Recipients of the Copley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society, for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science". It alternates between the physical sciences or mathematics and the biological sciences.
12 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
CultureHistoryScienceFellows of the Royal SocietySocial philosophersFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of literatureTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of historyWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of scienceMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyAge of EnlightenmentAphoristsBurials at Westminster AbbeyWriters about religion and scienceMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesGerman LutheransEnglish AnglicansEnglish people of Scottish descentFrench Roman CatholicsHall of Fame for Great Americans inducteesHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican male non-fiction writersMembers of the French Academy of SciencesAlumni of St John's College, CambridgeAmerican people of English descentEnglish agnosticsEnglish travel writersMembers of the Académie FrançaisePhilosophers of technologyRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Royal Medal winnersSimple living advocates19th-century English writers19th-century German male musiciansAlumni of the University of EdinburghCharles DarwinEnglish Nobel laureatesEnglish socialistsKnights BachelorMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesMembers of the Order of MeritMembers of the Prussian Academy of SciencesPeople associated with electricityRhetoric theoristsUniversity of Göttingen alumniÉcole Normale Supérieure alumni18th-century classical composers19th-century British physicistsAcademic staff of the University of GöttingenAlumni of Newnham College, CambridgeAmerican political philosophersBritish Nobel laureatesDiscoverers of chemical elementsEnglish abolitionistsEnglish inventorsEnglish physicistsForeign members of the Royal SocietyIndependent scientistsMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesUtilitariansVictorian writers18th-century American writers, Founding Fathers of the United States, People of the American Enlightenment18th-century German composers18th-century pseudonymous writers19th-century Anglicans20th-century British biologists20th-century English mathematicians20th-century English non-fiction writersActivists for African-American civil rightsAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordAlumni of the University of BristolAmerican autobiographersAmerican deistsAmerican male journalistsAmerican philosophers of cultureAmerican philosophers of educationAmerican philosophers of religionAmerican slave ownersBurials at Highgate CemeteryCorresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesDeaths from coronary thrombosisEnglish activistsEnglish emigrants to the United StatesExperimental physicistsFellows of Somerville College, OxfordFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeGeorgistsGerman classical composersGerman travel writersGrand Cross of the Legion of HonourHonorary members of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Recipients of the Matteucci MedalHuman evolutionHumor researchersInstitute for Advanced Study visiting scholarsMembers of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsMental calculatorsNobel laureates in ChemistryNobel laureates in PhysicsOptical physicistsRecipients of Franklin MedalRecipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and ArtWinners of the Max Planck Medal18th-century American politicians, American Freemasons, Signers of the United States Constitution18th-century English people18th-century German LGBTQ people18th-century German astronomers18th-century keyboardists19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellows of the Zoological Society of London19th-century British chemists19th-century British writers19th-century English scientists19th-century French chemists20th-century British chemists, British biophysicists, British crystallographers20th-century British physicists, Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences20th-century British scientistsAcademics of the Victoria University of ManchesterAlumni of Christ's College, CambridgeBritish biochemistsBritish botanical illustratorsBritish deistsBritish scientific instrument makersBritish scientists with disabilitiesBritish theoretical physicists, Mathematical physicistsCavendish Professors of PhysicsCircumnavigators of the globeClassical-period composersCorresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1917–1925)Creators of writing systemsEnglish ProtestantsEnglish scepticsForeign members of the USSR Academy of SciencesFrench scientists with disabilitiesGay scientistsGerman male classical composersHonorary Fellows of the Royal Society of EdinburghHuman geographersIndependent scholarsLinear algebraistsMagneticiansMaritime writersMasonic grand mastersMembers of the Lincean AcademyPeople from MonmouthshirePersons of National Historic Significance (Canada)Philosophers from MassachusettsPolitical activists from PennsylvaniaRadio pioneersRecipients of the Dalton MedalRecipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st classRecreational cryptographers, Writers from Boston, Writers from PhiladelphiaTheoretical biologistsUniversity of Jena alumniWomen Nobel laureates
Alfred Russel Wallace
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Victorian pioneer of evolutionary theory Alfred Russel Wallace.
21 March 2013
Featuring: Steve Jones, George Beccaloni, Ted Benton
HistoryRecipients of the Copley MedalBritish botanical illustrators19th-century English scientists20th-century British biologists19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellows of the Zoological Society of LondonGeorgistsEnglish activistsMembers of the Order of MeritEnglish people of Scottish descentEnglish socialists20th-century English non-fiction writersPeople from MonmouthshireRoyal Medal winnersVictorian writersFellows of the Royal Society19th-century British writersBritish deistsCharles Darwin19th century20th centuryAnimalsBenjamin Franklin
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of the scientist, writer, printer, diplomat and American founding father Benjamin Franklin.
1 March 2012
Featuring: Simon Middleton, Simon Newman, Patricia Fara
CultureHall of Fame for Great Americans inducteesPeople associated with electricityAmerican philosophers of educationHumor researchersActivists for African-American civil rightsAmerican philosophers of cultureCreators of writing systemsWriters about religion and scienceAmerican slave ownersRhetoric theoristsRecreational cryptographers, Writers from Boston, Writers from PhiladelphiaAmerican male non-fiction writersIndependent scientistsIndependent scholarsAmerican people of English descentAmerican deistsWriters about activism and social changeSimple living advocatesAmerican political philosophers18th-century American politicians, American Freemasons, Signers of the United States ConstitutionPhilosophy writersAmerican autobiographersAmerican philosophers of religionHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesPhilosophers of technologyMasonic grand mastersFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyRecipients of the Copley MedalPolitical activists from PennsylvaniaPhilosophers from Massachusetts18th-century American writers, Founding Fathers of the United States, People of the American EnlightenmentAmerican male journalistsSocial philosophersMembers of the American Philosophical Society18th-century pseudonymous writersAphoristsAge of EnlightenmentPhilosophers of literatureFellows of the Royal Society18th centuryAmericaCarl Friedrich Gauss
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas of Gauss, 'prince of mathematicians', including those on number theory, geometry, probability theory, astronomy and electromagnetism.
30 November 2017
Featuring: Marcus du Sautoy, Colva Roney-Dougal, Nick Evans
ScienceRecipients of the Copley MedalMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesUniversity of Göttingen alumniMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesAcademic staff of the University of GöttingenHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences18th-century German astronomersMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesGerman LutheransMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesCorresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesOptical physicistsRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesMental calculatorsFellows of the Royal SocietyLinear algebraists18th centuryAstronomyMathematicsDarwin: On the Origins of Charles Darwin
Melvyn Bragg presents a series about the life and work of Charles Darwin. Darwin's early life and time at Cambridge, where his interests shifted from religion to natural science.
5 January 2009
Featuring: Jim Moore, Steve Jones, David Norman, Colin Higgins
ScienceEnglish agnosticsHuman evolutionRoyal Medal winnersCharles DarwinIndependent scientistsEnglish scepticsEnglish Anglicans19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellows of the Zoological Society of LondonTheoretical biologistsMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAlumni of the University of EdinburghCircumnavigators of the globeMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesUtilitariansMembers of the Lincean AcademyEnglish abolitionists19th-century AnglicansRecipients of the Copley MedalAlumni of Christ's College, Cambridge19th-century English writersMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyEnglish travel writersRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Fellows of the Royal SocietyBurials at Westminster AbbeyDeaths from coronary thrombosis19th centuryAnimalsDorothy Hodgkin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the work, ideas and life of the woman who won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the structures of vitamin B12 and penicillin.
3 October 2019
Featuring: Georgina Ferry, Judith Howard, Patricia Fara
ScienceWomen Nobel laureatesRoyal Medal winnersMembers of the Order of MeritAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordForeign members of the USSR Academy of Sciences20th-century British biologists20th-century British chemists, British biophysicists, British crystallographersRecipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and ArtRecipients of the Dalton MedalEnglish Nobel laureatesFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesBritish scientists with disabilitiesRecipients of the Copley MedalBritish Nobel laureatesForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesFellows of Somerville College, OxfordAlumni of Newnham College, CambridgeFellows of the Royal SocietyBritish biochemistsNobel laureates in Chemistry20th centuryHumboldt
Melvyn Bragg discusses the Prussian naturalist and explorer, Alexander Von Humboldt. A hero in South America; Charles Darwin described him as ‘the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived’.
28 September 2006
Featuring: Jason Wilson, Patricia Fara, Jim Secord
ScienceUniversity of Göttingen alumniMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesGerman LutheransMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities18th-century German LGBTQ peopleIndependent scientistsForeign members of the Royal SocietyGerman travel writersMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesHuman geographersHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesUniversity of Jena alumniFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesRecipients of the Copley MedalMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyMembers of the French Academy of SciencesRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Gay scientistsMembers of the Prussian Academy of Sciences18th century19th centuryLouis Pasteur
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of Louis Pasteur, microbiologist, developer of vaccines, saviour of the French beer and wine industries and preserver of milk.
18 May 2017
Featuring: Andrew Mendelsohn, Anne Hardy, Michael Worboys
ScienceRecipients of the Copley MedalFrench Roman CatholicsMembers of the Académie FrançaiseGrand Cross of the Legion of HonourForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesFrench scientists with disabilitiesHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesForeign members of the Royal SocietyMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyÉcole Normale Supérieure alumni19th-century French chemistsMembers of the French Academy of SciencesMembers of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsRecipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st class19th centuryFranceMichael Faraday
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Michael Faraday, the most famous British scientist of the 19th century.
24 December 2015
Featuring: Geoffrey Cantor, Laura Herz, Frank James
SciencePeople associated with electricityWriters about religion and scienceRoyal Medal winnersEnglish Protestants19th-century British chemistsMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesOptical physicistsExperimental physicistsMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesEnglish inventors19th-century English scientistsHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesRecipients of the Copley MedalBurials at Highgate CemeteryForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesMembers of the French Academy of SciencesRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)English physicistsFellows of the Royal Society19th-century British physicistsMagneticians19th centuryPaul Dirac
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Bristolian theoretical physicist, ranked alongside Einstein by his peers, who won a Nobel for his work on quantum mechanics.
5 March 2020
Featuring: Graham Farmelo, Valerie Gibson, David Berman
ScienceEnglish agnosticsAcademic staff of the University of Göttingen20th-century British physicists, Members of the Pontifical Academy of SciencesEnglish emigrants to the United StatesAlumni of the University of BristolRoyal Medal winnersMembers of the Order of MeritNobel laureates in Physics20th-century English mathematiciansForeign members of the USSR Academy of SciencesBritish theoretical physicists, Mathematical physicistsWinners of the Max Planck MedalEnglish Nobel laureatesAlumni of St John's College, CambridgeRecipients of the Copley MedalBritish Nobel laureatesForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesInstitute for Advanced Study visiting scholarsMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyFellows of the Royal Society20th centuryMathematicsRutherford
Melvyn Bragg discusses Ernest Rutherford. He is seen as the father of nuclear science, a great charismatic figure who mapped the landscape of the sub-atomic world.
19 February 2004
Featuring: Simon Schaffer, Jim Al-Khalili, Patricia Fara
ScienceRadio pioneers20th-century British physicists, Members of the Pontifical Academy of SciencesPersons of National Historic Significance (Canada)Fellows of Trinity College, CambridgeKnights BachelorDiscoverers of chemical elementsHonorary members of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Recipients of the Matteucci MedalHonorary Fellows of the Royal Society of EdinburghRecipients of Franklin MedalCorresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1917–1925)Experimental physicistsCavendish Professors of PhysicsRecipients of the Dalton MedalEnglish Nobel laureatesAcademics of the Victoria University of ManchesterRecipients of the Copley MedalBritish Nobel laureates20th-century British scientistsForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyNobel laureates in Chemistry19th-century British physicistsBurials at Westminster Abbey19th century20th centuryVoyages of James Cook
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the science behind Capt James Cook's three voyages of discovery, from 1768 to 1779, one of over a thousand ideas suggested by listeners.
3 December 2015
Featuring: Simon Schaffer, Rebekah Higgitt, Sophie Forgan
William and Caroline Herschel
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the pioneering brother and sister who, between them, discovered Uranus, comets, double stars and infrared light at the end of the 18th century.
11 November 2021
Featuring: Monica Grady, Carolin Crawford, Jim Bennett
ScienceRecipients of the Copley MedalMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesClassical-period composersGerman male classical composers19th-century German male musicians18th-century classical composersHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences18th-century German astronomersGerman LutheransGerman classical composers18th-century keyboardistsBritish scientific instrument makersFellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences18th-century German composersFellows of the Royal Society18th century19th centuryAstronomyGermanyMusic