Conflict of Interest

Imperial War Museums
  • 5.0 (11)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Conflict of Interest

Celebrities ask the simple questions about the world’s most complex conflicts, from the First World War to the present day. Who was fighting in Vietnam? What was the Malayan Emergency? Why is Korea divided between North and South? Guided by an IWM curator, each celebrity is taken on a journey through IWM - discovering the objects, people and stories that shape our understanding of the modern world.

  1. Susan Wokoma explores The Home Front

    3 DAYS AGO

    Susan Wokoma explores The Home Front

    How did British society react to the sudden increase of women in the workforce during the First World War? Or the thousands of colonial volunteers brought over to fight Nazism?   Susan Wokoma (Chewing Gum, Cheaters) is given a personal guided tour by IWM curator Geoff Spender, as the actor discovers the artists and photographers behind those stories -  encountering censored images of wartime Britain in the process.   They are joined by Dr Diya Gupta,  lecturer in public history at City University of London, as our tour takes us via India and the West Indies, in search of the beginnings of multiculturalism as we know it today.   Objects Discussed: Anna Airy, A Shell Forge at a National Projectile Factory, Hackney Marshes, London, 1918 Olive Edis, Women’s Services in France, 1919 photographs MOI Censored Photographs MOI Colour Photographs John Page, Paul Rotha Productions, West Indies Calling, 1943 Cecil Beaton, Official war photographs of Asia and Africa, 1942–1944   Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums

    33 min
  2. Helen Lewis on Destruction and Reconstruction

    JAN 3

    Helen Lewis on Destruction and Reconstruction

    How have artists, filmmakers and photographers shaped our understanding of wars and conflict? Journalist and writer Helen Lewis explores the recently-opened Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at Imperial War Museum, London. From No Man's Land to mushroom clouds, Helen discovers the people that have interpreted over a hundred years of conflict, in this specially-curated tour by James Bulgin, Head of Public History at IWM. They are joined by Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters' Chief Photographer for the UK and Ireland, and a photojournalist for almost 30 years - and someone who can give us a first hand account of what it’s like to be capturing a seismic event in the moment. Objects Discussed: Paul Nash, The Menin Road, 1919 John Armstrong, Pro Patria, 1938  War Pictorial News No. 21 Mushroom Cloud over Nagasaki, 1945 Suzanne Plunkett, People Covered in Dust and Debris New York, 11 September 2001 -  © AP (IWM DC 123993) © AP (IWM DC 124023) Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums

    44 min

  3. 12/30/2024

    Conflict Of Interest is back

    More conflicts explained in a brand new series focusing on the role of art, film and photography in depicting warfare across the Twentieth Century. This time featuring: Broadcaster Helen Lewis Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar Comedian Rachel Parris Writer Carl Miller (‘The Kill List’) Actor Susan Wokoma Comedian Geoff Norcott New episodes from 3rd January - if you know someone who would love our show, please share the news with this link: https://podfollow.com/conflict-of-interest Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums

    1 min

  4. 08/22/2022

    Ukraine, with Sophie Duker

    Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world. But what is the history behind this devastating war, and where did it all begin? In this special episode of Conflict of Interest, we explored Ukraine’s recent past, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Guests in this episode were comedian Sophie Duker, Ukrainian journalist, expert and activist Olga Tokariuk, academic and historian Samir Puri and senior IWM curator Carl Warner. ——— CLIPS: Bird's-Eye View Of 'Euromaidan' Protests In Kyiv - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nNFrvGOb9o&ab_channel=RadioFreeEurope%2FRadioLiberty Ukraine: 'Full scale invasion' by Russia under way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzfxkbGtCbY&ab_channel=CNN Ruslana - Wild Dances (Ukraine) - LIVE - 2004 Eurovision Song Contest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10XR67NQcAc&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution | Flashback | NBC News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nYAM-Jbfh4&ab_channel=NBCNews Ukraine gun battle caught on camera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgoHI9A36u4&ab_channel=SkyNews

    55 min

  5. 05/18/2022

    The Falklands Conflict, with Katherine Parkinson

    This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. But why did the United Kingdom, steered by Margaret Thatcher, send its Navy to defend the Falklands, a tiny group of islands over 8,000 miles from Britain? Why were the islands so important to Argentina and its government? And what are the prospects for reconciliation forty years later? In this episode we were joined by actor and comedian Katherine Parkinson.

    53 min

  6. 05/11/2022

    The Vietnam War, with Cerys Matthews

    The Vietnam War is one of the twentieth century’s most well-known conflicts. It has become a buzzword for military failure, synonymous with the most horrific aspects of irregular warfare between states and guerilla forces, and has had a profound impact on politics and popular culture in the United States and around the world. But why did America get involved in the first place? Who were the Viet Cong and the Viet Minh? Why were there mass peace protests back in the US? And what lessons, if any, can be learned from the conflict?  In this episode we were joined by Cerys Matthews - singer, songwriter, author, and BBC Radio 6 broadcaster, alongside Phan Thi Kim Phuc, better known as the ‘Napalm Girl’, and renowned photographer Don McCullin.  —------ CREDITS:  Excerpt from ‘Eisenhower Two Vietnams’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPet4zFh4sI&ab_channel=M.D.Jones   Excerpt from Lyndon B. Johnson-Speech on Vietnam (September 29, 1967) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tf2xGb5Nsg&ab_channel=MCamericanpresident   Excerpt from Kennedy Speaks On Vietnam (1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iph_KkKLfcA&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9   Excerpt from Behind The Viet Cong Lines (1965) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6sPC1YLIdM&ab_channel=NuclearVault Excerpt from NBC News Special Report, January 31, 1968 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8n114eYXc&ab_channel=NewsActive3   Excerpt from President Richard Nixon Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPpOBu2LNCo&ab_channel=RichardNixonPresidentialLibrary   Exerpt from 50 years ago: Walter Cronkite calls for the U.S. to get out of Vietnam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn2RjahTi3M&ab_channel=CBSEveningNews

    56 min

  7. 05/04/2022

    The Korean War, with Eddie Izzard

    Why is Korea divided between North and South? Who was Kim Jong Un’s grandfather Kim Il Sun, and what did he want? Why did the United Nations intervene in Korea? And did the Korean War really almost go nuclear? In this episode we were joined by celebrated stand up comedian, writer, actor and activist Eddie Izzard, in a special recording that took place on the ship HMS Belfast. ----    Excerpt from Combat footage, Korean war - newsreel (1950): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_Ts_6oSi8&ab_channel=MilitaryPublicDomain   Excerpt from Korean War: President Truman Reports - June 1950: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWWiMS1E3nQ&ab_channel=JosephHewes   Excerpt from Inchon Landings - First Pictures (1950) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORilghHW0UQ&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9

    57 min

  8. 04/27/2022

    The Mau Mau Uprising, with Nikita Gill

    The Mau Mau Uprising was another lesser-known conflict that took place during the end of the British Empire between Kenyan insurgents and British forces. We ask questions like, What does Mau Mau actually mean? What happened in Britain’s detention camps? What was decolonisation? And what is the legacy of the conflict today? In this episode we were joined by renowned poet and writer Nikita Gill. This episode contains references to racism and sexual violence in conflict. Some listeners may find descriptions distressing. ----- CLIPS: Excerpts from CNN ‘UK settles with Mau Mau victims in Kenya’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izo4JSaQeWY&ab_channel=CNN Excerpts from 'Mau-Mau (1955) | Early Grindhouse Exploitation Documentary' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT-cJC4EKAo&t=2188s&ab_channel=reelblack

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Celebrities ask the simple questions about the world’s most complex conflicts, from the First World War to the present day. Who was fighting in Vietnam? What was the Malayan Emergency? Why is Korea divided between North and South? Guided by an IWM curator, each celebrity is taken on a journey through IWM - discovering the objects, people and stories that shape our understanding of the modern world.

Information

  • Creator
    Imperial War Museums
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Imperial War Museums
  • Show Website
    Conflict of Interest

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