Marcus du Sautoy: Around the World in 80 Games
14 November 2023 - 40 minsEnjoy playing games? You’ll enjoy them even more once renowned mathematician, Oxford University professor and avid game player Marcus du Sautoy tells Alan why they so fascinate us. And Alan tells Marcus about his favorite game – one even Marcus didn’t know.
Series Episodes
If Robots Had a Podcast
Alan lets bots mostly run the show to see how much they can do and still be under human control. For a while, it seems to go well, but then dangers start to emerge— and it gets a little scary.
31 mins
8 July Finished
Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda: Season 30 Trailer
Alan and Clear and Vivid’s executive producer Graham Chedd chat about and play clips from some of the shows coming up in season 30. Guests include actor Bob Odenkirk, scuba diver Tara Roberts, and some AI chatbots.
28 mins
1 July Finished
Carly Anne York: Taking “Silly Science” Seriously
Research often derided for being a waste of money has led to world-changing breakthroughs, ranging from GPS to Ozempic.
41 mins
24 June Finished
Paul McCartney: Dreams, Dickens… and Oobleys
To celebrate Sir Paul’s 83rd birthday June 18th we are reprising a wonderful conversation recorded five years ago. Alan and Paul exchange their experiences writing and performing; and McCartney demonstrates how some of the Beatles’ greatest hits began with what he calls “oobley” chords on the piano.
1 hour 2 mins
17 June Finished
Itzhak Perlman: Encore! Encore!
Reaching back to the first season of Clear and Vivid, a replay of the July 2018 episode when the violin virtuoso tells Alan why he likes to talk to his audience as well as play for them; why he plays Bach very differently from Tchaikovsky; and why the first time he played the Stradivarius that was to become his 30 years later, “I thought that I'd died and went to heaven.”
46 mins
10 June Finished
Adam Kucharski: What’s True to You?
In a world awash with misinformation, how do we know what’s true? How can we be certain about anything? It turns out one of the most effective ways began with a polite disagreement over the best way to pour a cup of tea.
39 mins
3 June Finished
