The History Podcast

5.0 (5)
HISTORY
SERIES

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Uncover new perspectives on unforgettable stories from our past. The History Podcast is the home of story-driven history series from BBC Radio 4. Each series will take you inside the most pivotal events in history, through the people who were there, to uncover new perspectives on the moments that still define us now.

EPISODE 1

The Lucan Obsession: 1. The Double Mystery

One winter's night, 50 years ago, a crime took place that obsessed the nation. Lord Lucan is said to have killed the family nanny, attacked his wife and vanished. Newspapers ran wild with lurid detail and it became a story hardwired into British culture. Why did this case capture the British imagination, and spark one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th Century? Historian Alex von Tunzelmann unpacks the story of our obsession, taking us into a dizzying world of high stakes gambling and exclusive London clubs, powerboat racing and pet tigers. It’s also a dark realm of bankruptcy, gaslighting and stalking, and at its heart, a story with a violent and very tragic death. Across the series she investigates the two mysteries at the centre of this story: was Lord Lucan the murder, and where on earth did he go? Told and retold, the facts of the Lucan story have got lost. Alex finds herself in a hall of mirrors where truth and lies distort themselves into new myths and new mysteries. Was the truth obscured by booze and backhanders, class deference and journalist spin? As she tries to get to the bottom of this case, she meets eyewitnesses from the '70s, people caught up in the crime, and those who just can’t let it go. She unearths long forgotten tapes and letters, piecing together fragments of a legend to discover why the Lucan myth still holds such power. Series contributors: Algy Cluff, Pierrette Goletto and Mandy Parks Journalists: Bob Strange and James Fox Author: Laura Thompson Crime writer: Claire McGowan Police: Geoff Lewry, Richard Swarbrick and Jackie Malton UK Missing Persons Unit: Louise Newell Presenter: Alex von Tunzelmann Series Producer: Sarah Bowen Content Producer: Becca Bryers

14 min
EPISODE 2

The Lucan Obsession: 2. Death In Belgravia

What really happened on the night of 7th November 1974 when Sandra Rivett was murdered? Young reporter Bob Strange sneaked into the hallway at the Lucan’s house in Belgravia. The police burst in trampling through the crime scene. The evidence of the Lucan case is murky. There are many versions that contradict themselves. Lord Lucan says something entirely different happened. Who should we believe? And how do the mysteries surrounding that night, drive our obsession with this case? Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min
EPISODE 3

The Lucan Obsession: 3. Lucky Lucan

Lord Lucan raced powerboats through the English Channel, drove an Aston Martin around the Grand Canyon and completed the Cresta Run at Saint-Moritz. Throwing himself into gambling, he was nicknamed Lucky. With slicked back hair, charm, style and humour, he was remarkably striking. But underneath this image there was a very different man. Alex hears from friends, biographers and someone who lived in the Lucan household to ask who really was Lord Lucan? Was he the vicious, violent and dangerous murderer of Sandra Rivett or was this a myth it was seductive to believe? Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min
EPISODE 4

The Lucan Obsession: 4. Searching for Lady Lucan

The press portrayed Lady Lucan as a perfect victim: a tiny, fragile woman, attacked by a cruel and vengeful man. Lord Lucan’s friends said she was a volatile, difficult snob. She is certainly enigmatic and intriguing. With access to never before broadcast tapes, Alex von Tunzlemann looks for the truth behind the stories of the Countess and explores how her image emerged. Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min
EPISODE 5

The Lucan Obsession: 5. The Tinderbox House

Many relationships have tricky patches, with couples struggling for money or over the children. But there’s a spark in this story that takes us from the Lucan’s glamorous society wedding to Sandra Rivett being murdered, Lady Lucan attacked and the children swept away. And it grips us. Alex von Tunzleman hunts for what triggers this story, delving through a box of Lucan’s possessions not seen for decades. As she discovers cheque stubs, invoices and letters from the bank, she sees the reality of what life was like behind the Lucan’s veneer of respectability: a world of debt and alcohol, gaslighting, late night calls and stalking. Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min
EPISODE 6

The Lucan Obsession: 6. The Golden Hour

With Sandra Rivett lying dead in the basement, Lucan must decide whether to face the police or run. And so begins the second mystery that has made this case so compelling. Where did Lucan go that night? Was he being sheltered by his friends who the police nicknamed The Eaton Square Mafia? Alex von Tunzelmann pieces together what we know of the hours after the murder, asking whose version should we believe. She meets an eyewitness who says she was the last person to see Lucan alive, and crawls underground into a bunker where the police were sure he was hiding. Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min
EPISODE 7

The Lucan Obsession: 7. The Investigation

Police traipsed through 46 Lower Belgrave St on the night of Sandra Rivett’s murder, but did they contaminate the evidence? The police files are still closed. Where there have been unanswered questions, enticing myths and conspiracies have filled the void. Alex von Tunzelmann pieces together what we can know of the investigation, trying to separate fact from fiction. She hears from two policemen who worked on the Lucan case and reassesses the forensics with an ex-Metropolitan Police detective. Stories emerge about close relations between the press and police and she wonders if booze, bribes and class deference may have obscured the truth. Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min
EPISODE 8

The Lucan Obsession: 8. Speculation and Suspicion

The nation was spellbound by the inquest into Sandra Rivett’s death. For the press the story was a dream. A tale of the aristocracy, gambling, debt and murder was a welcome relief in an era of shortages and strikes. They salivated over the grim details. Alex von Tunzelmann hears how inquest became a trial, supercharging our obsession with this case. And she wonders if we can take his guilt as fact when she hears a never before broadcast recording of an interview of Lady Lucan and an incriminating new story from a policeman. Producer: Sarah Bowen

14 min

See All Season 5 (15)

At 25, Hannah’s life begins falling apart. An anonymous intruder has made her phone her enemy. Aided by the technology we all rely on, this intruder is watching Hannah, threatening her, even pretending to be her. Feeling increasingly unsafe, Hannah goes to the police, but they can’t stop it. Worse, they don’t even recognise it for what it is: stalking. Hannah doesn’t know for sure who is behind it all, but she suspects an older man she met more than two years earlier at London Fashion Week. Initially, he claimed to have been hacked. Even today, he disputes stalking her. To make sense of what’s happening Hannah turns to a woman she’s known since she was seven years-old, and who also happens to be an investigative journalist. Together with her “ex-step mum” Carole Cadwalladr, they set out to piece together something the police couldn’t: the true identity of Hannah’s stalker. Doing so means untangling a web of deception spanning continents. On her suspected stalker’s trail, Hannah realises nothing about them is as she first thought.

4.4 (38)

TRUE CRIME
Americast is the authoritative US news and politics podcast from the BBC. Join us for the latest insights and analysis on what's happening inside Donald Trump's White House. Listen on BBC Sounds. Each week we provide audiences with the best analysis from across the BBC, with on-the-ground observations and big picture insights about the stories which are defining America right now. The podcast is hosted by trusted BBC journalists including the BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, BBC Radio 4 presenter, Justin Webb, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, Marianna Spring, and BBC North America correspondent, Anthony Zurcher. As well as political analysis, we also specialise in social media. Each week Marianna Spring brings listeners the latest updates from the BBC’s Undercover Voters, our award-winning investigation into the content that is recommended to US voters on social media. The team is also joined by special guests each week, like CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour, Emmy Award-winning TV host, Rachel Maddow, and Succession actress, J Smith-Cameron. Podcasts are published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As well as being a podcast, we are also available every Friday night on BBC Radio 4 and every weekend on the BBC News YouTube Channel and also BBC News TV Channel. Every Monday we answer your questions on Americanswers, with some help from special guests, including Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the Department for Homeland Security during the Trump presidency before becoming a whistleblower. That programme is broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live too. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with us on email at Americast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. By the way, you can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say ‘”Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. See ya’ll later...

4.3 (87)

POLITICS
Peak Danger is Season 2 of Extreme, the BBC podcast about those who chase the impossible... who strive for superhuman status and refuse to accept that life has any limits. Every season tells an unforgettable, action-packed story about people who’ve pushed their minds and bodies to the very edge – but at what cost? A mountain of trouble... In August 2008, around 30 climbers took on K2. Over 2 disastrous days, 11 of those people would lose their lives. This is the story of what really happened. Sitting on the border between China and Pakistan, K2 is a perfect pyramid that pierces through the clouds. It looks like a kid’s drawing of a mountain…but this terrifying peak is anything but child’s play. Newlyweds Cecilie Skog and her husband Rolf Bae loved climbing mountains almost as much as they loved one another. In the summer of 2008, they embarked on a honeymoon like no other, when they decided to climb K2. What happened next would change their lives and the lives of everyone around them…forever. A devastating avalanche scatters high altitude climbers across K2’s steep slopes. Life and death rescue missions quickly get underway. Who can be saved… before time runs out? Historian and podcaster Natalia Mehlman Petrzela returns with a sky-high story of human vs nature, and of survival against all the odds. What does it really take to push yourself to the brink of human possibility? How does it feel to stand with the whole world at your feet? And is it ever worth risking death… in order to feel alive?

4.8 (4)

PERSONAL JOURNALS
Season 7: World of Secrets presents: The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. Also: Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape. And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. Delve into a World of Secrets: the global investigations podcast from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Latest season: World of Secrets presents, The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. It was the biggest gold discovery in history…until it wasn’t. In 1995, Canadian mining company Bre-X announced to the world it had found a significant amount of gold deep in the jungles of Indonesia. Stock prices soared as investors worldwide fought to stake their claim. But when Bre-X’s chief geologist mysteriously fell from a helicopter over the jungle, the story of the billion dollar discovery began to unravel. Nearly three decades later, no one has ever been held accountable. Now, host Suzanne Wilton takes listeners from the jungles of Indonesia to small town Alberta, Canada, to investigate what really happened and find out more about the man behind the biggest goldmine fraud of all time. Produced for the BBC World Service and CBC by BBC Scotland Productions. The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024. Previous seasons of World of Secrets: Season 6: The Bad Guru. A yoga school in London. A guru running from the police. How did Miranda get sucked in? Journalist Cat McShane investigates the international yoga movement headed by Gregorian Bivolaru, the spiritual guide arrested by French police in November 2023 and charged with human trafficking, organised kidnapping, rape and organised abuse of weakness by members of a sect. Season 5: Finding Mr Fox. Investigating a plot to smuggle around a hundred millions of dollars’ worth of drugs from Brazil to Europe and the miscarriage of justice that followed. But where is the man Brazilian police believe to be at the centre of it all? Season 4: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods. Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed – then owner of Harrods, one of the most famous shops in the world – is accused of rape and attempted rape by women who worked for him. Now they refuse to be silenced any longer. Season 3: The Apartheid Killer. All the victims were black and the youngest was just 12 years old. Some relatives are still searching for the graves. They were killed during a three-year bloodbath in the 1980s, in the South African city of East London – by one person. He killed so many, he lost count. In piecing together this story, we expose the disturbed past and racial injustices of South Africa itself. Season 2: The Disciples. The cult of Nigerian prophet TB Joshua. A story of miracles, faith and manipulation, told by people from around the world, who gave up everything for one of the most powerful religious figures of the century. Lured by TB Joshua’s claimed healing powers, they live as disciples in a guarded Lagos compound, cut off from family and friends. Season 1: The Abercrombie Guys. An investigation into claims of sexual exploitation made against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. He and his British partner were accused by several men, recruited for sex events they hosted around the world.

4.7 (77)

DOCUMENTARY
'Jaw dropping', 'gripping', 'bingeable,' 'thrilling' - dramatic true stories and investigations that reveal how the world really works. Word of God: A billionaire family's mission to amass ancient biblical treasures leads to them getting caught up in an international web of looted artefacts, forgeries and criminal networks. Art sleuth Ben Lewis uncovers how the Green family - owners of America's Hobby Lobby craft stores - spent millions racing to gather biblical manuscripts and artefacts. Their unprecedented collecting spree - 40,000 items in just three years - triggers a government investigation and alarms biblical scholars worldwide. When papyrologist Roberta Mazza begins questioning the collection's origins, she finds herself drawn into an investigation stretching from the Vatican City through Istanbul to Oxford University's hallowed halls. Through exclusive access to key players, Lewis reveals how thousands of allegedly looted treasures were smuggled into America labelled as "ceramic tiles", whilst priceless items like ancient Babylonian tablets and early Christian manuscripts were acquired through suspicious means. As investigators close in and scholars expose forgeries, the story expands beyond looted antiquities to raise profound questions about faith, power and cultural heritage. A respected Oxford professor stands accused of betrayal, federal agents demand the return of prized possessions, and the museum's ambitious mission becomes entangled in the dark world of international antiquities trafficking. From Washington D.C. to the Vatican City, this is a story about what happens when religious certainty meets the dangerous world of ancient treasures.

4.8 (29)

TRUE CRIME
The day’s top stories from BBC News. Keeping you informed on the important global events, including the latest on US politics and developments in Ukraine and Gaza. Delivered twice a day at weekends, daily at weekends. Follow or subscribe, so you never miss an episode. Also listen to The Happy Pod, every Saturday, for the happiest stories of the week. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

4.3 (115)

DAILY NEWS

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out of 5

5 Ratings

Channel

BBC
Creator

BBC Radio 4
Episodes

53
Seasons

5
Rating

Clean
Show Website

The History Podcast
Provider

BBC Studios Distribution Limited has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 1 Television Centre 101 Wood Lane London London W12 7FA United Kingdom Phone Number +44 7590176301 Email bbcstudiosaudiodistribution@bbc.com