Norman Foster: 'I can remember waking up in an air raid shelter in my mother’s arms'

Available for over a year

By the time German forces surrendered in 1945, much of the UK had been razed by bombings and required rebuilding. As 2025 sees the 80th anniversary of VE Day, architect Lord Foster speaks to Amol Rajan talks about living through the war as a child in Manchester, and the spirit of recovery in the architecture we see in a post-war UK today. He also talks about his work in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and how "that same spirit is alive and well there". Listen to Today on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds: 6-9am weekdays and 7-9am on Saturdays.