Archive on 4

Brilliant stories told using archive from the BBC and beyond.

Radio 4,700 episodes

Episodes

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A Natural History of the Banker
Andrew Ross Sorkin traces the reputation of UK and USA bankers through history.
22 Oct 2016,58 mins
Song of the Singer Sewing Machine
How the Singer sewing machine has whirred its way through history.
15 Oct 2016,60 mins
The Black Panthers
The rise and fall of the Black Panther Party and its legacy for American black insurgency.
08 Oct 2016,57 mins,
Radio Dada
Alexei Sayle on the cultural impact of the Dada movement, 100 years since it was founded.
01 Oct 2016,57 mins
The Villain in 6 Chapters
Toby Jones celebrates the mercurial world of the villain.
24 Sep 2016,57 mins
Don't Be Rude on the Road
Alan Dein takes a breakneck tour through the history of the public information film.
17 Sep 2016,58 mins
Period Drama Politics
Steven Fielding on relations between upstairs and downstairs in dramas like Downton Abbey.
10 Sep 2016,60 mins
Star Trek - The Undiscovered Future
Kevin Fong boldly goes in search of Star Trek's 50-year-old vision of the future.
03 Sep 2016,60 mins
Dimbleby on Dimbleby
Jonathan Dimbleby tells the story of his legendary broadcaster father, Richard Dimbleby.
13 Aug 2016,58 mins
Tolkien: The Lost Recordings
Joss Ackland narrates a search through BBC archives for unheard gems from JRR Tolkien.
06 Aug 2016,60 mins
The Norma Percy Tapes
An archive of the most powerful people, shaping the monumental events of modern history.
23 Jul 2016,60 mins
The League of Extraordinary Housewives
A history of the housewife since 1945, which explores her shifting power and politics.
16 Jul 2016,57 mins
The Heath Enigma
On Edward Heath's centenary, Shaun Ley reassesses the enigmatic former prime minister.
09 Jul 2016,58 mins
Roald Dahl: In His Own Words
Roald Dahl tells his own story in his own words with the help of his granddaughter Sophie.
02 Jul 2016,58 mins
Pevsner: Through Outsider's Eyes
Tom Dyckhoff goes in search of Nikolaus Pevsner.
25 Jun 2016,57 mins
Gillian Reynolds: Audiophile
Critic and broadcaster Gillian Reynolds celebrates 50 years’ professional radio listening.
18 Jun 2016,60 mins
The Bomb That Made Manchester?
Michael Symmons Roberts examines the myth that the 1996 bomb heralded Manchester's rebirth
11 Jun 2016,58 mins
A Guide to the Modern Snob
Writer DJ Taylor creates a user's guide to the snob for the 21st century.
04 Jun 2016,58 mins
The Camera Never Lies
Bafta award-winning film-maker Molly Dineen examines the concept of truth in documentary.
21 May 2016,58 mins
Return to Subtopia
Gillian Darley explores "Subtopia", the blurring of space between town and country
07 May 2016,60 mins
Tennant Looks Back At Osborne
David Tennant explores the back story to Osborne's revolutionary play Look Back in Anger.
30 Apr 2016,57 mins
Rising Voices
Fergal Keane explores the cultural landscape of the 1916 Easter Rising.
23 Apr 2016,58 mins
Working Class Heroes and Poverty Porn
How the portrayal of the working class and poor in film and TV has changed over 70 years.
16 Apr 2016,58 mins,
The Unabomber
How a reclusive maths prodigy terrorised America - and how the media amplified his cause.
09 Apr 2016,58 mins
Optimism - Our Enemy
Proud pessimist Bryan Appleyard investigates the contemporary cult of optimism.
02 Apr 2016,58 mins
The Art of the Lyricist
Clarke Peters explores the art of the musical theatre lyricist.
26 Mar 2016,60 mins
How to Go Straight
Ex-convicts tell intimate stories of how they renounced lives of crime.
19 Mar 2016,58 mins
The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band: Anarchy Must Be Organised
Neil Innes looks at the collision of art, humour, music and anarchy in the Bonzo Dog Band.
12 Mar 2016,60 mins
A Brief History of Disobedience
Joe Queenan offers a Brief History of Disobedience, follow up to Blame, Anger and Shame.
05 Mar 2016,58 mins
SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK
Naomi Alderman presents a history of interactive fiction in which YOU are the Listener!
27 Feb 2016,58 mins