In Our Time With Melvyn Bragg Folgen

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the eminent 19th-century scientist Michael Faraday. Born into a poor working-class family, he received little formal schooling but became interested in science while working as a bookbinder's apprentice. He is celebrated today for carrying out pioneering research into the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Faraday showed that if a wire was turned in the presence of a magnet or a magnet was turned in relation to a wire, an electric current was generated. This ground-breaking discovery led to the development of the electric generator and ultimately to modern power stations. During his life he became the most famous scientist in Britain and he played a key role in founding the Royal Institution's Christmas lectures which continue today.With:Geoffrey Cantor Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at the University of LeedsLaura Herz Professor of Physics at the University of OxfordFrank James Professor of the History of Science at the Royal InstitutionProducer: Victoria Brignell.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the evolution and role of Circadian Rhythms, the so-called body clock that influences an organism's daily cycle of physical, behavioural and mental changes. The rhythms are generated within organisms and also in response to external stimuli, mainly light and darkness. They are found throughout the living world, from bacteria to plants, fungi to animals and, in humans, are noticed most clearly in sleep patterns. WithRussell Foster Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of OxfordDebra Skene Professor of Neuroendocrinology at the University of SurreyAndSteve Jones Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and rise of Legalism in China, from the start of the Warring States Period (c475 - 221 BC) to the time of The First Emperor Qin Shi Huang (pictured), down to Chairman Mao and the present day. Advanced by the Qin statesman Shang Yang and later blended together by Han Fei, the three main aspects of Legalism were the firm implementation of laws, use of techniques such as responsibility and inscrutability, and taking advantage of the ruler's position. The Han dynasty that replaced the Qin discredited this philosophy for its apparent authoritarianism, but its influence continued, re-emerging throughout Chinese history.WithFrances Wood Former Curator of the Chinese Collections at the British LibraryHilde de Weerdt Professor of Chinese History at Leiden UniversityAndRoel Sterckx Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History at the University of Cambridge.Producer: Simon Tillotson.