A. J. Liebling, born in Manhattan in 1904, joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1935 and contributed innumerable articles to the magazine throughout his lifetime, on subjects ranging from food to boxing and France to horse racing. As a war correspondent during the Second World War, he reported from France, England and Algeria, and participated in the Normandy landings. In later life he married the writer Jean Stafford, his third wife. He died in 1963.

A. J. Liebling

A. J. Rosen is an author of YA fantasy and is known as @agatharoza on Wattpad.

A. J. Rosen

A. K. Davidson

A. O. Scott has been a film critic at the New York Times since 2000. His writing has appeared in many other publications, including the New York Review of Books, Slate, the New Yorker and the Nation. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2010, Scott is currently Distinguished Professor of Film Criticism at Wesleyan University. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York. 
 
@aoscott

A. O. Scott

A.S. Byatt (1936-2023) was a novelist, short-story writer and critic of international renown. Her novels include Possession (winner of the Booker Prize 1990), the Frederica Quartet and The Children’s Book, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999, and was awarded the Erasmus Prize 2016 for her ‘inspiring contribution to life writing’ and the Pak Kyongni Prize 2017. In 2018 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.

A. S. Byatt

A. T. Williams won the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2013 for his book A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa. He lives in Warwickshire.

A. T. Williams

A. W. Chase

Dubbed ‘The new queen of spy fiction’ by the Guardian newspaper, and ‘the real thing’ by the Washington Post, A.C. 'Ava' Glass is the CWA Dagger-shortlisted author of Alias Emma (The Chase), The Traitor and The Trap. The Traitor was a 2023 Richard and Judy Bookclub pick. Alias Emma was a Barnes and Noble book of the month. A former crime reporter and communications consultant, for five years Ava worked closely with spies. Her time in that world fascinated her, and the people she met back then inspire every book she writes.

A.C. Glass

A.E. Housman

Arthur Edward Waite was the designer and co-creator of the now famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. 
 
An American-born British poet and scholarly mystic, his strong interest in all esoteric matters - divination, magic, Kabbalism, alchemy and Freemasony - led to him penning a number of books. These include the Key to the Tarot, The Book of Ceremonial Magic and A New Encyclopedia of Freemasony.

A.E. Waite

A.E. Warren is the author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series, which consists of Subject Twenty-One, The Hidden Base, The Fourth Species and The Final Rising. 
 
After spending eight years working as a lawyer, she began to write in the evenings and early mornings as a form of escapism from life in a very small cubicle with lots of files. She self-published her first novels in her spare time, which were picked up by Del Rey UK which is the science fiction/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. 
 
 She is an avid reader, occasional gamer and fair-weather runner. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and hopefully, one day, a wise border terrier named Austen.

A.E. Warren

A.G.D. Maran

A.J. Ayer

A K Benedict writes crime and speculative fiction in a room filled with clowns, mannequins and Doctor Who figures. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was nominated for an eDunnit award and is in development for a major 8-part TV series by Company Pictures. Her second, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts, came out in February 2016. She's written Torchwood audio dramas for Big Finish and her short stories have featured in anthologies including Great British Horror and Best British Short Stories. She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.

A.K.Benedict

A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards – including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in Essex.

A.L. Kennedy

A.M. Ellis is a speculative fiction author and lover of everything steeped in myth and mystery. Her stories often lean into diverse voices, not only in her identity as a Black woman, but in exploring neurodivergence and mental health. A proud introvert and nostalgic gamer, she lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband and three children. Angelica is also the author of Hunt A Killer, a PERFECT SCORE novel, under the pen name A.M. Ellis, which she wrote as an IP for Scholastic in the US.

A.M. Ellis

A.N. Wilson was born in 1950 and educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is an award-winning biographer and a celebrated novelist, winning prizes for much of his work. He lives in North London.

A.N. Wilson

A.W. Priest

A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was a barrister, writer and munitions worker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1877. His published works include A Series of Lectures on the Negro Race and The Story of the African Slave in a Nutshell. He also edited two editions of the Handbook of Sierra Leone. He arrived in the UK in 1904 to study law. In 1907, he organised a centenary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in Westminster Abbey. He later embarked on an 'entertainment-lecture' tour called Life and Scenes in Britain, travelling across thousands of miles of West, South West and Central Africa, which he expanded on to create Britons Through Negro Spectacles.

ABC Merriman-Labor

AJ Cronin

AJ Molloy

Aabria Iyengar is an American actress and author.

Aabria Iyengar

Aaliya Jaleel is a freelance illustrator, designer, and visual development artist, currently majoring in Animation at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the illustrator of Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise. You can visit her online at www.aaliyamj.com.

Aaliya Jaleel

Aaron Allston

After more than fifteen years of experience as a clinical psychotherapist, Dr Aaron Balick has taken the amazing insights from psychology and psychotherapy out of the consultation room and made them accessible to the wider world. 
 
He has been an ‘agony uncle’ for many years for both CBBC and BBC Radio 1, as well as on television, including BBC Worldwide, BBC 3 and BBC Learning.

Aaron Balick

Aaron Carroll

Aaron Dignan is the founder of The Ready--a global organizational transformation and coaching practice--that helps companies large and small adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. Clients include Johnson &amp; Johnson, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Boeing, Mailchimp, Airbnb, Dropbox, and charity: water. 
 
He is also the founder of Murmur--a SaaS startup that helps teams scale culture through the magic of working agreements. The Murmur platform will allow every team on the planet to define and share their ways of working. 
 
Dignan is the author of Brave New Work (2019) and Game Frame (2011), co-host of the Brave New Work podcast, and a friend to misfit toys.

Aaron Dignan

Aaron Edwards is a senior lecturer in defence and international affairs at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, specialising in terrorism and counter-insurgency. He is the author and editor of several books, including Defending the Realm: The Politics of Britain’s Small Wars Since 1945, and has lectured all over the world on aspects of national and international security. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Aaron Edwards

Aaron Robertson is a writer, an editor, and a translator of Italian literature. His translation of Igiaba Scego’s Beyond Babylon was short-listed for the 2020 PEN Translation Prize and the National Translation Award, and in 2021 he received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The Nation, Foreign Policy, n+1, The Point, and Literary Hub, among other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Aaron Robertson

Aaron Shapiro

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Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee's highly-acclaimed and award-winning BBC Radio 4 history of the British Empire. 
 
Britain had the biggest empire the world has ever known. At one time a quarter of the global land mass was British. Over a third of the world was insured at Lloyds. At his coronation, more than 400 million people saluted George V. Truly, the sun never set on this historical phenomenon. Whatever the day, whatever the hour, somewhere on the globe, the empire worked and played the British game, often absurdly so. 
 
BBC Radio 4's monumental history of Britain tells the story of the British Empire from its earliest beginnings through the years when British influence grew steadily around the globe, years when Britain took full advantage of the technical advances of its industrial revolution. 
 
Here are the origins of the modern nations of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and of the ways in which British influence has affected, for better or for worse, nations such as India, Sri Lanka, and China. Here are the stories, not always happy and glorious, of Captain James Cook, Mungo Park, Warren Hastings, Sir Stamford Raffles, and David Livingstone. 
 
The story of the British Empire is one of enormous personalities, adventure, scientific and maritime development, and the building of one of the most complex international administrations the world has ever seen. 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

This Sceptred Isle: Empire

The Classic BBC Radio History

Sean Bean

The Second World War ended over 75 years ago, and the number of men and women who lived through it is rapidly dwindling. But its legacy casts a long shadow, and the memories of those who experienced the conflict left both powerful stories and often a complex inheritance behind for their children and grandchildren. 
 
In this series, Sean Bean investigates how the trauma of profound wartime experiences - whether spoken or unspoken - can be transferred down through subsequent generations. For although physical wounds may heal, emotional wounds can remain to inform family dynamics for good or ill. 
 
From prisoners of war and hero soldiers to infamous traitors and long-lost relatives, Sean meets 10 families who have been forever changed by World War II. He talks to Gethin Jones, whose father was a conscientious objector; Anne Godden and Barbara Sherman, daughters of returning soldiers whose marriages broke down; Tom Boden, who lived through the bombing of Liverpool and was evacuated twice; Ingrid Von Oelhafen, who discovered she was the victim of the Nazi's 'Lebensborn' programme in which children were stolen from their parents; and Stella Collis, daughter of a German POW who was interred at Wormwood Scrubs. 
 
We also hear the moving story of Barclay Patoir, who came to Britain from Guyana and survived war and prejudice to marry and raise a family; the extraordinary experiences of Kurt Marx, a Kindertransport refugee, and his wife Ingrid, who lived through Auschwitz; and the children of Nazi sympathiser John Beckett talk about their complicated, conflicted legacy. Shafquat Towheed reflects on the ways that his father's experience of the Bengal Famine stayed with him throughout his life - and the ways in which it is remembered. And in a fascinating voyage of discovery, Niki MacCarthy journeys to Nagasaki to find out about her father Aidan's life-saving medical work, and uncover the truth behind a very special family heirloom. 
 
©2021 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd 
Presented by Sean Bean 
Produced by Martin Williams, Kate Bissell and Mark Rickards 
 
Featuring: Gethin and Adam Russell-Jones; Betty and Max Paschal; Kurt, Michael and Johanna Marx; Anne Godden and Barbara Sherman; Clare Beckett-Wrighton and Francis Beckett; Juliet Weller; Shafquat Towheed, Niki and Adrienne MacCarthy; Tom Boden, Dawn Hann, Evie Thame and Michael Thame; Ingrid Von Oelhafen 
 
With thanks to: Michael Newman of the Association of Jewish Refugees, Diya Gupta and Brian Hann 
 
For more information about Kurt Marx's wartime experiences, please see Refugee Voices, a project of the AJR: https://www.ajrrefugeevoices.org.uk/ 
 
And for more information about the legacy of such experiences please visit the Second Generation Network and the Holocaust Memorial Trust: https://secondgeneration.org.uk/ and https://www.het.org.uk/ 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 13 May-10 August 2020

Legacy of War

A BBC World War 2 History

Lenny Henry

A collection of BBC radio shows presented by comedian and actor Lenny Henry. 
 
Stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, TV presenter: Lenny Henry is a multi-talented Renaissance man with a wide range of interests. But there are a few things (and people) he just doesn't get, despite their iconic status - and in What's So Great About...?, he explores them to find out what makes them so appealing. He questions the mystique surrounding Method Acting; discusses the benefits of Life Coaches with Phill Jupitus; hears about the joy of Maths from Carol Vorderman and asks Simon McBurney and Fiona Shaw to persuade him of the genius of Samuel Beckett. He also investigates the art of Jackson Pollock, meets stars from the world of Snooker to discover the lure of the cue and chats about Chaucer with Terry Jones. 
 
Lenny was once sceptical about Shakespeare too, but he's now a passionate convert. In Lenny Henry Plays Othello, we follow him as he embarks on his first straight stage role and first Shakespearean role, playing one of theatre's most tragic characters. From voice coaching to first night nerves, we eavesdrop on his journey from comedian to tragedian. 
 
In August Shines, inspired by his theatrical success in August Wilson's Fences, Lenny travels to Pittsburgh to tell the story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American playwright. The city was also home to the bad-boy pop artist whose work Lenny explores in Andy Warhol: Time Regained. Visiting the Warhol Museum, he learns about the 'Time Capsules' - an artwork consisting of 300,000 eclectic objects assembled across the last 13 years of Warhol's life - and joins the audience for the unboxing of the mysterious Capsule 528... 
 
Finally, in the compelling 10-part series Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen, Lenny traces the long, painful road that black Britons have travelled on stage and screen, from the overt racial discrimination of the 19th Century, via the veiled slurs that persisted throughout the 20th, to today's more equal society. Talking to playwrights such as Kwame Kwei-Armah, and actors and directors including Carmen Munroe, Yvonne Brewster and Steve McQueen, he tells the story of black drama and the influential artists who have shaped it over the past century, and looks to the future to examine the prospects for young black British talent. 
 
Published by Penguin Random House Ltd 
Licensed by BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
MCPS 
Presented by Lenny Henry 
 
What's So Great About...? 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Ellen Burstyn, James Lipton, Phill Jupitus, Carol Vorderman, Celia Hoyles, Professor Brian Butterworth, Simon McBurney, Fiona Shaw, John Calder, James Knowlson, Brian Sewell, Julian Joseph, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Dennis Taylor, John Virgo, John Parrott, Terry Griffiths, Ardis Butterfield, Mike Poulton, Terry Jones 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 July 2008-11 June 2011 
 
Lenny Henry Plays Othello 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 February 2009 
 
August Shines 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Chris Rawson, Professor Larry Glasco, Kim Ellis, Jeff Folino, Sala Udin, Nelson Harrison 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 October 2014 
 
Andy Warhol: Time Regained 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Ben Harrison, Rick Armstrong, Tim Marlow, Erin Byrne, Benjamin Liu, Donald Warhola 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 September 2014 
 
Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen 
Presented by Lenny Henry 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
Series Consultant: Dr Michael Pearce 
Featuring: Bola Agbaje, Yvonne Brewster, Michael Buffong, Lolita Chakrabarti, Isaac Julien, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Mustapha Matura, Steve McQueen, Carmen Munroe, Horace Ové, Winsome Pinnock, Paulette Randall, Roy Williams 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-20 November 2015

Lenny Henry's What's So Great About...?

And 4 other BBC documentaries

Sally Magnusson

Tracing Your Roots explores one of the UK's most popular pastimes: researching family history. Bestselling author Sally Magnusson follows the genealogy trail back in time, uncovering facets of social history through personal stories and giving you the information you need to add branches to your own family tree. With the right tools, you can not only find lost ancestors, but discover what they did for a living, what their lives were like, and maybe even what kind of people they were... 
 
Accompanied by resident genealogist Nick Barratt, who offers insider tips and ideas, she talks to professional and amateur researchers, revealing the wealth of resources available and how to make the most of them. In these six series, the duo determine what clues can be gleaned from photographs, diaries and DNA analysis, learn about unravelling wartime secrets, investigate how stories handed down through generations can offer a new slant on history and hear how the manner of an ancestor's death can offer clues to the life they led. They also explain why shady characters are good news for family history hunters, tackle the issues of illegitimacy and immigration, track down relatives who vanished without trace and probe mysteries surrounding name changes and adoption. 
 
Fascinating family stories are unearthed, as they talk to families including one woman who believes her grandmother may have been the illegitimate daughter of Louis XVI, another whose ancestor was locked away indefinitely on the Queen's orders, and two correspondents with Caribbean roots who suspect there is slavery on their family tree. Two follow-up episodes see Sally and Nick revisiting their favourite Tracing Your Roots tales, finding out what families did next and unveiling new information and lasting repercussions... 
 
In addition, a themed show, tied in with the British Library's 'History of the World in 100 Objects' project, investigates family heirlooms, and four special episodes mark events including the 90th anniversary of World War One, Scotland's Homecoming Year and the 2011 Census. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Sally Magnusson, with resident genealogist Nick Barratt 
Produced by Anne McNaught (Series 1-2), Moira Hickey (Series 3, 5), Claire White (Series 4) and Lucy Lloyd (Series 6) 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 March-16 April 2007 (Series 1), 24 October-28 November 2007 (Series 2), 11 May 2008 (Family History Special), 20 August-24 September 2008 (Series 3), 7 November 2008 (90th Anniversary of World War 1 Special), 2 August 2009 (Homecoming Scotland Special), 31 August-28 September 2009 (Series 4), 14 September-12 October 2010 (Series 5), 20 March 2011 (Census Special), 13 September-11 October 2011 (Series 6) 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Tracing Your Roots

A BBC family history show

Neil MacGregor

In 2010, the BBC and the British Museum embarked on an ambitious project: to tell the story of two million years of human history using one hundred objects selected from the Museum's vast and renowned collection. 
 
Presented by the British Museum's then Director Neil MacGregor, each episode focuses on a single object - from a Stone Age tool to a solar-powered lamp - and explains its significance in human history. A stone pillar tells us about a great Indian emperor preaching tolerance to his people; Spanish pieces of eight tell us about the beginning of a global currency; and an early Victorian tea-set speaks to us about the impact of empire. Music, interviews with specialists and quotations from written texts enrich the listener's experience. 
 
Objects from a similar period of history are grouped together to explore a common theme and make connections across the world. Seen in this way, history is a kaleidoscope: shifting, interlinked, constantly surprising and shaping our world in ways that most of us have never imagined. This download also includes an illustrated booklet with additional background information and photographs.

A History of the World in 100 Objects

The landmark BBC Radio 4 series

Anne McElvoy

Anne McElvoy presents this epic history of Britain's three biggest political movements, from their beginnings to the present day 
 
In these absorbing series, veteran journalist and current affairs commentator Anne McElvoy examines the origins and evolution of the three pre-eminent political movements in British history. Using interviews, readings and fascinating anecdotes, she guides us through 300 years of Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism, deftly putting the emergence of these key ideologies in their historical and social contexts. 
 
Conservatism tells the story of the big challenges that have spurred leading British conservative thinkers into action, from the French Revolution to the growth of mass democracy, the welfare state the permissive society and the rise of free-market economics. We meet some of the party's big beasts, including Edmund Burkem Benjamin Disraeli and Margaret Thatcher, and hear how an ideology that began by focusing on the land, paternalist benevolence, traditional social hierarchies and the Church of England transformed itself into something rather different. 
 
Next, McElvoy charts the development of Liberalism, from the 'Glorious' Revolution to the Edwardian era, the Great Depression and the 1960s, when it reached its zenith. Taking in the life and work of pioneering philosophers and reformers including John Locke, Adam Smith and Mary Wollstonecraft - as well as pivotal politicians such as William Gladstone, Millicent Fawcett and Roy Jenkins - she shows how fundamental liberal ideas came into being, explores contrasting versions of the political creed, and discusses how liberalism has come under pressure: and what this tells us about its limits and its future. 
 
Finally, she traces the inception, growth and transformation of British Socialism, from its foundation in a 19th Century Scottish mill village to the Chartists, the Revolutionaries, the Fabian Society, the Women's Liberationists and the grassroots enthusiasm for Tony Benn in the 1980s. Along the way, she looks at the competing approaches to changing Britain in the interests of working people, and introduces us to a few of the iconic figures who shaped socialism, including Robert Owen, Keir Hardie, Ernest Bevin, Stafford Cripps, 'Red Ellen' Wilkinson - and Beatrix Potter. 
 
From Utopian visions of government and revolutionary zeal to the inner workings of Parliament and the position of Britain on a global scale, this compelling, comprehensive and inspiring history explains just how we arrived at our current political climate - and why. 
 
Presented by Anne McElvoy 
Produced by Phil Tinline and Sarah Shebbeare 
 
Conservatism featuring:Professor Richard Bourke, Professor Dinah Birch, Dr Tristram Hunt, Professor Jon Lawrence, Professor Richard Aldous, Dr Matthew Roberts, Fern Riddell, Professor Krista Cowman, Dr Dan Jackson, Professor Martin Pugh, Professor Simon Ball, Dominic Sandbrook, Dr Eliza Filby 
 
Liberalism featuring: Justin Champion, Hannah Dawson, Amanda Foreman, Keith Tribe, Barbara Taylor, Richard Huzzey, Eugenio Biagini, Stuart Jones, Ben Griffin, Edmund Fawcett, John Lawrence, Richard Cockett, Elizabeth Crawford, Helen McCarthy, Rebecca Hamilton, Gerard McDermott, Debra Baker, David Feldman 
 
Socialism featuring: Lorna Davidson, Gregory Claeys, Dr Katrina Navickas, Professor Malcolm Chase, Professor Jon Lawrence, Professor Tony Webster, Gillian Lonergan, Dr Tristram Hunt, Professor Mark Bevir, Professor Ruth Kinna, David Howell, Jim Smyth, Michael Ward, Baroness Dianne Hayter, Professor Steven Fielding, Laura Beers, David Howell, Professor Sally Alexander, Professor Barbara Taylor, Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2-13 September 2013 (Conservatism), 7-18 December 2015 (Liberalism), 19 February-2 March 2018 (Socialism)

The Grand Tour: A Journey Through British Politics

300 Years of British Socialism, Conservatism and Liberalism

Misha Glenny

'Glenny does the sort of history I wish I had been taught at school' 
 Jemima Lewis, The Telegraph 
 
Former BBC Central European correspondent Misha Glenny investigates the borders, stories and people of nine countries worldwide, and asks how they acquired the shape and character they have today. Aided by a wealth of expert contributors, he discovers the geographical quirks, Game Of Thrones-style battles and history-changing personalities that have defined each nation - busting some persistent myths and stereotypes along the way. 
 
In Germany, Glenny blows away the fog of Nazism to reveal the country's high culture and often feeble past, taking us from the Thirty Years' War to the rise of Prussia and the emergence of a unified nation. Spain chronicles the rise and fall of an empire - from 1492 to 1898, from Columbus to El Desastre - and explores the fractured state of the nation, both in history and now. In Italy, Glenny tells a tale of fragmentation, occupation, unification (and the birth of the Mafia), and expansionist dreams that led to mass Italian bloodshed in the First World War. Brazil sees him stripping away the happy imagery of carnival and beach volleyball to expose a dark colonial history, as he charts the country's transformation from giant factory farm for Europeans to modern BRIC economy. 
 
France considers Joan of Arc's part in resisting the English invasion, analyses the French Revolution through Robespierre, and looks at the other Napoleon: Napoleon III, whose defeat ultimately led to two world wars. In The USA, Glenny examines the creation of the most powerful nation in the world, from the Founding Fathers to frontier wars and the melting pot of immigration. In The Netherlands, Glenny explains how the country is much more than just Holland, probes how a few boggy Netherlandish provinces became one of the military and trading heavyweights of the world, and wonders why Belgium exists. And in Britain, he presents the story of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, from Offa's Dyke to Hadrian's Wall via London, Derry and Edinburgh. He delves into England's dominance of the United Kingdom, discusses the significance of our island status, and ponders British identity, asking what binds us - and what divides us. And in Ireland, Glenny learns about Catholics, Protestants and the early seeds of war. 
 
This collection also includes three extra series on things that have shaped Europe as much as any nation: The Alps, which divide Europe and swallow up armies, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary Italian general, and The Habsburgs, a family who ruled in Europe for 1,000 years. 
 
 
 
Written and presented by Misha Glenny 
Produced by Miles Warde 
 
This collection contains: 
The Invention of Germany 
The Invention of Italy 
The Invention of Brazil 
The Invention of Spain 
The Invention of France 
The Invention of the Netherlands 
The Invention of the USA 
The Invention of Britain 
The Invention of Ireland 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, October 2011 - March 2019

How To Invent A Country

Nine nations that shaped the world

Katy Brand

Where would we be without the humble toothbrush? What about a wine glass, a pair of high heels or the toilet? Comedian Katy Brand explores the extraordinary stories behind ordinary objects to help us appreciate the little things that make life so much more liveable. 
 
Did you know the first electric toothbrush was made in 1880? Or that the fork shaped British table manners and, to this day, influences the taste of the food? Or that our beds are a reflection of our attitudes to sleep, sex, and status? 
 
With the help of Horrible Histories' Greg Jenner, The Origin of Stuff takes us on a delightful whizz around the surprising history of our often used, and mostly overlooked, everyday items.

The Origin of Stuff

Thomas Dixon

Friendships, for many of us, are at the very centre of our daily existence and identity. Yet it hasn't always been this way. Our modern view of what makes a friend is shaped by centuries of political and social upheaval. In this landmark study, Dr Thomas Dixon considers both the differences and similarities between friendships in history and those we experience today. 
 
Now we tend to view friendships among children as a good thing, but did you know that in the 18th and 19th century they were seen as fraught with danger? Or that the Bible heavily influenced early companionship? Beginning with the social networks of the 16th century, Dr Dixon moves through history to examine the invention of the best friend, working class Friendly Societies, dogs as 'man's best friend', and the tragic impact of the First World War on male friendships. Finally, we look at how the old and the young are navigating friendships today, and how friendship might look in the technologically-enhanced future. This fascinating and surprising history provides a unique look at how human companionship has changed through the ages - and what comes next.

Five Hundred Years of Friendship

A BBC Radio 4 History

Robin Ince

Kate Williams

Byron Vincent

Emma Barnett

Will Self

Felicity Ward

This collection brings together history, science, philosophy and comedy to explore our age-old search for meaning. We live in an age of self-improvement and self-examination - lifehacking, wellbeing, self-care, mindfulness retreats - but this seemingly very modern phenomenon is a pursuit that dates back for millennia. 
 
Join comedian Robin Ince to explore how the ancient Greeks aimed to get happier, healthier and richer. 
Will Self asks some of Britain's key scientists, philosophers and faith leaders to share their conclusions on the meaning of our existence. 
Historian Kate Williams investigates the Grandfather of Self-Help, Samuel Smiles' 1859 book Self Help, and its lasting influence. 
In 'Hell is Other People', performer Byron Vincent attempts to overcome his paralysing fear of social situations. 
Emma Barnett traces the multi-billion dollar mindfulness industry to its Buddhist roots to discover whether it's just another health fad. 
Comedian Felicity Ward tries to solve her mental health issues, one app at a time. 
Sian Williams presents a practical guide to boosting brain power through exercise, relaxation, stimulation, sleep and diet. 
 
From the ancient Greeks to the present day and even into the future, The Examined Mind provides an unique insight into our constant quest to be better people.

The Examined Mind

A BBC radio collection exploring the history, philosophy and science of self-help

Daliso Chaponda

Britain’s Got Talent star Daliso Chaponda takes a comic look at the relationship between the UK and Africa in these two BBC Radio 4 series 
 
The UK and Africa have had a long and complicated past. These two series look at the history of this relationship, with Daliso as our relationship guidance counsellor, helping us navigate the rocky historical waters between the two places.A Malawian comedian who grew up all over the world, Daliso straddles cultural divides. He will help us all better understand how to sort out our differences. Or not... 
 
Along with his sidekick ‘The Other Guy’ (James Quinn), Daliso explores how the UK and Africa first met; looks at the people on both sides who don't want the relationship to work; considers charities and organisations who want to help and discusses the process of immigration. In addition, he talks about his personal experience of both cultures, from growing up in Africa to his experiences of racism in England. 
 
Shrewd, daring and irreverent, Daliso Chaponda finds the comedy in complex issues, raising awareness as well as laughs in this hilarious and thought-provoking show. 
 
Nominated for the 2019 Rose d'Or Award for Audio Entertainment. 
 
Written and performed by Daliso Chaponda 
The Other Guy: James Quinn 
Additional material: Scott Bennett 
Voice of: Dylan Morris 
Theme music by Lawi 
Producer: Carl Cooper 
Production Coordinator: Beverly Tagg 
A BBC Studios Production 
Photo by Steve Ullathorne 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 2-23 May 2018 (Series 1), 23 Oct - 13 Nov 2019 (Series 2)

Daliso Chaponda: Citizen of Nowhere

Series 1 and 2

All ten episodes of BBC Radio 4’s ambitious global series, presented by Neil MacGregor 
 
‘Insightful, provocative, satisfying’ Telegraph 
 
With the United Kingdom on the brink of potentially momentous change, historian and broadcaster Neil MacGregor embarks on a worldwide voyage to discover how Britain is perceived from abroad. 
 
Visiting Germany, Egypt, Nigeria, Canada, India, Singapore, the United States, Spain, Australia and Poland – all countries with significant historical links to the UK – he talks to leading opinion formers to find out how they, as individuals and members of their wider communities, see Britain. 
 
His interviewees reveal what they learnt about Britain at school, and how key events and cultural influences, as well as their own personal experiences, have shaped their impressions of the country now. Each has a defining image that symbolises the UK to them: from Shakespeare to Monty Python, the 1966 World Cup, the Suez Crisis, the Financial Times, ‘99’ ice cream and The Crown. 
 
Throughout his travels, MacGregor uncovers tensions and frustrations, admiration and affection – along with an underlying sense of hope and a desire to retain close links with Britain as it prepares to reevaluate its relationship with Europe and the world.

As Others See Us

The BBC Radio 4 series

Lenny Henry presents this groundbreaking BBC radio series exploring a century of black British theatre, TV and film 
 
In this fascinating ten-part series, Lenny Henry traces the long and painful road that black Britons have travelled on stage and screen, from the overt racial discrimination of the 19th Century, via the thinly veiled slurs that persisted through the first 70 years of the 20th, to today's more equal society. 
 
Interviewing playwrights, actors, directors and filmmakers – including Mustapha Matura, Roy Williams, Lolita Chakrabarti, Michael Buffong, Horace Ové and Steve McQueen – he tells the story of black drama and the influential artists who have shaped it over the past hundred years. 
 
Beginning with the breakthrough arrival of Kwame Kwei-Armah's celebrated tragedy Elmina's Kitchen to the West End, he goes on to examine the evolving depiction of Afro-Caribbeans on TV from Love Thy Neighbour to Desmond’s; explores the complex stage history of Othello; focuses on how Caribbean migration has been reflected on stage and screen; and journeys back to the 1960s and 70s to explore the spirit of protest that welled up with the advent of the Black Power movement. 
 
In addition, he looks at the burgeoning black theatre companies of the 1970s and 80s; charts the breakthrough of a host of powerful new voices in the 90s; scrutinizes attitudes towards homosexuality; investigates the current blossoming of new theatrical voices with roots in Africa and concludes with a look at future prospects and opportunities for black British talent.

Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen

Various

A collection of insightful interviews, documentaries and comedy that celebrates LGBTQ+ in Britain, publishing to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewallriots. 
 
The Ben Hunte Interviews: Presenter and journalist Ben Hunte interviews his LGBTQ heroes about their unforgettable gay moments. Guests include Paul O’Grady, Stephen K Amos, Peter Tatchell, Ruth Hunt (CEO of Stonewall), Stephanie Hirst, Youtuber Calum McSwiggan. 
 
The Essay: The Love That Wrote Its Name: Simon Callow, Stella Duffy, Gregory Woods, Neel Mukherjee and Louise Welsh explore and celebrate five gay relationships of writers and artists. 
 
Queer Icons: Plato’s Symposium: Shahidha Bari discusses LGBTQ in the history of philosophy. 
 
Who Decides if Gay is OK?: What brought about decriminalisation in the UK and why has it not happened in Zambia, which largely inherited the British legal system? 
 
Highlights from Front Row’s Queer Icons project: Celebrating LGBTQ culture from the poetry of Sappho to the songs of Frank Ocean, guests are asked to champion a piece of LGBTQ artwork that is special to them. Presented by Alan Carr, with guests including Mary Portas, Olly Alexander, Christine and the Queens, Stella Duffy, and the Oscar-winning writer of Moonlight, Tarell Alvin McCraney. 
 
Happy That Way: Special compilation programme made in 2017 celebrating the best out and proud BBC Radio comedy from the past five years. Features Susan Calman, Graham Norton, Stephen Fry, Sue Perkins, Al Porter, Mae Martin, Stephen K Amos, Suzi Ruffell, Paul Sinha and Sandi Toksvig.

Gay Britannia

Celebrating Pride in the UK

Steve Punt

The BBC Radio 4 show where Steve Punt turns private investigator, examining little mysteries that perplex, amuse and beguile. 
His methods may be unconventional but he gets the job done in this collection of all 18 epsiodes from series 6-10 of Punt PI. 
Ranging from the bizarre to the macabre, he investigates the following tantalising cases: 
Series 6: 
The Case of the Vanishing Machine Gun Maker, The Holliwell Incident, Pitchfork Murder - Lower Quinton and Who Killed the Bears? 
Series 7: 
The Mysterious Death of Flying Millionaire Alfred Loewnstein, The Baker Street Bank Robbery, The Case of the MP Who Vanished and Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? 
Series 8: 
The Murder of Hollywood Director William Desmond Taylor, The Case of the Missing Cezanne, and The Great Mull Air Mystery. 
Series 9: 
The Suspicious Death of Emile Zola, The Reclusive Skeleton of Fingringhoe and There's a Kind of Hum. 
Series 10: 
Lost Nukes, Treasure in the Piano, Missing Priest and Taking the Pissoir? 
 
Produced by Laurence Grissell 
A BBC Studios production

Punt PI: Series 6-10

The BBC Radio 4 comedy series

The BBC Radio 4 show where Steve Punt turns private investigator, examining little mysteries that perplex, amuse and beguile. 
His methods may be unconventional but he gets the job done in this collection of all 17 epsiodes from series 1-5 of Punt PI. 
 
Ranging from the bizarre to the macabre, he investigates the following tantalising cases: 
Series 1: 
Steve probes cases including; a couple who find 400 false legs beneath their floor, missing steam trains hidden in case of nuclear war and Britian's own Bermuda triangle. 
Series 2: 
Steve investigates whether Hitler really was going to set up and HQ in Balham, goes on the trail of TV detector vans and searches for the real Manchurian Candidate. 
Series 3: 
The PI turns his hand to investigating the cases of Argelton, a place only existing on internet maps, whether the Nazis developed flying saucer technology, a search for Queen Victoria's voice and a curse of crying boy paintings. 
Series 4: 
Steve delves into the mysteries of a poisoned partridge, the disappearance of a film about David LLoyd George, and the site for the epic Battle of Wattling Street. 
Series 5: 
Our diligent investigator is called on to look into a pensioner's secret stash of arms, the 1928 Charfield Rail crash and a 400 year-old case of a missing person. 
 
Produced by Laurence Grissell 
A BBC Studios production

Punt, PI: Series 1-5

Francine Stock

Francine Stock sets out to explore the elusive quality that is charisma. 
 
Can charisma – variously combining charm, magic and power – ever really be pinned down? 
 
Moving from St Paul’s coining of the word in the first century of the Christian Era right up to the present day, charisma continues to be a powerful influence, not always for the good, in the fields of politics, banking, terrorism, theatre and film. 
 
Along the way, Francine takes in early medieval mystics such as Margery Kempe and Joan of Arc; the Elizabethan belief in the so-called "Royal Touch" and its different manifestations today; the powerful healing claims of Franz Mesmer; and radical charismatic leaders from Garibaldi to Osama Bin Laden. She explores the power and appeal of charisma with stars such as Sarah Bernhardt; self-made businessmen such as W.K.Kellogg, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs; totalitarian leaders including Hitler, and new forms of political extremism such as the so-called Islamic State; civil rights leaders, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama; and the volatile world of contemporary banking. 
 
There is a continuing hunger for charisma; can this gift of grace be turned to a shared advantage? 
 
Produced by Beaty Rubens 
 
©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd

Charisma

An exploration of that elusive quality

Bridget Kendall

Bridget Kendall presents an oral history tracing decisive moments of the Cold War. 
 
The Cold War is one of the furthest-reaching and longest-lasting conflicts in modern history. It spanned the globe - from Greece to China, Hungary to Cuba - and lasted for almost half a century. It has shaped political relations to this day, drawing new physical and ideological boundaries between East and West. 
 
Bridget Kendall explores the Cold War through the eyes of those who experienced it first-hand. This landmark series draws on exclusive interviews with individuals who lived through the conflict's key events, offering a variety of perspectives that reveal how the Cold War was experienced by ordinary people. From pilots making food drops during the Berlin Blockade and Japanese fishermen affected by H-bomb testing, to families fleeing the Korean War and children whose parents were victims of McCarthy's Red Scare, Cold War covers the full geographical and historical reach of the conflict. This is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand how the tensions of the last century have shaped the modern world, and what it was like to live through them. 
 
1. The Greek Civil War 
2. The Czech Coup 
3. The 1948 Election in Italy 
4. The Berlin Blockade 
5. The Fall of Shanghai 
6. The Korean War 
7. McCarthyism 
8. The H-Bomb 
9. The East German Uprising 
10. The Iran Coup 
11. Khrushchev’s Thaw 
12. The Hungarian Revolution 
13. The Congo Coup 
14. The Berlin Wall Crisis 
15. The Cuban Missile Crisis 
16. The Fall of Khrushchev 
17. The Chinese Cultural Revolution 
18. The Prague Spring 
19. America’s Vietnam War 
20. The Coup in Chile 
21. The Fall of Saigon 
22. Ostpolitik 
23. The Angolan Civil War 
24. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 
25. The Birth of Solidarity in Poland 
26. The New Cold War 
27. Gorbachev’s Perestroika 
28. The Fall of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification 
29. The Baltic Singing Revolution 
30. The Collapse of the Soviet Union

Cold War: Series 1 and 2

Stories from the Big Freeze

Paul Sinha

In his fascinating and hilarious BBC Radio 4 stand up show, comedian and quizzer Paul Sinha shines a light on the important historical moments that you never got taught at school, and explains why so much of what you did learn is wrong. There will also, as ever, be puns. 
 
He explains how Portugal's invasion of Morocco in 1415 led directly to the 2014 World Cup; how the 1909 launch of an Austro-Hungarian submarine prevented Dr Zhivago from winning an Oscar; and the story of the black woman who refused to give up a seat on an Alabama bus and ended up changing the law - no, it wasn't Rosa Parks. 
 
"Sinha's gift for finding humour in it all makes him worth a listen" - The Telegraph 
 
Paul Sinha is an acclaimed stand-up who was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy award for his show Saint or Sinha?. He frequently appears on The News Quiz, The Now Show, and Fighting Talk, and he is a resident 'chaser' on the ITV quiz show The Chase. He wrote and starred in The Sinha Test (2011) and The Sinha Games (2012) on Radio 4 and in 2013 had his own four-part series, Paul Sinha's Citizenship Test. 
 
Paul Sinha’s History Revision was the winner of the 2016 Rose d’Or Award for 'Best Radio Comedy'. 
 
Written and performed by: Paul Sinha 
Producer: Ed Morrish

Paul Sinha's History Revision: The Complete Series 1-3

The Sceptred Isle provided the definitive radio account of the British nation, from 55BC to the end of the 20th century. Now its attention turns towards the incredibly powerful families which have wielded power behind the scenes for the past 1,000 years. The Dynasties relates how the loyalties of this privileged elite, many of whom are older than the monarchy itself, were tested and rewarded; it also uncovers a multitude of murderous plots, bloody battles, adulteries, intrigues and shocking executions. 
 
The first volume examines three powerful houses: The Godwines, the north-dwelling Percys and the royalist Despensers. 
 
Volume two looks at the Mortimers, the Berkeleys and a triumvirate of warring Irish dysnasties: the Macmurroughs, the Fitzgeralds and the O'Neills. 
 
The third volume investigates the Churchills, the Cecils and the Scottish Dalrymples. 
 
In the fourth volume the Cavendishes appear, along with the Comptons and the Russells. 
 
In the fifth and final volume, the families examined include the Carringtons, the Waldegraves and the Norfolks. There is also a look at the families who today continue the tradition of dynastical power at the highest levels.

This Sceptred Isle: The Dynasties

The complete BBC collection

Joanna Bourke

Eyewitness accounts from the BBC Archive are at the heart of this unique history of the latter half of the 20th Century, narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith. 
 
The events of 1950-1999 are described by the people who saw them happen, from the Festival of Britain in 1951 through to dawn of a new millennium at the end of 1999. 
 
Inbetween are the eras of the Angry Young Men, the Teddy Boys and the Punk Rockers; the arrival of rock and roll and the permissive society; the advent of industrial strife in England and sectarian unrest in Northern Ireland; the rise to power of Margaret Thatcher; the miners’ strike, three day week and Winter of Discontent; the Queen’s Silver Jubilee; the IRA’s campaign of bombing and the eventual Good Friday agreement; the marriage of Prince Charles, the death of Princess Diana, the Poll Tax riots, and the British participation in wars in the Middle East and Bosnia. 
 
Events both joyful and sorrowful are illustrated with fascinating and rarely heard archive recordings, with a linking narration by the historia Joanne Bourke. Thought-provoking and moving, these are the voices of the past speaking to the present day.

Eyewitness: 1950-1999

Voices from the BBC Archives

The first five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original first five volumes: 
 
55BC-1087: Julius Caesar to William the Conqueror From Britannia under the Romans to the Dark Ages and the invasions of Angles, Saxons, Danes, and Norwegians. 
 
1087-1327: The Making of the Nation The Crusades, Welsh and Scottish rebellions and the foundations of the modern state - including Magna Carta and the fledgling English Parliament. 
 
1327-1547 The Black Prince to Henry VIII The Hundred Years' War, the Peasants' Revolt, the Wars of the Roses and the reign of Henry VIII. 
 
1547-1660 Elizabeth I to Cromwell Elizabeth I's long reign; the Civil War, the execution of Charles I and the establishment of Cromwell as Lord Protector. 
 
1660-1702 Restoration and Glorious Revolution The return of Charles II, the Great Plague and Great Fire of London, and a ruler from a different country on the throne: William of Orange. 
 
Narrated by Anna Massey, with extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's A History of the English-speaking Peoples read by Paul Eddington and Peter Jeffrey, this is the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. 
 
The audio files for this title have been updated and they are now in the correct order. 
 
Duration: 15 hours approx.

This Sceptred Isle: Collection 1: 55BC - 1702

The final five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. 
 
Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original volumes 6-10: 
 
1702-1760: The First British EmpireThe reign of George I; Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, and the first rendition of Rule Britannia. 
 
1760-1792: The Age of Revolution The Industrial Revolution begins; America declares independence and France is rocked by social and politicalupheaval. 
 
1792-1815: Nelson, Wellington and Napoleon War in Europe; the introduction of Income Tax; and England is victorious in the Battle of Trafalgar. 
 
1815-1837: Regency and Reform The Prince of Wales becomes George IV; Sir Robert Peel creates the Metropolitan Police and slavery is abolished in the British Empire. 
 
1837-1901: The Age of Victoria Victoria's 64-year reign encompasses huge social changes; Britain expands her empire and the Labour Party is founded. 
 
Narrated by Anna Massey, with extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's A History of the English-speaking Peoples read by Peter Jeffrey, this is the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. Duration: 14 hours approx.

This Sceptred Isle Collection 2: 1702 - 1901

Matt Thompson

This 30-part Radio 4 series explores how our interactions with sound have shaped us over 100,000 years. These specially extended episodes, recorded on location around the world and in collaboration with curators of the British Library Sound Archive, take us from prehistory to the present, encompassing the shamanistic music of our cave-dwelling ancestors, the massacre of noisy cats in pre-revolutionary Paris, the nerve-destroying din of trench warfare, right through to the cacophony of the modern metropolis. This is sound as life and death, pleasure and pain, power and revolution. Written and presented by Professor David Hendy from the University of Sussex. Produced by Matt Thompson for Rockethouse Productions. Theme tune composed by Joe Acheson from Hidden Orchestra. Readings Director Cherry Cookson. Assistant Producer - Cathy FitzGerald  Includes a specially-composed 15-minute companion piece by electronic musician Matthew Herbert in which he retells the story of the whole series using only the sounds themselves.

Noise A Human History - The Complete Series

Charles Hazlewood

The Royal Albert Hall has attracted some of the biggest names in showbiz throughout its 140-year history. From rock events to The Proms, Cirque du Soleil to the Chelsea Arts Ball, it has played host to an huge variety of performers. In these two programmes, Charles Hazlewood introduces a montage of artists who have graced the stage of the Hall, including the Rolling Stones, Pavarotti, Gillian Weir, Jimi Hendrix and Russell Watson. There are contributions from Sir Cliff Richard, Katherine Jenkins, Jamie Cullum, Hayley Westenra,  Jools Holland, Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Mike Batt and Jeff Wayne. In the company of V &amp; A design curator Abraham Thomas, historian Helen Rappaport and others, Hazlewood explores the Hall's history, discusses some of the spectaculars that have taken place under its roof and tells how various charitable organisations have found a home there, including the Prince's Trust, Amnesty International and Music for Youth.

Celebrating The Royal Albert Hall

Rory Cellan-Jones

Rory Cellan-Jones traces the roots of social networking from the counterculture of the 197s through early bulletin board systems such as California's The WELL and the first networks on the World Wide Web, finding out how a geeky hobby became a mass phenomenon. He discovers how Facebook became the world's biggest social network, looks at the sites of the future and asks where the phenomenon is heading. His interviewees include Lee Felsenstein, co-founder of Community Memory, Larry Brilliant, co-founder of The WELL, Andrew Weinrich, founder of SixDegrees.com, Jonathan Abrams, co-founder of Friendster, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, Chris DeWolfe, co-founder of MySpace, Michael and Xochi Birch, co-founders of Bebo, Wayne Ting, co-founder of Campus Network, David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect, Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare and Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.

The Secret History Of Social Networking

Richard Coles

Richard Coles examines same sex desire through the ages, in a journey reaching from the UK to India, Egypt, Greece and Native America. In episode one, his quest takes him to Saqqara, Egypt and the contested tomb of two men, Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum. Were the men lovers or brothers? He explores the ideas of the 'sexologists' and tells the story of Anne Lister, a 19th century Yorkshirewoman who had same sex relationships. In episode two, Richard explores the homosexuality of the ancients, tracing the transition from classical celebration to religious repression. Part three focuses on the complex relationship between sexuality and gender as Richard surveys the so-called 'third sex' in places such as India, Indonesia and Thailand. He concludes the series by looking at the globalisation of gay identity. Is the West attempting to promote ideas of gay liberation which are alien to the developing world? Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Out In The World A Global Gay History

Mark Jones

The RMS Titanic  sailed from Southampton en route for New York on her maiden voyage with 2228 passengers and crew on board. On the 14th April at twenty minutes before midnight, sailing at almost full speed, she struck an iceberg and sank in just two and a half hours. Over 1500 lives were lost. This is the story of a great tragedy described by the surviving passengers, officers and crew who were on board that night. Firsthand accounts help to explain why so few of the passengers took to the lifeboats and later describe the miraculous survival of those forced to jump into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. The story of the Titanic is ultimately one of simple human loss and these laconic Edwardian voices bring it vividly to life. The hold that these events have on our imagination is as strong now as it ever has been in the 100 years since the great ship went down.

Titanic, The Voices From The BBC Archive

More series of Misha Glenny’s BBC Radio 4 show about the borders, the stories and the people of countries worldwide 
 
Former BBC Central European correspondent Misha Glenny investigates the borders, the histories and the people that make different nations what they are today. 
 
Aided by a wealth of expert contributors, he discovers the geographical quirks, Game of Thrones-style battles and history-changing personalities that have defined each nation - busting some persistent myths and stereotypes along the way. 
 
'Every series is a revelation' Daily Telegraph 
'One of the jewels in the BBC radio crown' Radio Times 
 
This collection takes a deep dive into Scandinavia, Bangladesh, Poland, Russia, Turkey, China, Taiwan, Hugary and more.

How to Invent a Country: A Second Collection

Ten More Nations and the Histories that Made Them

Adrian Penketh

A gripping full-cast dramatisation of Japan’s 2011 nuclear emergency, narrated by Romola Garai 
 
When a tsunami hit Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011, surging past defences and flood reactors, it triggered the worst nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. This immersive dramatisation tells the extraordinary story of those catastrophic events. 
 
As alarm bells ring, explosions rock the power plant, politicians try to seize control and workers go to extraordinary lengths to avert catastrophe. The young are evacuated and a ‘suicide squad’ of older workers is sent inside… Pressure levels are rising and there is a chance of a second deadly explosion. Public panic reaches terrifying heights and battles rage inside and outside the nuclear plant. In the years after the event, workers and energy company executives alike look back on their role and the chilling legacy of the events that unfolded during those heart-stopping hours, days and weeks. 
 
This tense drama, rich with high production values and a stellar cast, is narrated by Romola Garai (Emma, The Hour, The Crimson Petal and the White), and stars Togo Igawa (Johnny English Reborn, Memoirs of a Geisha), Ami Okumura Jones (My Neighbour Totoro, Midsommer Murders) and Matt McCooey (Agatha Raisin). 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Adrian Penketh 
Produced by Toby Swift and Sasha Yevtushenko 
Sound designed by Peter Ringrose 
Commissioned by Simon Pitts 
Artwork by Yuko Shimizu 
A BBC World Service Production 
 
Suto - Togo Igawa 
Akiko - Ami Okumura Jones 
Yoshida - Eiji Mihara 
Saito/Hosono - Sadao Ueda 
Ito/Kojima - Matt McCooey 
Shimada/Matsui/Mayor - Akira Koieyama 
Narrator - Romola Garai 
Reporter/Prime minister - Kevin Shen 
Reporter/Keiko - Naoko Mori 
Worker/Kaneko/Aide - Nino Furuhata 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31st May - 12th July 2023 
 
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Fukushima

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama

A Private Thriller

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

A Puffin Book

A Ripley Novel

A Slice of the Moon

A Victorian Mystery

A Walk in...

A Women’s Murder Club Thriller

A chef Paul Delamare Mystery

Aberrations

Across the Universe

Actiphons

Adelia Aguilar

Adrian Mole

Adventures in Time

Aftermath

Against War

Age of X

Agent 21

Agent Z

Detective Aidan Waits is a troubled junior detective haunted by his past. Facing an uncertain future, and disconnected from his history, DC Waits and his partner, Detective Inspector Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe work on Manchester's streets to uncover the city's worst criminals among the grime of the underworld.

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