Real Dictators explores the hidden lives of history's tyrants. Narrated by Paul McGann.
Sounds,·135 episodes
What must it be like to be the child of a brutal tyrant?
14 Jan 2026,·27 mins,·
Jiang Qing was married to the Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong for nearly 40 years.
07 Jan 2026,·38 mins,·
The emperor loses control. Old friends become foes. Bokassa’s day of judgement is at hand
31 Dec 2025,·58 mins,·
Among other strange happenings, President Bokassa takes a trip to Colonel Gaddafi’s Libya
24 Dec 2025,·53 mins,·
In a village near the Central African Republic’s southern border, rebellion is in the air
17 Dec 2025,·56 mins,·
The question of who succeeds Mugabe crisis threatens to tear Zimbabwe apart.
10 Dec 2025,·55 mins,·
Mugabe drags his country into the greatest economic crisis since the Wall Street Crash.
03 Dec 2025,·49 mins,·
The arrival of a new prime minister in Britain will herald Mugabe’s first great crisis.
26 Nov 2025,·50 mins,·
As a young man, Mugabe led a revolution that returned Zimbabwe to African hands.
19 Nov 2025,·51 mins,·
Colonel Gaddafi meets one of the grisliest ends of any dictator in history.
12 Nov 2025,·41 mins,·
On September 11th, 2001, life in the West is transformed in an instant.
05 Nov 2025,·42 mins,·
The Pentagon team up with Hollywood execs to shore up public opinion against the tyrant.
29 Oct 2025,·40 mins,·
Gaddafi takes his terror onto the streets of London and Berlin.
22 Oct 2025,·45 mins,·
In 1972, at the Munich Olympic Games, a festival of sport becomes a terrifying nightmare.
15 Oct 2025,·38 mins,·
Still in his twenties, Muammar Gaddafi finds himself leader of an oil-rich country.
08 Oct 2025,·33 mins
After roaming London, Gaddafi readies himself for an audacious grab for power.
01 Oct 2025,·33 mins
From humble origins, Gaddafi will go on to dominate global events for half a century.
24 Sep 2025,·35 mins,·
After 20 years in power, Franco embraces capitalism and declares himself a moderniser.
17 Sep 2025,·34 mins,·
After WW2, Franco seeks to re-brand and sets about seducing a new ally: the United States
10 Sep 2025,·31 mins,·
Franco begins the process of conquering his homeland, butchering his enemies as he goes.
03 Sep 2025,·38 mins,·
Climbing the military ranks, Franco becomes something of a celebrity.
27 Aug 2025,·41 mins,·
The story begins in the 1890s, when Francisco Franco is born on Spain’s Atlantic coast.
20 Aug 2025,·34 mins,·
An audacious commando mission begins. It will spark the beginning of the end for Idi Amin.
13 Aug 2025,·51 mins,·
Amin participates in a barely believable film about his own life.
06 Aug 2025,·42 mins,·
An army of exiles prepares to launch the first serious attempt on Big Daddy’s rule.
30 Jul 2025,·37 mins,·
Amin wages war against Buganda's king and goes on an army recruitment drive.
23 Jul 2025,·51 mins,·
Committing atrocities against civilians, Amin sets himself up as a rogue arms dealer.
16 Jul 2025,·40 mins,·
From 1971 to 1979, Idi Amin Dada devastated Uganda using the persona of the playful joker
09 Jul 2025,·51 mins,·
As a change of leadership finally takes place, can Cuba ever truly be free from Fidel?
02 Jul 2025,·52 mins
A new leader in the Soviet Union comes to power with fresh ideas which terrify Fidel.
25 Jun 2025,·52 mins,·
