The History Hour

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

World Service,478 episodes

Episodes

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The largest dinosaur and creating Miffy
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes
08 Nov 2025,60 mins
Emerante de Pradines and Orson Welles’s The War of the Worlds
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes
01 Nov 2025,60 mins
Music producer Sonny Roberts and treating diabetes
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s witness history episodes
25 Oct 2025,60 mins
Nordic Noir and the Moomins
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes about writers.
18 Oct 2025,60 mins
The evacuation of Tristan da Cunha and Japan surrenders to China at the end of World War Two
The evacuation of a remote island in 1961 and Japan's surrender in Beijing in 1945
11 Oct 2025,59 mins
India's nine day tea strike and the birth of the Excel spreadsheet
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there.
04 Oct 2025,59 mins
The origins of Indian cinema and the start of Scouting
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there.
27 Sep 2025,60 mins
The fight against sexual harassment in Egypt and Omar Sharif enters the world stage
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from Egypt
20 Sep 2025,59 mins
Nigeria’s Festac’77 and Gander’s generosity during 9/11
The 1977 celebration of African culture and sanctuary for 7000 stranded flight passengers
13 Sep 2025,60 mins
The Chindits and USAID
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's episodes of Witness History
06 Sep 2025,60 mins
Washington DC and a film noir classic
The 1991 riots that erupted in the US capital, plus the making of a movie classic
30 Aug 2025,60 mins
BlackBerry phones and Spot the dog
The rise and fall of BlackBerry phones, and the interactive children's book
23 Aug 2025,59 mins
Indonesian history
It's 80 years since Indonesia declared independence
16 Aug 2025,50 mins
Nagasaki bomb and Brazil’s biggest bank heist
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there
09 Aug 2025,50 mins
Russian revolutionaries and Japan’s record breaking rollercoaster
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes
02 Aug 2025,50 mins
Saxophone diplomacy and bulletproof vests
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there
26 Jul 2025,50 mins
Nuclear diplomacy and Italo disco
The 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and Ryan Paris' 1983 hit Dolce Vita
19 Jul 2025,51 mins
The 'trial of the juntas' and Evita’s missing body
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes from Argentina
12 Jul 2025,50 mins
Dancing in the Street and Ai Weiwei
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes
05 Jul 2025,50 mins
Robert Kennedy's funeral train and the opening of the Medellin Metro
A collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service
28 Jun 2025,50 mins
Jaws and the Charleston church shooting
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there
21 Jun 2025,51 mins
Ronald Reagan and Lonesome George
The President's 'Tear down this wall' speech, and the extinction of a tortoise species
14 Jun 2025,50 mins
Discovery of the first exoplanets and the goalie who killed a seagull
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes
07 Jun 2025,51 mins
Battle of the Beanfield and the Champions League anthem
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes
31 May 2025,51 mins
The history of photography
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes
24 May 2025,50 mins
Sweden’s Vipeholm experiments and the Intervision Song Contest
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes
17 May 2025,51 mins
Rescuing Palmyra’s treasures and 80 years since VE Day
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes
10 May 2025,50 mins
The Vietnam War and the expansion of the EU
A collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service
03 May 2025,50 mins
Secret D-Day rehearsal and YouTube begins
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes
26 Apr 2025,51 mins
The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and World Book Day
An hour of historical reporting told by the people who were there
19 Apr 2025,51 mins