Archive on 4

Brilliant stories told using archive from the BBC and beyond.

Radio 4,705 episodes

Episodes

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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
Concorde: The Future We Flew Away From
Rory Sutherland explores our obsession with speed through the prism of Concorde.
28 Feb 2026,57 mins
Airbrushing Autocracy: The Fall and Rise of the Marcoses
The Philippines bloodless revolution stunned the world. 40 years on, has all been lost?
14 Feb 2026,57 mins
Landscape for a Good Infant
How has the state shaped different generations’ experience of infancy?
07 Feb 2026,57 mins
Taxi Driver at 50: New York, Then and Now
The film Taxi Driver is 50 years old. Michael Goldfarb looks at New York then and now.
31 Jan 2026,57 mins,
Forged in Steel
Alan Dein retraces his journey around the UK in search of the story of steel.
24 Jan 2026,57 mins
The Narrative Trap
Philosopher Julian Baggini explores how stories shape and distort our world.
17 Jan 2026,57 mins
Paris with Marianne
Jude Rogers revisits her afternoon in Paris with Marianne Faithfull.
10 Jan 2026,57 mins,
Robert Graves and 'I Claudius', L years on
A portrait of Robert Graves, 50 years on from the TV adaptation of I, Claudius.
03 Jan 2026,57 mins
How the Muppet Show Began in Britain
Louise Gold celebrates The Muppet Show’s anarchic birth in Britain in the mid-1970s.
27 Dec 2025,57 mins
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Katherine Rundell unearths the Christmas ghost story.
20 Dec 2025,57 mins