElvoy chairs a debate from the Daily Mail Chalke Valley History festival to examine how the British have looked to their history to give them a sense of national identity, and explores whether a sense of belonging and citizenship can be found from our past. The guests include historians Michael Wood, Helen Castor and Tom Holland and the MP and writer Kwasi Kwarteng.