History

Archive: The Cell

Misha Glenny selects a classic episode from the archive on the building block of life.

02 Nov 2026,·43 mins

Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: Killing the Queen of Scots (Part 6)

How DID the Babington Plot unfold?

30 Oct 2026,·65 mins

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace is remembered today as a trailblazer for women in science.

02 Nov 2026,·51 mins

America’s Corporate Exodus

American companies are relocating to Republican states - how will this affect politics?

01 Nov 2026,·28 mins

The Growth Conundrum

2. Growth Potential

What can the UK learn from Poland and other fast growing economies?

02 Nov 2026,·42 mins

Why Miners See Ghosts | Halloween Season

In the late 1970s, Yorkshire miner Chris Campbell sees something that terrifies him.

30 Oct 2026,·37 mins

Dark Island

8. The Scar and The See

India Pollock travels to Rome in search of answers, accountability and justice.

22 Oct 2026,·27 mins

Charles de Gaulle: The Man Who Rebuilt France

We unpack the extraordinary, contradictory life of this formidable statesman.

29 Oct 2026,·75 mins

History of Underwear (Radio Edit)

Join Greg and his guests to learn all about the history of underwear in the west.

30 Oct 2026,·28 mins

The Case of the Texan Legacy

With Sherlock Holmes killed off, Professor Joe Bell tuns to matters of life and death.

06 Nov 2026,·14 mins

Evil Animals, Series 4

Rabbits

Is the Rabbit – aka Bunnydict Cumber-hutch - evil or genius?

28 Oct 2026,·32 mins

History's Secret Heroes - Series 4

Fritz Bauer: Nazi Hunter

One man’s dogged pursuit of Adolf Eichmann, one of the architects of the Holocaust.

27 Oct 2026,·30 mins

Where Did Cash Come From?

From coins to contactless, the story behind the money in your wallet.

29 Oct 2026,·30 mins

True Crime: Mass Murdering Artist Cellini

Can being an artistic genius ever excuse monstrous behaviour?

02 Nov 2026,·48 mins

The first Day of the Dead parade

On 29 October 2016, Mexico City held the first Día de los Muertos parade

02 Nov 2026,·10 mins

How Houdini Made Magic

10. Cement your legacy

Houdini’s untimely death sends shockwaves around the world and helps eternalise his fame

30 Oct 2026,·13 mins

1871: I Too Sing America

1871, Ohio. The songs of formerly enslaved people find a global audience.

07 Nov 2026,·56 mins

Halloween Special: Sounds that Scare Us

Nat and special guests explore the sounds which frighten Weird in the Wade’s listeners

26 Oct 2026,·73 mins

Sex and Scandal on the Titanic

Myth-busting with the Titanic

27 Oct 2026,·61 mins

The Wild Story of America's Biggest Traitor

Would you call Benedict Arnold a faithful or a traitor?

29 Oct 2026,·44 mins

5. The Descent

A radical new look at how the Cambridge Five spies helped Stalin build his Red Empire.

23 Oct 2026,·14 mins

The Siege of Paris and earthquakes in Mexico

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes

31 Oct 2026,·61 mins

Gunpowder and Treason: The Real Guy Fawkes

3. The Fall Guy

Discover how one man became the face of the Gunpowder Plot.

29 Oct 2026,·23 mins

10. Did You Hear That?

Kirsty Logan explores the modern quest to capture a ghost in a machine.

30 Oct 2020,·14 mins

6. By the Time You Get This Letter

Were their deaths, and these letters, their final creative collaboration?

08 Sep 2026,·42 mins

November 2nd to November 8th

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

04 Nov 2026,·5 mins

The President's Path: Midterm races to watch

An essential guide to the states – and seats – to watch in the US midterm elections

30 Oct 2026,·16 mins

Lady on Trial

Ladies in Court

Lucy Worsley, Professor Rosalind Crone and barrister Nneka Akodulu KC discuss the cases.

18 Aug 2026,·28 mins

3. The flight

“He won’t wake up...I think he’s dead.” What Farouk did in the hours after Martine died

24 Apr 2023,·27 mins

The Balkans

The Birth and Death of Yugoslavia

Misha Glenny returns to the Balkans to report on the birth and death of Yugoslavia.

13 Apr 2026,·42 mins