''Free Thinking'' is a

radio programme A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

weekly from Friday 5 April 2024. It was previously broadcast on Radio 3 as part of its "After Dark" late night programming. The programme is a rebranded version of ''Night Waves'', "Radio 3's flagship arts and ideas programme". ''Night Waves'' was broadcast every Monday to Thursday evening, except during the Proms season. Radio 3 rebranded ''Night Waves'' as ''Free Thinking'' from 7 January 2014, and reduced the number of first-time broadcasts per week from four to three (plus one repeat). It had a 45 minute running time on Radio 3. In April 2024 the show was moved to Radio 4 where it is transmitted just once a week, but with a 60 minute running time.

Format

Programmes usually included a mix of interviews, reviews, previews, discussions, commissioned writing and reports. Some episodes included a single interview with a prominent figure in the worlds of arts or ideas. The programme's presenters include

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

, Philip Dodd,

Rana Mitter Rana Shantashil Rajyeswar Mitter (born 11 August 1969) is a British historian and political scientist of Indian descent who specialises in the History of the People's Republic of China. He is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard ...

Shahidha Bari Shahidha Bari (born 1980) is a British academic, critic and broadcaster in the fields of literature, philosophy and art. She is a professor at the University of the Arts London based at London College of Fashion. She is a host of the topical arts ...

and Anne McElvoy.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' said in May 2010: "...the king of radio arts programmes is undoubtedly ''Night Waves'', a programme so clever that it regularly makes me stand still and listen, usually halfway to the dishwasher with a plate in my hand...It's the desire to untangle arguments, to lift up their corners and see what lurks there. There's a gleeful range of references too...and a relish for intelligent debate."Elisabeth Mahone
"Radio head: Night Waves"
''

'' (blog entry), 19 May 2010

References

External links

* * BBC Radio 3 programmes BBC Radio 4 programmes 1992 radio programme debuts {{UK-radio-show-stub