History

History of Spices: commerce, colonialism and culinary innovation

Join Greg and his guests to learn about the global history of spices and the spice trade.

20 Feb 2026,·57 mins

The Golden Age of Athens

After such success, Athens’ decline is a lesson in great civilisations' rise and fall.

20 Feb 2026,·51 mins

Jack The Ripper: History’s Darkest Mystery (Part 1)

Join Tom and Dominic as they delve into the darkest days of London’s long history...

24 Feb 2026,·57 mins

John Keats

How one of the great Romantic poets produced so much in his brilliant but short life.

19 Feb 2026,·48 mins

Israel and the Palestinians

10: From 2010 to the present day

Jonny Dymond and guests explore the complicated back-story of the Middle East conflict.

13 Apr 2026,·28 mins

Series 4

60. True Crime on Trial

Lucy Worsley puts true crime on trial and asks are we so obsessed with true crime?

17 Feb 2026,·28 mins

The Philosopher and the Handyman: The Race Around the World - Part 1

Who will be the first to sail non-stop around the world?

20 Feb 2026,·38 mins

Series 1

3. The Hare

The symbolism and legends surrounding the 'mad March hare'.

10 Jun 1999,·15 mins

Putin and the Apartment Bombs

7. Hindsight

Who bombed the four apartment buildings?

12 Jan 2026,·33 mins

Ireland Under The Brutal Tudors

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the massacres carried out in Elizabeth I's name.

23 Feb 2026,·46 mins

Someone Else's Problem: Exporting the Housing Crisis

What happens when homeless families from London are rehoused in the North East?

22 Feb 2026,·28 mins

Evil Genius: Returning Soon

Evil Genius is back soon with more good, bad, ugly - and very, very funny.

25 Feb 2026,·1 min

The Peasants' Revolt

How the Peasants' Revolt challenged royal and religious power in England.

24 Feb 2026,·43 mins

Barry Seal Part 1: The American Pilot

Pablo Escobar couldn’t have reached the heights he did without smugglers...

25 Feb 2026,·32 mins

Vuyisile Mini: The Voice That Defied Apartheid

In 1950s South Africa a powerful new song catches fire among Black communities.

24 Feb 2026,·28 mins

Great Fire of London As It Happened

Reliving the disaster through first hand accounts.

19 Feb 2026,·50 mins

The Japanese invasion of Malaya

On 8 December 1941, thousands of Japanese troops landed on beaches near Kota Bharu

25 Feb 2026,·10 mins

6. Moral Courage

Diane Foley must decide whether to face a man linked to her son’s murder - or not.

10 Feb 2026,·31 mins

The Shetland Bus and toxic shock syndrome

Max Pearson presents a collection of Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes

21 Feb 2026,·60 mins

An American Journey

4. Life and Liberty

The idea of freedom is foundational to America, but whose freedom, and what kind?

09 Feb 2026,·42 mins

The X Games

In 1995, the first ever Extreme Games featuring sports like BMXing took place

21 Feb 2026,·10 mins

The President's Path: Inside Trump’s State of the Union

What’s taking centre stage in Trump’s State of the Union speech?

24 Feb 2026,·25 mins

February 23rd to March 1st

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.

25 Feb 2026,·5 mins

Who Was the Victorian Thames Torso Murderer?

How do you solve a century-old crime?

10 Feb 2026,·39 mins

A Haunting at the Higgins

Nat Investigates historic hauntings at the Higgins Bedford.

19 Jan 2026,·57 mins

Dictators' Kids

What must it be like to be the child of a brutal tyrant?

14 Jan 2026,·27 mins

Two Nottingham Lads

4. Last Days in the Donbas

The final cost of the Donetsk interview becomes clear for Aiden and Graham.

14 Jan 2026,·28 mins

Bonus: The History Bureau

If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that turns out to be flawed?

16 Feb 2026,·28 mins

London's best - and protected - views

Which London vistas have to be preserved and why?

20 Feb 2026,·11 mins

5. An Honourable History

The Bolton 7 take their fight for justice to one of the highest arenas of law.

25 Feb 2025,·41 mins