"They are, in theory, the brightest of our bright young things: 10 academics chosen in an X Factor-style talent search with specialist subjects that range from the history of fan mail to the significance of the desert in modern culture.

"The Guardian can name the winners of a competition to find a new generation of thinkers and communicators, pictured as they gathered on Monday at the BBC.

"The talent search was a collaboration between Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Matthew Dodd, head of speech programming at Radio 3, said they wanted to find academics with a flair for broadcasting earlier in their career."

Read on...