How to Invent a Country

Love this show… It’s what keeps me coming back to the BBC. These two guys have great adventures in these countries, piece together the histories in a colorful way, and are hilarious to boot. I’ve learned so much about countries that I thought I knew, this show really fills in a lot of gaps for me, its the best of both worlds, information and entertainment!

Insightful, without overwhelming the listener by going down into the weeds. Each episode weaves a tapestry with history, geography, culture, language, and religion to give context to the world we live in today. If I was a secondary school teacher, every episode would be required listening for world history classes.

In order to know where we are going we have to know where we came from. An essential series for inquisitive minds and citizens of the world. Misha Glenny is also a great host. A brilliant historian and journalist who doesn’t take things too seriously.

What a great series! I've long puzzled over the question of which people-groups / geographical areas get to have their own country - Israel, Palestine, Kurdistan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Catalonia, Ukraine, Georgia, etc etc being present day questions... Learning about the combinations of factors in play historically is sooooo enlightening. And, of course, as an American, I'm always pondering what KIND of country we ought to be - we seem to be in the birth pangs of re-inventing ourselves, or perhaps falling prey to reinvention. Thanks so much, BBC, for some historical context of the phenomenon of countries!