Melvyn Bragg never had much truck with preambles. Tune into In Our Time and his intros to the programme have an immediacy and a focus that demand the listener’s attention.

“Nikola Tesla – 1856 to 1943 – is inseparable from the story of the electrification of America, even the world”, you hear him say, and it’s a case of right: sit up!

Inseparable is exactly what Bragg and In Our Time have been, going all the way back to the programme’s origins in 1998. But now, alas, at 86, this great broadcaster has decided to step down from a Radio 4 institution that has given listeners an education in history like no other.

“For a programme with a wholly misleading title which started from scratch with a six-month contract, it’s been quite a ride!” Bragg said yesterday. “Thank you for listening.”

Th

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