Archive on 4

Brilliant stories told using archive from the BBC and beyond.

Radio 4,699 episodes

Episodes

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The Shipping Forecast at 100: Shipshaped
Jerry Brotton explores how Britain's maritime heritage has shaped us.
01 Jan 2025,57 mins
The Dome
Paul Merton looks back at the concept, challenges and legacy of the Millennium Dome.
28 Dec 2024,57 mins
A Child's Christmas
Cerys Matthews steps into a world of Christmas tales written through the eyes of a child.
21 Dec 2024,57 mins
Victoria Wood - Loose Chippings
Victoria Wood’s audio diaries with never-before-heard material.
14 Dec 2024,57 mins
Prisoners, Saints and Persuaders: The World of ITC
The story of Lew Grade's ITC company, which revolutionised British television in the 1960s
07 Dec 2024,57 mins
Shane MacGowan: The Old Main Drag
Sean O’Hagan celebrates Shane MacGowan's lyrical genius as a voice of the Irish diaspora.
30 Nov 2024,57 mins,
Lobster Telephone
Matthew Sweet explores a century of surrealism.
16 Nov 2024,57 mins
Famous Last Words
Sarah O’Reilly delves into the rich archive of notable ‘last interviews’.
09 Nov 2024,57 mins
Up in Smoke
A look back on a century of cigarette smoking.
02 Nov 2024,57 mins
The Year We Lost the Climate
Was the US election of 2000 the year we lost the climate? Roger Harrabin looks back.
26 Oct 2024,57 mins
The Mandy Rice-Davies Tapes
The 1963 Profumo Affair as told by one of the main characters at the centre of the scandal
19 Oct 2024,57 mins
Hey World, What's the Craic? Patrick Kielty on Ireland's 1994
Comedian Patrick Kielty looks back on 1994 - a year that would change Ireland forever.
12 Oct 2024,57 mins
Bombers
Chris Mullin reveals how 1974's Guildford and Birmingham bombings changed British justice
05 Oct 2024,57 mins,
Reweaving Threads, 40 Years On
Writer Jude Rogers revisits Threads, the Cold War nuclear film that haunted a generation.
21 Sep 2024,57 mins
Bowie in Berlin
How David Bowie saved his life and career in 1970s Berlin.
14 Sep 2024,57 mins,
PCs Gone Mad: Computers in Fiction and Reality
Comedian Steve Punt fires up the archives to examine the history of computers on screen.
24 Aug 2024,57 mins
The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski
Frances Stonor Saunders explores the life and work of Jacob Bronowski.
17 Aug 2024,57 mins
Sister Blues
Joan Armatrading explores the trailblazing life and music of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
10 Aug 2024,57 mins
Nixon, A Resigning Matter
Fifty years ago, President Richard Nixon resigned. How did this change US history?
03 Aug 2024,57 mins
The Vet with Two Brains on Tour
Claudia Hammond is in Malawi, hearing what life is like after brain surgery.
27 Jul 2024,57 mins
Sinéad O'Connor - A Life in Ten Songs
Jo Whiley looks back at the artist's music and legacy.
20 Jul 2024,57 mins
A Brief History of Strangers
Joe Queenan on strangers - an opportunity or a threat?
13 Jul 2024,57 mins
Dirty Old Town at 75
Mike Sweeney unlocks the secrets of Ewan MacColl's timeless classic Dirty Old Town.
06 Jul 2024,57 mins
Election Night Fever
Rachel Burden asks what makes general election nights so incredibly exciting.
29 Jun 2024,57 mins
Fitted and Kitted
Rattling the archive drawers of 100 years of British kitchens.
15 Jun 2024,57 mins
Rik Mayall, Panglobal Phenomenon
Writer Max Kinnings looks at the life of Rik Mayall with recordings they made together.
01 Jun 2024,57 mins,
Watching Us, Watching You
Ellen E Jones reassesses the BBC's public access TV project, the Community Programme Unit.
25 May 2024,57 mins
Turning 50: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Christopher Harding journeys through the legacy of Robert Pirsig's cult classic.
18 May 2024,57 mins
Gareth Gwynn Hasn't Fin-
Comedy writer Gareth Gwynn explores our shared fascination with all things unfinished.
11 May 2024,57 mins
DNA, Crime and Controversy
Barrister and former Minister Anna Soubry looks back at 40 years of DNA fingerprinting.
04 May 2024,57 mins