I am anti-gun and am even more appalled at the gun culture in the US after listening to this podcast. I always get a chilling feeling whenever I drive by gun shops. Now I am even more repulsed from knowing the lobbying and “educating” that takes place in them. I know gun ownership, even gun safety, are extremely complicated issues which are virtually impossible to solve any day soon. I pray to God that my family and future grandchildren will forever be free from gun violence.

I enjoy the guests and the topics (albeit I would prefer longer and more substantial conversations with those incredible thinkers). Sound quality, though, is very bad. Simply disrespectful to listeners… there is technology in place to mitigate outside noises, to level the volume of the host and a speaker etc. Not sure what might be a problem for such a respectable platform like BBC

Laurie must be a wonderful teacher. He has a good sense of humor but more important he discusses topics in a way that offers a fresh perspective. History and sociology are combined with music to make episodes memorable. The recent episodes on CoVid and Freedom were intriguing. I hope he continues his podcast.

Presenter Laurie Taylor takes up needle and thread to weave a tapestry of reflections on the diverse states of human affairs. The various strands of thought provoking material consist of insightful guests discussing their studies and resulting papers or books, while Laurie guides the conversation with questions eliciting the most colorful and textured responses designed to give us a better view of the big picture. His jovial personality adds a friendly and comforting level of uplift to what can often be challenging ideas, behaviours, and incidents from history or the present day. Sometimes the musical interludes and humorous takes on aspects of our world that Laurie employs can be just the right touch to regain a little balance and perhaps harmony to our thinking, which is very much allowed and appreciated. The artful crafting of episodes also helps inspire me to prepare better meals as I am often cooking while listening to the program. I've never cooked better food than while listening to Thinking Allowed. Thanks for all the great programs Laurie Taylor and Thinking Allowed Crew, nicely done.

Laurie Taylor.. what went wrong? Blue collar up bringing but now a twisted woke wannabe.. u remind me of Bill Clinton. Gross 🤮

Huge thanks to the host and to the BBC and other partners that make this truly marvelous podcast happen.

Absolutely fantastic! The interviews are insightful and I love all of the book recommendations. The one technical glitch is the audio feedback from the interviewer’s mic is not turned off when the interviewee is speaking and I found that a bit distracting. This is technical feedback that I hope the author of the podcast sees. In terms of subject matter, interviewing style, and the variety of interviewees, this is by far one of my favorite podcasts.

After visiting an old friend in the 9th and falling in love with Paris, I look forward to listing to this every day so I can keep building my sense of that magnificent city. I’ll be back one day, and until then, I savor each one of these with my coffee or while driving.

While in the US Army stationed overseas I started listening to the BBC at the behest of British soldiers. That was twelve years ago and I have continued to get my news and podcasts from the BBC ever since. I trust them and “thinking allowed” is one of the most enjoyable podcasts from the BBC. Every week I am exposed to something of importance or relevance that I find the utmost pleasure hearing and learning about. Keep up the great work!!!

Sometimes great, sometimes not.

Almost a public service, in my opinion. I enjoy every show. A valuable podcast in education to the public.

I really love the approach and topics discussed in this podcast. As a laborer and someone atypical of a podcast listener Laurie is eye opening and sheds light on some things I'd have never considered.

An interesting popularization of social science, though I'm typically only interested in downloading about half the shows that come up, topic-wise.

Very helpful and thought provoking!

I listen to the weekly episode of thinking aloud each Sunday morning in Papua New Guinea during my 6 km walk which lasts an hour. 30 minutes listening to thinking aloud followed by 30 minutes of Friday night comedy. What has struck me about all the social science guests you interview is how many guests answer your questions with the response " absolutely ". This must mean 100% agreement with your questions. This must be a special characteristic of social scientists compared with politicians. I have yet to hear a politician ever use the word "absolutely " in response to a question from an interviewer. Why can't politicians learn to use the word "absolutely " in their replies. That would transform politics. Or maybe social scientists should become politicians. Regards Michael Thomas

It is truly refreshing to find a podcast that treats subjects in the social sciences in such an entertaining way yet takes them quite seriously. Listening to Thinking Allowed is like enjoying a thoroughly delicious meal with the added satisfaction of knowing that it was healthy and nutritious. Laurie Taylor is a gracious host with the ability to truly engage with the subjects and guests at hand. I have to say that I'm constantly impressed at how far-reaching his reading seems to be - it's something I can only aspire to. He has got a devoted listener in me.

Great, wide ranging discussions. Big topics and arcane trivia you can use at your next soirée.

＼(^o^)／

I love this show! I find Laurie Taylor to be an excellent host. Topics are varied and interesting, and he does a masterful job of eliciting the maximum information from his guests. Best of all, he speaks well and can be clearly understood - and he doesn't interrupt his guests, but lets them get out all the information they have for us! I'd take his courses every semester!

I've been scouring the podcastsphere for commute-worthy entertainment, and this one is wonderful. So refreshing to find such a well-researched, thoughtful, and insightful show after wading through so much blah. Thanks!!

Very riveting and intellectual discussions about just about everything. I'd recommend if for any curious person who enjoys hearing Brits contemplate the world....

It's not quite as intriguing as the In Our Time podcast, but it's the best runner up I've come across so far.

I have enjoied every episode I have listened to. He has a great voice and the stories are diverse and interesting, and full of information!

_Thinking Allowed_ is an excellent program. It goes beyond mundane conversation and is invariably intelligent and interesting.