Podcast Episodes

The funk and soul club that changed Manchester

In 1962, Nigerian man Phil Magbotiwan opened a brand new nightclub in Manchester, England.

In part because of his own personal experiences of racism, Phil wanted to create somewhere where everyone wo…

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

Dassler brothers’ rift

In 1948, brothers Adi and Rudi Dassler who lived in a small German town fell out. They went on to create globally renowned sportswear firms Adidas and Puma.

Adi Dassler played a crucial role in West …

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

The raising of the Mary Rose

It’s 40 years since a wrecked English Tudor warship was brought back to the surface. On 11 October 1982, 60 million people worldwide watched the extraordinary feat live on television – the raising of…

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

Castrating Pablo Escobar's hippos

When drug kingpin Pablo Escobar died in 1993 having built a billion dollar cocaine empire, he left behind a zoo. While his rhinos, giraffes, elephants and kangaroos were re-housed, the hippos were le…

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

The power of Jomo Kenyatta

In the 1970s, Sharad Rao was Kenya’s assistant director of public prosecutions, working closely with Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta who was seen as ruthless and unpredictable.

Rao took the unusual step …

Published on 3 years, 2 months ago

Festival of Light

In September 1971, Christians from all over the UK held the Nationwide Festival of Light to protest against what they saw, as increasingly liberal attitudes to sex and the change in traditional famil…

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago

Iran-Iraq War begins

The Iran-Iraq war began on 22 September 1980. It lasted for eight years and became one of the bloodiest wars in recent history.

Pooneh Ghoddoosi was just a child when it started - a teenager when it …

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago

The first Pope to visit Africa

In the 1960s, popes rarely left the Vatican City. So it was a major event when Pope Paul VI accepted an invitation to visit Uganda in 1969.

Hugh Costello talks to Mobina Jaffer, whose Ismaili Muslim …

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago

Ancient fossils give new insight

In 1967, a major breakthrough was made in our understanding of the evolution of the world. A student discovered fossils at Mistaken Point in Newfoundland, Canada.

The fossils give us a record of the …

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago

World War Two child evacuees in Britain

The 1 September 1939 was Kitty Baxter’s ninth birthday, it was also the day her life and millions of other people’s changed with the beginning of World War Two.

Kitty was among the hundreds of thousa…

Published on 3 years, 3 months ago