The History Hour

BBC World Service

A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

  1. HACE 6 DÍAS

    Creating Mr Men and the Austrian wine scandal

    Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes from the BBC World Service. What does a tickle look like? That was the question eight-year-old Adam Hargreaves asked in 1971. He explains how it led his father Roger Hargreaves, to create the children's book series Mr Men. Our guest Professor Nina Christensen, head of the Centre for Children's Literature and Media at Aarhus University, on the wider history of children's literature. We hear a remarkable account from Captain Chris Fraser-Perry, who took part in the Jugroom Fort rescue mission, during the war in Afghanistan. Plus from Cuba, we learn about the Mariel boatlift of 1980 in which thousands of people left for the United States and in 2022, the controversial visit to Cuba by former US President Jimmy Carter. And the story behind the contamination of Austria's fine wine in 1985. Our Sporting Witness episode this week looks at the first sister-brother duo to win Alpine Ski World Cup races on the same day. Contributors: Adam Hargreaves - Roger Hargreaves son Nina Christensen - head of the Centre for Children's Literature and Media at Aarhus University Captain Chris Fraser-Perry - British Royal Marine Mirta Ojito - Cuban-born journalist Jennifer McCoy - former director of the Carter Center Ivica Kostelic - Croatian alpine skier Janica Kostelic - Croatian alpine skier Heidi Schroek - Austrian wine-maker (Photo: English author Roger Hargreaves. Credit: Monti Spry/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

    1 h y 1 min

  2. 31 ENE

    Chile’s Penguin Revolution and the 5,000-year-old frozen mummy

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We travel back to Chile in 2006 where more than 600,000 schoolchildren are marching through the streets to protest about their schools. The nationwide demonstrations will become known as the "Penguin Revolution". Our guest Dr Laura Tisdall, a historian from Newcastle University, explains why this isn’t the first time children have challenged authority. And we examine another protest in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1979 which became a seminal moment in the country’s transition to democracy. Plus, one of the most defining moments of World War Two – the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazis’ largest death camp in 1945. And the remarkable story of the 5,000-year-old mummy found frozen and perfectly preserved in Europe’s Ötzal Alps in 1991. In sport, we explore the inspiring story of how rugby union came to thrive in Syria - despite mass protests and violent government crackdowns during 2011... Finally, we celebrate 100 years since a technological breakthrough that would change the world. The start of television. Contributors: Karina Delfino – one of the leaders of the Penguin Revolution. Dr Laura Tisdall - lecturer in Modern British History, Newcastle University. Yao Chia-wen – protester in the Kaohsiung Incident. General Vasily Petrenko – Soviet army commander who helped liberate Auschwitz. Konrad Spindler – archaeologist. Rainer Henn - forensic pathologist. Mohamad Jarkou – Syrian rugby union player. Iain Logie Baird – grandson of John Logie Baird, the inventor of television. (Photo: High school students in Santiago, 2006. Credit: Claudio Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)

    1 h y 1 min

  3. 24 ENE

    The priest behind a new airport and Agatha Christie

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest Sugandhi Jayaraman, lecturer in air transport management at the University of Westminster, discusses the changes in airports over time. We hear about the Irish priest whose dream of air travel in a remote part of West Ireland became a reality. And we travel back to 1943 to one of the most audacious hoaxes of World War Two. Plus the Challenger Shuttle disaster where a member of the public had been chosen to join the experienced astronaut crew. We also commemorate Agatha Christie and we go back to 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini flew back to Tehran from Paris after being exiled. Contributors: Pearce Concannon - firefighter at Knock airport Sugandhi Jayaraman - lecturer Roger Morgan - amateur historian Barbera Morgan - trained alongside the Challenger team Mathew Prichard- Agatha Christie's grandson Mohsen Sazegara - worked for the Ayatollah (Picture: Cabin crew with Monsignor James Horan at Knock Airport. Credit: Independent News And Media/Getty Images)

    1 h

  4. 17 ENE

    The birth of the modern fitted kitchen and the creation of Cluedo

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is food historian Dr Annie Gray. She discusses the impact of the first modern, fitted kitchen - the Frankfurt Kitchen - on the kitchens of today. It all goes back to 1926 and the reluctant Austrian architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky who said she wanted to be remembered for more than designing a "damned" kitchen. Sorry Margarete. Next is the invention of the board game Cluedo, or Clue in the United States, which stemmed from playing the piano at murder mystery parties in English country houses and hotels in the 1930s. Then, we enter the murky world of computer viruses. The first one to affect personal computers in 1986 became known as 'Brain'. We hear from a survivor of the deadly mudslides which affected Venezuela in December 1999. A Lotus mechanic gives his account of Brazilian racing star Ayrton Senna's first Formula 1 win in 1985. And finally, a glimpse into a period of freedom in Afghanistan from 2005 when a TV musical talent contest called Afghan Star gripped audiences. Contributors: Christine Zwingl - architect. Marcia Lewis - daughter of the creators of Cluedo. Amjad Farooq Alvi - founder of Brain Computers. Leydys Crespo - survivor of Venezuelan mudslides in 1999. Chris Dinnage - Ayrton Senna's mechanic. Jahid Mohseni - the development producer for Afghan Star. (Picture: A 1950s fitted kitchen. Credit: Getty Images)

    1 h

  5. 10 ENE

    The House of the Spirits and Tracey Emin's unmade bed

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. This programme contains distressing details. Our guest is Bárbara Fernández Melleda, Assistant Professor in Latin American Studies at the University of Hong Kong. We start with Chilean author Isabel Allende on her debut novel, The House of the Spirits, in 1982 which reflects Chile’s 20th century history. Then, we hear the memories of a soldier injured in the Battle of Gallipoli. The recollections of a mother who lost both her daughters in a crowd crush at Hillsborough stadium in 1989 - the UK's worst sporting disaster. How a British artist's unmade bed was nominated for a prestigious art prize in 1999. Next the swimsuit made ahead of the Beijing Olympic games in 2008 that was so good it had to be banned. Finally, we learn about the world's longest running animated TV series that began in 1969. Contributors: Isabel Allende - a Chilean author. Rupert Westmacott - a soldier (from archive). Jenni Hicks - a mother who lost her two daughters in the Hillsborough tragedy. Dame Tracey Emin - an artist. Jason Rance - former head of Speedo's global research and development team. Sunishi Yukimuro - an animated cartoon writer. (Image: Chilean author Isabel Allende. Credit: Felipe Amilibia/AFP via Getty Images)

    1 h y 1 min

  6. 3 ENE

    The American Freedom Train and the invention of text messaging

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Barbara Keys, a specialist in US history at Durham University. We start with a celebration of the American Freedom Train, as the US prepares to mark 250 years of independence. Then, the South African railway enthusiast who created one of the most luxurious train services in the world. We hear about the invention of text messaging and how it changed the way we communicate. Plus, 75 years of Radio Free Europe broadcasting news to audiences behind the Iron Curtain. The thousand-year-long musical composition that's due to end in 2999. And our Sporting Witness looks at how a British teenager won a six-month contract to play for Italian champions Inter Milan. Contributors: Lou Nelson - former security guard on the American Freedom Train 1975-76. Rohan Vos - founder and CEO of Rovos Rail. Friedhelm "Fred" Hillebrand - inventor of SMS and text messaging. Arch Puddington - former deputy director Radio Free Europe. Jem Finer - musician and composer of Longplayer. Ben Greenhalgh - Margate player-manager and winner of reality show "Football's Next Star". (Photo: American Freedom Train, 1976. Credit: NARA/DVIDS)

    1 h y 1 min

  7. 27/12/2025

    The history of toys

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We learn about how Play-Doh evolved from a cleaning product to a childhood favourite and the creation of one of the best-selling board games of all time, Catan. Our guest is the editor of Toy World Magazine, Caroline Tonks, who takes us through the history of toy crazes. We also hear about the invention of the hoverboard, and how the Tamagotchi allowed people to have their own virtual pet. Plus, how the family favourite game, Jenga, was born in 1970s Ghana. And our Sporting Witness looks at how a piece of software revolutionised the game of football through data analysis. Contributors: Peg Roberts – daughter of Kay Zufall Benjamin Teuber – son of Catan inventor Klaus Teuber Caroline Tonks – editor of Toy World Magazine Shane Chen – the inventor of the hoverboard Akihiro Yokoi – the inventor of the Tamgotchi Leslie Scott – the creator of the game Jenga Ramm Mylavaganam – inventor of ProZone (Photo: The Tamagotchi was introduced in 1996 and is one of the best-selling toys in history. Credit: Reuters)

    1 h y 1 min

  8. 20/12/2025

    Norway’s sushi contribution and Laurel and Hardy’s Christmas

    Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We learn about how a Norwegian businessman brought salmon sushi to Japan in the 1980s. Our guest is cookbook author Nancy Singleton Hachisu, who tells us more about the history of sushi in Japan and around the world. We hear about the first opera written for TV in 1950s America and how U.S Marshalls used fake NFL tickets to capture some of Washington DC’s most wanted. Plus, how disability rights campaigners in India led to a change in the law in 1995 and when Scotland played hockey in Germany during the cold war. Finally, the story of when Laurel and Hardy spent Christmas at an English country pub. Contributors: Bjørn-Eirik – Norwegian businessman who brought salmon sushi to Japan Nancy Singleton Hachisu – cookbook author Archive of Gian Carlo Menotti – Italian composer Stacia Hylton – former U.S Marshall Javed Abidi – Indian disability rights campaigner Archive of customers at The Bull Inn – the pub that Laurel and Hardy visited in 1953 Valerie Sinclair – member of Scotland's hockey team who played West Germany in 1961 (Photo: Japanese demonstration to Norwegian royal family. Credit: Bjørn-Eirik Olson)

    1 h y 1 min
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A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.

Información

  • Creador
    BBC World Service
  • Años de actividad
    2013 - 2026
  • Episodios
    483
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Mostrar sitio web
    The History Hour

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