The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.
World Service,·763 episodes
The advance of domestic robots
25 Oct 2025,·49 mins
Lifting the veil on the history of marriage ceremonies
27 Sep 2025,·48 mins
Exploring a format that's been a primary source of information for hundreds of years
23 Aug 2025,·48 mins
The charm and changing fortunes of cinemas
26 Jul 2025,·49 mins
The evolution of customer service from call centres to chatbots
28 Jun 2025,·49 mins
Recalling a past that wasn’t
24 May 2025,·49 mins
The history and evolution of airports, from military airstrips to luxury shopping outlets
26 Apr 2025,·49 mins
What is the role of libraries in the 21st century?
22 Mar 2025,·49 mins
The story of the world’s pre-eminent currency
22 Feb 2025,·49 mins
How magnetic personalities cast their spell
25 Jan 2025,·49 mins
Iszi Lawrence and guests discuss the history and inexorable rise of fandom
28 Dec 2024,·48 mins
How precious ornaments have held us spellbound for centuries
23 Nov 2024,·49 mins
Insomnia in science and the arts
26 Oct 2024,·49 mins
Celebrating six decades of very fast railways
28 Sep 2024,·49 mins
The centuries-old practice of keeping a personal journal
24 Aug 2024,·48 mins
Tracing our fascination with the high peaks
27 Jul 2024,·48 mins
A short history of portable audio devices
22 Jun 2024,·49 mins
Empowering women through schooling
25 May 2024,·49 mins
Turning points in arable farming
27 Apr 2024,·49 mins
Manners in the modern world and in the past
23 Mar 2024,·48 mins
How supermarkets came to dominate food retail
24 Feb 2024,·48 mins
The reality of international diplomacy
27 Jan 2024,·48 mins
How disposable and single-use items conquered the world
23 Dec 2023,·48 mins
How well do political parties serve their voters?
25 Nov 2023,·48 mins
An exploration of how we can get the best out of people in the workplace.
28 Oct 2023,·48 mins
Dirt tracks to expressways: how roadbuilding changed the world
23 Sep 2023,·48 mins
A scamper through the social history of our best friends
26 Aug 2023,·48 mins
Why do humans have such a prolonged adolescence?
22 Jul 2023,·49 mins
Has tourism lost its way?
24 Jun 2023,·49 mins
Misinformation spread by faked images is almost as old as film itself
27 May 2023,·49 mins