Witness HistoryEpisodes Episode guide
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01/07/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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The final journey of Chief Long Wolf
In 1997, the remains of a Lakota leader were returned from London to South Dakota
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29/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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26/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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WW1: The Battle of the Somme
BBC Archive recordings with veterans of the 1916 battle
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24/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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23/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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22/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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19/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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18/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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17/06/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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Witness History
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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The Georgian exodus from Abkhazia
In 1993, separatist forces took Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia
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Hussein of Jordan: The survivor king
In 1970 King Hussein of Jordan escaped unharmed after gunmen opened fire on his motorcade
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The inspiration for Chekhov's Three Sisters
In 1897, Paul Shishkoff lived next door to the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.
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Picasso and the Surrealist summer
In 1937 some of the 20th Century's best known Surrealist artists are on holiday in France
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Mstislav Rostropovich: Virtuoso cellist
In 1978, Rostropovich lost Soviet citizenship for “unpatriotic activity”
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Nelson Mandela's incarceration at Robben Island
In 1964, Nelson Mandela was put in the maximum security prison on Robben Island
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The creation of Inspector Montalbano
In March 1994, the first Inspector Montalbano mystery, The Shape of Water, was published
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Witness History
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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Australia's first Big Thing
In 1963, a giant sculpture of a Scotsman began one of the country's quirkiest phenomena
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The first Irish language television channel
In 1996, Ireland launched its first television channel broadcasting exclusively in Irish
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Recording the Eichmann interviews
In the 1950s, a journalist recorded hours of interview with the Nazi Adolf Eichmann
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Filming Titanic in Mexico
In 1997, Titanic - one of the most successful films in movie history – was made in Mexico
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I escaped Mexico's deadly gas explosion
In 1984, one of the world's deadliest gas accidents occurred in San Juanico
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I fought for Mexico’s indigenous women to get political equality
In October 2014, millions of indigenous women in Mexico won the right to vote(R)
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Mexico: The election that ended one‑party rule
In 2000, Vicente Fox won the Mexican presidency, ending 71 years of one‑party rule
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The Mexican song that captivated lovers during World War II
In 1944, Besame Mucho topped the charts with its daring plea for a passionate kiss
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Canada's worst E.coli outbreak
In 2000, contaminated drinking water triggered one of Canada’s worst health disasters
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Montenegro votes for independence
In 2006, Montenegro achieved independence from Serbia in the final break-up of Yugoslavia
