The Bomb

BBC World Service

4.7 (400)
HISTORY

The story of the atomic bomb. Told through the scientists and spies who changed history. Season 1 follows the scientist who discovers the destructive possibilities of harnessing nuclear power. It leads to the race to beat the Nazis to the first atomic bomb. Season 2 tells of a brilliant scientist who lives a double life, stealing atomic secrets for the Soviet Union. Season 3 is coming soon.

5 JULY

Introducing Hollywood Exiles

History remembers Charlie Chaplin as Hollywood’s first superstar. At the height of his career, the FBI considered him and other figures from the film industry something else: a threat to the United States. His granddaughter, Oona Chaplin, tells the story of how Hollywood became a battleground for the soul of America. Hollywood Exiles is a story of glamour, duplicity, and the US government’s decades-long campaign to root out communism in Tinseltown. From the BBC World Service and CBC Podcasts. To listen to the full-length story, search for Hollywood Exiles wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

27 min
09/09/2022

S2.10 Fallout

Jail awaits - Klaus Fuchs is going down. But will he take Ursula with him? British intelligence wants names. As Fuchs is forced to face his past, Ursula tries to run from hers. Presenter Rosa Ellis questions how their actions have shaped today's nuclear tensions. #thebomb

33 min
02/09/2022

S2.9 Dead cat, live cat

A double life implodes. Fuchs faces judge and jury, but will he confess? A future as an eminent physicist is slipping away. And the friends who took him in as a young scientist are blindsided - they want answers. But first he must face the court. #thebomb

31 min
26/08/2022

S2.8 The uncertainty principle

The spy catchers close in. Klaus Fuchs is caught in the crosshairs. Spymaster Ursula has outwitted the interrogators - but can he? As he settles down in England, British intelligence services are following him at every turn. He is caught in a web of surveillance - and his faith in the Soviets is faltering. How long can he run for? #thebomb

31 min
19/08/2022

S2.7 Critical mass

The interrogation of a spymaster. Ursula is questioned as Klaus Fuchs returns to England. Secrets threaten to be spilled and loyalties are tested. The war has ended, and the physicist could have a promising future. But will his past catch up with him? Could British intelligence services be on to him? #thebomb

30 min
12/08/2022

S2.6 Camp Y

Lives on the line. The Fuchs family is drawn into the espionage as the atomic bomb project takes a deadly turn. Klaus is at the covert Manhattan Project laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In this desert terrain, he has lost contact with the Soviets. As the countdown to detonation begins, there's only one person who can be trusted. #thebomb

39 min
05/08/2022

S2.5 An irreversible reaction

A double life gets more dangerous. Fuchs joins America's bomb project and the race with Russia is on. But as the nuclear mission ramps up, security tightens too. Now at the heart of the mission, his skills in science and espionage are tested to the limit. #thebomb

29 min
29/07/2022

S2.4 A stable bond

The spy meets his spymaster - presenter Rosa Ellis' great-aunt Ursula. She's a housewife and mother living in the English countryside. And she also works for the Soviets. Fuchs and Ursula have a secret list of information that Russia urgently needs to win the nuclear race. Together, they could be the most dangerous spies on the planet. #thebomb

37 min

See All (22)

4.7

out of 5

400 Ratings

A riveting podcast - a must listen

2 Aug

Aussie Twins

This is an incredible podcast documenting events and discoveries which changed the world forever. Emily Strasser does a superb job of telling this story, her own personal connection to these events. This brings another depth of human experience beyond facts and dates. Once I listened to the first episode, I couldn’t stop listening. I’m going to listen to it again. It was so good.
OMG The REAL story of the Atomic Bomb

27/08/2023

TrueSelf

This blew me away, I saw the movie Oppenheimer recently and this scientist was left out, yet he was so crucial to creating fission, Nolan’s movie made it out that it was all Oppenheimer. I learned so much. Thank you Emily Strausser.
Dramatically insightful

04/11/2022

slink_ee

This podcast is presented in a fantastic way. It’s not every day you get to listen to a true blood family member speak of their ancestors decisions and achievements that created some of the most important and equally devastating moments in human history. The dramatic representation will have you on the edge of your headphones and will leave you wanting more every day. I’m glad I was recommended this fantastic podcast. I’m learning so much about these important people and stories. Keep it up! Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
Well Produced but troubling narration

18/12/2022

Crazzeeeemin3mfan

A well produced podcast which provides perspective on a largely unknown aspect of the Manhattan project and what preceded it. The narration is problematic in my opinion, it’s laden with values of the narrator with the benefit of hindsight and largely apologetic and/or critical of the acts of the scientists, engineers, military men and politicians who made the bomb possible, including her grand father. It asserts quite forcefully that the development and use of the bomb on Japan was unjustifiable. In my opinion a very very narrow and naive analysis of historh from the narrator and diminishes what is otherwise an excellent podcast.

The story of the atomic bomb. Told through the scientists and spies who changed history. Season 1 follows the scientist who discovers the destructive possibilities of harnessing nuclear power. It leads to the race to beat the Nazis to the first atomic bomb. Season 2 tells of a brilliant scientist who lives a double life, stealing atomic secrets for the Soviet Union. Season 3 is coming soon.