Podcast Episodes

The American Freedom Train and the invention of text messaging

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.

Our guest is Professor Barbara Keys, a specialist in US history at Durham University.

We start wi…

Published on 2 days, 3 hours ago

The history of toys

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.

We learn about how Play-Doh evolved from a cleaning product to a childhood favourite and the creat…

Published on 1 week, 2 days ago

Norway’s sushi contribution and Laurel and Hardy’s Christmas

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.

We learn about how a Norwegian businessman brought salmon sushi to Japan in the 1980s.

Our gues…

Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago

Banky's 'Dismaland' and the Paris climate agreement

We start with the street artist Banksy, and his 2015 dystopian 'bemusement park'.

Then, we talk to roller coaster enthusiast Megan MacCausland, from the European Coaster Club.

Plus, we go back through…

Published on 3 weeks, 2 days ago

Introducing The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev

The world is on the brink of nuclear war. How can the Soviet Union and the USA prevent it? Hosts Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, relatives of the superpower leaders President John F Kennedy and Pre…

Published on 3 weeks, 3 days ago

Nigerian history

Max Pearson presents a collection of Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes, all with a Nigerian theme.

We hear two personal stories of the Biafra war, which began in 1967, including the writer…

Published on 4 weeks, 2 days ago

Literary hoaxes and an underground cathedral

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.

Our guest is literature lecturer Dr Hetta Howes on major literary hoaxes around the world.

We hear…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Juan Carlos becomes King of Spain and ending the Bosnian war

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Mercedes Peñalba- Sotorrío, a senior lecturer in modern European history at Manches…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Speed of Sound and prosecuting Nazis

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is aviation historian Dr Victoria Taylor.

We start with an archive interview of America…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

The largest dinosaur and creating Miffy

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.

Our guest is Darja Dankina, who's a palaeontologist from the Natures Research Centre in Vilnius, …

Published on 1 month, 4 weeks ago