Archive on 4

Brilliant stories told using archive from the BBC and beyond.

Radio 4,700 episodes

Episodes

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James Burke: Our Man on the Moon
James Burke revisits his coverage of the moon landings in 1969 in front of a live audience
20 Jul 2019,57 mins
Voice in the Machine
How did our machines first find their voices and why have they now started to listen back?
13 Jul 2019,57 mins
God Bless the Prince of Wales
The explosive story of Prince Charles' investiture - a pivotal moment in British politics.
06 Jul 2019,57 mins
The Death of the Eccentric
Will Self goes in search of an endangered species - the eccentric.
29 Jun 2019,57 mins
The Age of Emulsion: with Laurence Llewelyn Bowen
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen explores the social history of DIY home improvements.
22 Jun 2019,57 mins
Speaking Truth to Power
Mark D'Arcy examines how MPs' select committees are increasingly challenging the powerful.
15 Jun 2019,57 mins
How to Win a Tory Leadership Election
Michael Crick looks back at success and failure in Tory leadership contests in the past
08 Jun 2019,57 mins
A Saga of Trying (and Failing) to Save the Planet
Professor Alice Roberts delves into the archives to find out how to save planet Earth.
01 Jun 2019,57 mins
The University of the Air
Gordon Brown charts 50 years of the Open University.
18 May 2019,57 mins
The New Philosophers and the Death of the Interview
The story of how web-based polemicists bypassed old media and conquered the internet.
11 May 2019,57 mins
1979: Democracy's Nightmares
Phil Tinline traces the political fears and hopes swirling in Britain in 1978 and 1979.
27 Apr 2019,57 mins
Remembering Christopher Hitchens
The life and times of Christopher Hitchens told through archive and interview.
13 Apr 2019,57 mins,
Charles Parker: Radio Pioneer
Sean Street celebrates the centenary of one of the most innovative radio producers.
06 Apr 2019,57 mins
Flat 113 at Grenfell Tower
What went wrong in flat 113 at Grenfell Tower? Katie Razzall pieces together the evidence
23 Mar 2019,57 mins
Polling Badly
Sarah Smith asks whether the mistakes of the Poll Tax are about to be repeated.
16 Mar 2019,57 mins
I'm Only Joking
Ed Byrne traces the history of offensive comedy while exploring the idea of censorship.
09 Mar 2019,57 mins,
Walking the Wild Mind
Suzanne Vega explores Lou Reed's complexities with New Yorkers who knew him well.
02 Mar 2019,50 mins
The Risk Makers
Erring is easy in the prophecy business. Why risk is too important to be left to experts!
23 Feb 2019,57 mins
Bent Coppers
Author Jake Arnott traces the history of corruption in the Metropolitan police.
16 Feb 2019,57 mins,
PE - A History of Violence
Was there a time when physical education did more harm than good?
09 Feb 2019,57 mins
American Civility: Year Zero
Michael Goldfarb looks at the history of rude, violent debate that has marked US politics.
02 Feb 2019,57 mins,
Powers of Persuasion: How Britain Learned to Sell
Wayne Hemingway charts 100 years of British advertising examining how we learned to sell.
26 Jan 2019,57 mins
Gareth Gwynn’s Alternative Archive
Gareth Gwynn presents the first Archive on 4 that looks sideways rather than backwards.
19 Jan 2019,57 mins
Chemists' Dirty Secret
The weapons of war born in the laboratory.
12 Jan 2019,57 mins
Where Politicians Come From
Elinor Goodman asks if there has ever been a golden era of public-spirited politicians.
05 Jan 2019,57 mins
How Santa Claus Stole Christmas
Christopher Frayling explores how Hollywood helped to create the modern global Christmas.
22 Dec 2018,57 mins
Apollo 8
British astronaut Helen Sharman on the first mission taking humans beyond Earth's orbit
15 Dec 2018,57 mins
Elvis Presley Comeback Special
Paul Morley tells a parallel story of Elvis and America
01 Dec 2018,57 mins
The 90s: A Holiday from History
Jonathan Freedland re-examines the 1990s as a rare decade of peace and prosperity.
27 Nov 2018,57 mins
The Black Footballer’s Dilemma
Former footballer Clark Carlisle tells story of British black players in the game.
17 Nov 2018,57 mins,