''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 networ ...

broadcast on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

as part of their "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. BBC 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).

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 Shantashil Rajyeswar Mitter (born 1969), known as Rana Mitter, is a British historian and political scientist of Indian origin who specialises in the history of republican China. He is Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at t ...

Shahidha Bari Shahidha Bari is a British academic, critic and broadcaster, born 1980. 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 television programme ''Inside Culture'' on BBC ...

and

Anne McElvoy Anne McElvoy (born 25 June 1965) is a British journalist, contributing to ''The Economist'', London ''Evening Standard'', and the BBC. Early life McElvoy attended St Bede's RC Comprehensive School in Lanchester, County Durham, and read German ...

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' 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"
''The Guardian'' (blog entry), 19 May 2010

References

External links

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