Archive on 4

Brilliant stories told using archive from the BBC and beyond.

Radio 4,715 episodes

Episodes

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The Fountain of Youth at 60
Angela Barnes looks back at 60 years of the social history of menopause, and HRT.
17 Oct 2026,57 mins
The Grateful Dead Are More Important Than The Beatles
How one jam band changed the world forever.
10 Oct 2026,57 mins
Harvey Matusow and the Birth of Fake News
The curious Cold War tale of America’s most notorious liar and his 21st Century legacy.
03 Oct 2026,57 mins
Rock Bottom: 50 years since Britain's IMF crisis
The drama and trauma of Britain’s 1976 financial crisis and resulting IMF bailout.
26 Sep 2026,57 mins
Aberdeen: After the Black Goldrush
How did a small city in the North East of Scotland become the “Oil Capital of Europe”?
19 Sep 2026,57 mins
First Contact
Horatio Clare explores the idea of First Contact.
12 Sep 2026,57 mins
Comps
The schools revolution of 1976 to replace grammars and secondary moderns with comps.
05 Sep 2026,57 mins
Evacuation
Journalist Nelufar Hedayat revisits the chaotic 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan.
29 Aug 2026,57 mins
The Age of Uncertainty
A tale of crisis, legitimacy and transformation for the BBC and Britain in the 1970s.
22 Aug 2026,57 mins
Sucking Up: A Guide to Sycophancy Through the Ages
Don't you look gorgeous today, dear listener!
01 Aug 2026,57 mins,
The People's Pool
One Glasgow swimming pool reveals the story of public baths and wash houses in Britain.
25 Jul 2026,57 mins
Alan Watts: The Brahman of Bromley
Jarvis Cocker explores the life, death and digital reincarnation of philosopher Alan Watts
18 Jul 2026,57 mins
50 Years of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation
Exploring the legacy of the 20th century's best-selling work of philosophy
11 Jul 2026,57 mins
Born on the Fourth of July
James Naughtie looks at how Americans celebrate 4th July, and what it means.
04 Jul 2026,57 mins
Ramones at the Roundhouse
Mariella Frostrup recalls the historic UK debut of the US punk giants Ramones in July '76.
27 Jun 2026,57 mins
Resonance FM: The Art of Listening
Comedian Stewart Lee tells the story of Resonance FM, the UK’s greatest radio art station.
20 Jun 2026,57 mins
Ten Years After Brexit: The Campaign
An special immersive documentary reveals the dramatic six months that divided a nation.
13 Jun 2026,57 mins
The Alf Ramsey Story
Alf Ramsey drove his team of ’66 to sporting history. David Goldblatt tells his story.
06 Jun 2026,57 mins,
The Louisville Lip
Ten years on from his passing, Muhammad Ali's story is told in his own words.
30 May 2026,57 mins
The Sound of Soft Power
Radio’s international art of persuasion
23 May 2026,57 mins
The Life and Many Deaths of the Local
Shane Richie discovers how pubs can survive today by exploring how they did in the past.
16 May 2026,57 mins
In The Psychiatrist’s Chair
Kirsty Young remembers Anthony Clare's ground breaking and incisive interview series.
09 May 2026,57 mins
Voices of the General Strike
David Runciman explores the General Strike of 1926: nine days that shook the nation.
02 May 2026,57 mins
The Last Dance Floor in Chernobyl
The story of a couple falling in love and getting married against the backdrop of disaster
25 Apr 2026,57 mins
The Evolution of The Naked Ape
Ella Al-Shamahi revisits Desmond Morris’s controversial book The Naked Ape, six decades on
18 Apr 2026,57 mins
The Sarkozy Affair
The rise and fall of Nicolas Sarkozy and why this story is gripping France.
11 Apr 2026,57 mins
The Ghosts of Maida Vale
Matthew Sweet summons the spirits from the world famous BBC Maida Vale recording studios.
28 Mar 2026,57 mins
Into the Ether
Unearthing audio treasures from the radiophonic past.
21 Mar 2026,57 mins
Wilson's Way Out
The astonishing story of PM Harold Wilson's sensational resignation fifty years ago.
14 Mar 2026,57 mins
Sara Pascoe Presents... The Anti-Awards Awards
Sara Pascoe hands out the Anti-Awards Awards.
07 Mar 2026,57 mins