Podcast Episodes

Building the Moscow Metro

More than 10,000 Russian workers built the first line of the Moscow Metro which opened in 1935 to great fanfare.

The spectacular stations were designed to show the world the power and possibility of …

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Olympics: Zamzam Farah at London 2012

At the London 2012 Olympics, the Somali sprinter Zamzam Farah became a crowd favourite after finishing last in her 400m heat by 27 seconds.

Zamzam had grown up in war-torn Mogadishu, where she had to…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The first Olympic ‘mascot’

After being designed in one night, Shuss, the cartoon skier, debuted at the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France.

Instead of ‘mascot’, the Olympic Organising Committee referred to it as a ‘character…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The 1924 Paris Olympics

The last time Paris held the Olympic Games was 100 years ago in 1924.

More than 3,000 athletes from 44 nations took part, of which only 135 were women, in 17 sports.

Rachel Naylor goes through the BBC …

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

How Ayia Napa became a clubbing capital

In the 1990s, Ayia Napa, in Cyprus, went from quiet fishing village to party resort.

The Kool Club was one of the first nightclubs to open in 1995.

Rachel Naylor speaks to founder and DJ Nick Power, th…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The missing people of Cyprus

Between 1963 and 1974, more than 2,000 people in Cyprus went missing during clashes, a coup and the Turkish invasion.

Only about half of them have been found.

Rachel Naylor speaks to Nick Neokleous, …

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Cyprus 2003: Crossing the ceasefire line

In April 2003, the people of Cyprus were allowed to cross the ceasefire line for the first time in 29 years.

Hundreds of people rushed to the check points and queued for hours to visit the homes they…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Cyprus 1974: The Final Landing

On the 20 July 1974, a young pilot was preparing to land passenger flight CY317 into Nicosia Airport in Cyprus, amidst the threat of an imminent Turkish invasion. From the air, he could see warships …

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Cyprus 1974: The Greek coup

On 15 July 1974, the Greek military dictatorship in Athens sponsored a coup on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, aiming to overthrow its selected president and unite the island with Greece.…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Arrested for playing football in Brazil

Like many young children growing up in Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s, Dilma Mendes had one dream: to play football for her country.

There was just one problem. It was illegal for women in Brazil to p…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago