Archive on 4

Brilliant stories told using archive from the BBC and beyond.

Radio 4,699 episodes

Episodes

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Iraq Tales: What the Army Learned
Chris Parry uses the US Army's oral history archive to tell the history of the Iraq war.
09 Mar 2013,58 mins
The Devil's Horn
British jazz musician Soweto Kinch examines the intriguing history of the saxophone.
23 Feb 2013,60 mins
Embracing Idleness
Oliver Burkeman uses the archive to explore the controversial subject of idleness.
16 Feb 2013,58 mins
Spoken Like a Woman
Anne Karpf explores the way women have shaped the sound of British radio.
02 Feb 2013,60 mins
Rugby's Greatest Try
Cerys Matthews tells the story behind what many believe to be the greatest try ever scored
19 Jan 2013,58 mins
Rural Rides
Mark Steel's review of reporters' journeys round Britain, starting with William Cobbett.
12 Jan 2013,58 mins
Blithe Margaret
Stephen Fry on the mysterious life of the much-loved comedy great Margaret Rutherford.
29 Dec 2012,58 mins
What Big Teeth You Have...
Anthony McGowan uncovers the dark story behind the Grimms beloved fairy tales.
22 Dec 2012,60 mins
Frost on Nixon
David Frost turns to the archives to get beneath the skin of Richard Nixon.
15 Dec 2012,58 mins
Lawrence of Arabia: The Man and the Myth
Allan Little considers the legacy of Lawrence of Arabia.
08 Dec 2012,58 mins
Great Spy Books: Fact or Fiction?
Peter Hennessy, an expert on state secrecy, asks how close spy novels come to reality.
01 Dec 2012,60 mins
Regulating the Press
Steve Hewlett explores the fraught history of attempts to regulate the British press.
17 Nov 2012,58 mins
Who's Reithian Now?
Roger Bolton explores the genesis of 'Reithian' values at the BBC.
10 Nov 2012,58 mins
Tuning In
Dominic Sandbrook tells the story of how British radio began.
03 Nov 2012,57 mins
Time Travel: The Politics of Time
Sean Street travels back in time into the archives to explore our attempts to control time
27 Oct 2012,58 mins
Dear Adolf - Letters to the Führer
Christopher Cook explores how the power of radio was used to define America's war effort.
29 Sep 2012,1 min
The Debate of Our Times
Giles Dilnot searches the programme archives to see if political debate has changed.
22 Sep 2012,58 mins
Presenting the Past - How the Media Changes History
Juliet Gardiner on how directors, writers and producers achieve authenticity in their work
15 Sep 2012,58 mins
A Brief History of Blame
Satirist Joe Queenan reveals that the search for someone to blame is always successful.
08 Sep 2012,58 mins
Your Starter for Ten: 50 Years of University Challenge
Mark Damazer celebrates 50 years of his favourite television quiz show.
25 Aug 2012,58 mins
Anthony Burgess: A Clockwork Archive
Paul Morley on the unknown Anthony Burgess - his northern roots and his work as a composer
18 Aug 2012,60 mins
Inner Voices - The Burton Diaries
Melvyn Bragg reassesses the life of Richard Burton through his private diaries.
11 Aug 2012,60 mins
The Smart Dumb Blonde
US journalist Maureen Dowd argues that Marilyn Monroe was more smart than dumb.
28 Jul 2012,58 mins
The Night of the Long Knives
Peter Oborne revisits British history's most dramatic cabinet reshuffle in 1962.
07 Jul 2012,58 mins
Bards of the Back Straight
Poet Paul Farley explores how the language of poetry and sports commentary compare.
02 Jun 2012,58 mins
Houses v Fields
Anne McElvoy explores the eternal struggle: Is a green field better than a human home?
26 May 2012,58 mins
A History of the Stiff Upper Lip
Louisa Foxe reveals the changing British attitude towards the expression of emotion.
19 May 2012,58 mins
The Great Listener
Alan Dein tells the story of pioneering oral historian Tony Parker.
12 May 2012,58 mins
One Way Ticket - The Beeching Cuts Revisited!
Michael Portillo assesses the lasting impact of the Beeching cuts on Britain's railways.
05 May 2012,58 mins
Lunch Is for Wimps
When did you last take a lunch hour? Matthew Sweet explores the demise of the midday break
28 Apr 2012,58 mins