The Forum Episodes Available now

Joseph Heller's Catch-22: A novel of twisted logic and absurd bureaucracy
Bridget Kendall explores a novel that gave rise to a new term in the English language

Sofya Kovalevskaya: The eventful life of a maths pioneer
A brilliant Russian whose scientific discoveries helped to reshape European universities

Machu Picchu: Secrets of a forgotten city
The enigma of the Inca mountain retreat

Pleasure and pain: The philosophy of Jeremy Bentham
The radical ideas of the 18th-century legal reformer Jeremy Bentham

Copper: From mining to microprocessors
The shiny red metal our lives depend on that has powered human development

Writer Agatha Christie: Murder and mystery
How the queen of crime achieved her extraordinary success

Boudica, warrior queen
The Iron Age English warrior queen who led a rebellion against the Romans

Harry Houdini: Escape artist and showman
Pulling back the curtain on the master of illusion

Antarctic Treaty: Protecting the icy continent
Safeguarding peace and wilderness with the Antarctic Treaty

Don Quixote: Spanish masterpiece
The multi-layered masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes