New Generation Thinkers 2025 selected to shape programming on BBC Radio 4…
Six of the UK’s most promising early career researchers in the arts and humanities have been chosen as this year’s New Generation Thinkers, a scheme supported by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the BBC.
Matthew Dodd, Commissioning Editor, Arts, BBC Radio 4:
“As the biggest speech radio station in the UK, Radio 4 is thrilled to introduce six brilliant early-career academics to such a broad audience. Their commitment to reaching the wider public with their research will enrich Radio 4’s programming, delivering new perspectives that inspire and challenge.”
Each year, a nationwide search identifies outstanding academics and helps them bring their research ideas to a broader audience on BBC radio. Selected from hundreds of applicants, these six researchers represent some of the brightest emerging minds in their fields.
The New Generation Thinkers will collaborate with four Radio 4 teams across the UK, who work on programmes such as Free Thinking and Thinking Allowed, weekly science programmes, Front Row and Woman’s Hour.
The 2025 group of New Generation Thinkers have a wide range of research interests, including: the role which language plays in healthcare; Second World War espionage; evolving perceptions of crime and justice from Medieval times until the present day; how marriage, labour and climate impact migration; and women’s contributions to television and film.
Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair:
“New Generation Thinkers communicate fascinating ideas to the public, expanding our cultural, social and philosophical horizons while prompting important conversations. With subjects as diverse as climate change, war and healthcare, and methodologies as varied as film making and storytelling, these early careers researchers will explore important ideas that have shaped, and continue to shape, our world.
“I look forward to see what these six brilliant, original thinkers can produce with the resources of the BBC at their fingertips.”
Every year, the BBC and AHRC hold a nationwide search for the best new arts and humanities academics with ideas that will resonate with a wider audience. These New Generation Thinkers represent some of the best early career researchers in the country.
They will benefit from training and development with AHRC. They will also spend a year being mentored by producers from BBC radio, where they will appear and take part in discussions during the year. The New Generation Thinker scheme has been running since 2011 with over 100 academics having passed through it.
