Arts and Ideas

Shelagh Delaney wrote A Taste of Honey when she was 18. First performed in 1958, a new National Theatre production stars Lesley Sharp and Kate O'Flynn. Oxford historian Selina Todd has a first night review. Anthony Little, headmaster of Eton College discusses class, tradition and teaching manhood. And discussing the pivotal notion of self-worth in terms of achieving social mobility are Douglas Murray, Selina Todd and Lindsay Johns. Presented by Philip Dodd.

To mark the death of cultural historian Stuart Hall, another chance to hear his extended conversation with Philip Dodd, which was first broadcast in December 2004.

Ofsted chair Sally Morgan and Tim Montgomerie debate Ed Miliband's speech about parent power with Anne McElvoy. Bidisha and Rebecca Mead discuss literary heroines as role models.German artist Georg Baselitz discusses his artistic career as his work goes on show in two London Galleries. And literary depictions of flooding. What books you might want to avoid reading if you are faced with rising water levels.

Two books published this month include the idea of "the death of God" in their titles: Terry Eagleton's 'Culture And The Death Of God' and Peter Watson's 'The Age Of Nothing: How We Have Sought to Live Since the Death of God'. Both authors join Philip Dodd to discuss what 'the death of God' could mean, along with theologian Elaine Storkey and Roger Scruton, whose forthcoming book 'The Soul Of The World' discusses the expression of religious belief through art.

Spike Jonze's new film Her depicts a writer developing a relationship with his computer operating system. Matthew Sweet and Aleks Krotoski look at what it says about the changing relationship between man and machine as the internet of things develops. Is Big Data the future ? Ian Angell Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics, historian Tom Holland and Tom Smith discuss our attitude to data past and present. Plus 95 year old Diana Serra Carey - aka Baby Peggy of the silents - remembers Shirley Temple.

Hanif Kureishi's career has included screenplays My Beautiful Launderette, Venus, London Kills Me and The Mother. His novels Intimacy, The Buddha of Suburbia and The Black Album have been adapted for film, TV and theatre. His new novel The Last Word depicts an Indian-born writer of fading reputation whose biography is being written by a younger author. Kureishi talks to Philip Dodd about writing about sex, ageing and drawing a line between autobiography and fiction.

Matthew Sweet revisits Alan Bleasdale's 1986 World War One TV series The Monocled Mutineer inspired by life of soldier Percy Toplis. He talks to Paul McGann who played the soldier in the series and academics Julian Putkowski and Richard Drayton. Philosopher Roman Krznaric wants to launch an empathy revolution. He is being joined by an author Sheri Fink and Professor Jan Slaby.

As International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde gives this year’s Dimbleby Lecture, Anne McElvoy asks seasoned Lagarde watchers Gillian Tett and Ngaire Woods to analyse her performance and to reflect on whether her growing personal mythology is enough to alter the reputation of the oft-criticised organisation she fronts. Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently said “how ever many entrepreneurs you think you need, it isn’t enough” to cope with the world’s challenges. But entrepreneurs are often portrayed as greedy and ruthless in films like The Wolf of Wall Street. Luke Johnson and Mariana Mazzucato consider where the truth lies. Plus Anne considers the portrayal of boxers in culture with Anna Whitwham, Lynda Nead and Steven Fowler.

Anne McElvoy on unrest in Ukraine and the state of dissent in Russia today with Boris Akunin, Masha Gessen, Marc Bennetts, Anna Shevchenko and Edward Lucas.

Christos Tsiolkas, Germaine Greer and the Aboriginal leader Pat Dodson talk about the fault-lines in Australia ancient and modern. In this special edition of Free Thinking presenter Samira Ahmed explores what lies within the Australian psyche?

American novelist Jonathan Lethem discusses the singer Pete Seeger, whose death has been announced today. Martin Creed's artworks have included a room full of balloons and a room containing only a light switch. Matthew Sweet considers how Creed questions what are the limits to art, talking to Creed himself, art critic Charlotte Mullins and comedian Waen Shepherd. And, as their latest plays open on the London stage, Free Thinking brings together the director and writer Carrie Cracknell and the writer Abi Morgan to consider feminism in theatre.

The actor Simon Russell Beale discusses playing the role of King Lear. Derek Jarman is the subject of a season at the BFI and an exhibition Pandemonium - at the Cultural Institute at King's College London. Composer Simon Fisher Turner, artist Tacita Dean, writer Jon Savage and Director of Film at the British Council Briony Hanson appraise his career. Plus New Generation Thinkers Philip Roscoe and Jonathan Healey reflect on attitudes to the deserving poor, benefits culture and the Channel 4 series Benefits Street.

Zhang Weiwei, one of China's foremost public intellectuals, talks to Rana Mitter about why China should not become a democracy. And as rising tensions between China and Japan continue to dominate headlines in East Asia, we hear from two young journalists, Mariko Oi and Haining Liu. Finally the author of 'Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival' David Pilling and historian Naoko Shimazu reflect on Japan's historic ability to re-invent itself and why it needs that skill more than ever at the present time.

Matthew Sweet discusses the way we talk about suicide with Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of 'Stay - A history of suicide and the philosophies against it'. Audio only video games are on the increase. Sound designer Nick Ryan explains his approach to creating them and Naomi Alderman reflects on the sound world they create. As Culture Minister Ed Vaizey prepares to meet some of Britain's leading black actors to discuss what is preventing them being given more tv and stage roles we hear the views of actress Adjoa Andoh. Writers Adam Gopnik and Louise Doughty discuss attitudes to Romani people in France and the UK.

Matthew Sweet talks to director Steve McQueen about his new film '12 Years A Slave' and assesses this year's Oscar nominations, among them Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, and The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo Di Caprio and directed by Martin Scorcese. Plus the poet Fred D'Aguiar, anthropologist Kit Davis and the historian Madge Dresser discuss slave narratives.