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Thinking Allowed Episodes

  1. 26/05/2026

    New research on how society works

  2. Debt and Wealth Inequality

    Living with debt - and has inequality become ingrained? Laurie Taylor hears new research.

  3. Extreme Sports

    Laurie Taylor hears about research into ultra running and women mountaineers.

  4. The demise of Grand Theory?

    Laurie Taylor charts changes in current sociological study with Les Back and Imogen Tyler.

  5. Gentrification in Detroit and London

    Failed gentrification in Detroit and the human cost of urban redevelopment in 1920s London

  6. Prison violence, sound and survival

    A prize-winning study of the sounds of prison life, and an exploration of victimisation.

  7. The go-along research method

    Laurie Taylor explores the value of research done in informal settings and on the move.

  8. Colour in Film

    Laurie Taylor with Swarnavel Eswaran and Kirsty Sinclair Dootson on Indian film-making.

  9. Dogs

    Laurie Taylor on the history of keeping dogs as pets and the politics of dog-human links.

  10. Learning Disabilities

    From cruel jibes to institutional care, a history of people with learning disabilities.

  11. The Irish in the UK

    How Irish nurses shaped the NHS. Also, Irish migrants, in London and the UK.

  12. Russian Propaganda

    How propaganda in Russia has intensified since the war in Ukraine.

  13. Death

    A social history of death in the UK. Also, attitudes to dying in China.

  14. Objects and Stories

    How objects like shoes and watches help tell the history of slavery and wartime atrocities

  15. Solidarity

    Racial sympathy amongst white Americans and the meaning of solidarity.

  16. Motherhood

    The politics of motherhood and US mums on the sharp end of the law.

  17. Smoking

    Smoking in modern Britain and the Soviet Union.

  18. Dress Culture

    How culture, stigma and discrimination impact dress choices.

  19. ECOLOGY

    Ecological harms: from the Californian desert to the Salisbury Plain.

  20. Crowds

    The rich and diverse history of crowds in entertainment, sports and politics.

  21. Underwear

    From the humorous to the sensual, the hidden story of underwear.

  22. Wealth

    Offshore finance and a millennial history of the wealthy.

  23. Touch

    Touch: what a single sense can tell us about changing ideas of intimacy and privacy.

  24. Crime Stories

    Why do stories about true crime exercise such a grip on the popular imagination?

  25. Playgrounds

    The social history of the playground.

  26. Tech Workers

    The hidden exploitation of workers at the heart of artificial intelligence.

  27. Food Systems

    From tin cans to stretch-wrap, the secret life of food packaging.

  28. Meaning of Work

    What makes work meaningful, from nurses to lawyers? Also, cleaners' quest for dignity.

  29. Sea Travelling

    Shipboard travels and maritime maps.

  30. Gender and Radicalisation

    How does gender influence men and women's participation in extremist politics?

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