Neil MacGregorEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

Josie Lloyd chats to Robert Kirkwood about her books The Cancer Ladies Running Club, Come Together and her new book, Lifesaving for Beginners plus fresh from the Booker Shortlist announcement we hear from head judge Neil MacGregor.

British Art Historian and former Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor chats to Nihal about the new audiobook of ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’. Neil has chosen 4 of those objects plus an entirely new one (object 101!) including a Jade Axe and an Akan Drum. He chats to Nihal about how their meaning can change over time #PenguinPodcast ‘A History of the World in 100 objects’ is available to buy as an audiobook now - https://apple.co/3dfSbUb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the Ice Age, humans have been using their imaginations to create objects of great artistry and skill, many of them destined for spiritual or religious functions. Exploring the stories these objects tell and the shared narratives they reflect helps us to understand the nature of belief and the complex relationship between faith and society. In this episode, former British Museum director, Neil MacGregor, discusses these ideas, which are the topic of his recent book Living with the Gods: On Beliefs and Peoples.

Kirsty Wark explores national stories and myths – from both inside and outside a country’s borders. Neil MacGregor discusses how Dickens, Monty Python and the Suez Crisis have influenced the way Britain is perceived abroad. He visits five different countries to find out which historical events, cultural influences and objects have shaped the way how others see us. The answers may well surprise people back home. Sweden has a strong sense of its own national identity: it boasts the world’s oldest free press and prides itself on its special brand of social democracy. But the journalist Kajsa Norman looks beyond this utopian myth to expose the darkness in the Swedish soul. She reveals what happens to those who dare to dissent from consensus. Japan’s national image abroad is one of staid tradition mixed with bizarre pop culture, and the samurai warrior alongside the grey mass of ‘salarymen’. But the academic Christopher Harding argues there is far more to Japanese society than these enduring clichés. He looks at how Japan has been reinventing itself over the last century and a half, and the often radical and outspoken resistance to conformity. Producer: Katy Hickman

Neil MacGregor talks about the public engagement at the British Museum. Neil MacGregor talks about his lecture on 'The Fires of Faith', building works at the British Museum, and public engagement.