The Long View

BBC Radio 4

Jonathan Freedland presents the series in which stories from the past are compared with current events.

  1. 09/05/2025

    Flags

    What does raising a Union Jack or drawing a flag of St George on a street sign signify? As flags appear across England and now Wales, Jonathan Freedland and his guests look back to a street gathering in 1780 which also used flags to get a message across. Organisers of "Operation Raise the Colours" say it's about promoting patriotism and is non-partisan but the appearance of flags on mini-roundabouts, motorway bridges and lamposts has been met by opposition from anti-racist groups and by differing responses from some local authorities. Eleanor Lawson is a BBC News reporter in the West Midlands where flags began appearing earlier in August. Ian Haywood is Emeritus Professor in English at the University of Roehampton and he has studied the initially peaceful protest and petition which became known as the Gordon Riots. The reader is Django Bevan. Produced by Jayne Egerton

    28 min

  2. 04/22/2025

    The media, young men and violence

    The Netflix series, Adolescence, which featured a boy who killed a female classmate, provoked widespread debate about the causes of his crime and the possible influence of the online 'manosphere'. Jonathan Freedland takes a long view of the way in which new media has been implicated in male violence. 19th century, cheap sensational fiction, in the form of the Penny Dreadful, was often blamed for juvenile delinquency, rape and even murder. In the 20th century, cinema, the first true mass medium, was held to blur the line between fantasy and reality, encouraging young men to emulate what they saw on the screen. But is this too simplistic a view and what's the historical evidence? With Chas Critcher, Emeritus Professor of Communications at Sheffield Hallam University and Judith Rowbotham, Visiting Professor in the Law Department at the University of Plymouth. Producer: Jayne Egerton

    28 min

  3. 02/11/2025

    Trade Tariffs

    As Donald Trump raises a 25% levy on all imports of steel and aluminium into the USA, as well as other tariffs on trade with friends and competitors alike, Jonathan Freedland looks back to the Corn Laws, measures introduced to protect British farmers and land owners from competition following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. The Corn Laws and the campaign to repeal them transformed British politics and economics. How do events then compare to Donald Trump's policies and actions today? With: Professor Lawrence Goldman, Emeritus Fellow in History at St Peter's College, Oxford Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics at St Edmund Hall, Oxford Producer: Luke Mulhall

    28 min

  4. 11/19/2024

    The Politics of Natural Disasters

    Following the recent floods in Valencia, Jonathan Freedland looks at the politics of natural disasters, with CHRIS COURTNEY - Associate Professor in Modern Chinese History at Durham University and author of The Nature of Disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood LEAH PATTEM – Madrid based freelance journalist specialising in politics, migration and community stories The readers are Ian Dunnett and Samuel James Producer: Jayne Egerton

    28 min

  5. 08/13/2024

    Race Riots in Britain

    Mob violence breaks out across the country, with an explosion of hatred directed at minority communities who feel under siege. As British courts process hundreds of those involved in the riots of August 2024, Jonathan Freedland looks back more than 800 years ago when hatred was directed at a different group of outsiders. In the late 1180s, Britain's small Jewish community was targeted by violent mobs in the wake of the coronation of Richard I. The worst incident was the York Massacre of 1190 in which 150 people died. What are the historical parallels with today's race riots against British Muslims and asylum seekers, and what can be learnt about how to heal communities? Guests: Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History, Queen Mary, University of London; Joe Mulhall, Director of Research, Hope Not Hate; Hina Bokhari, Liberal Democrat Member of the London Assembley and Founder, Naz Legacy Foundation Producers: Dan Hardoon and Luke Mulhall Reader: John Lightbody

    28 min

  6. 07/02/2024

    French Political Gambles

    As French President Emmanuel Macron calls a snap election to address the political threat to his government posed by the Far Right, Jonathan Freedland and guests discuss Louis XVI's decision in 1789 to call an Estates General, a meeting of representatives of all sections of French society. Louis' gamble in 1789 started a chain of events known as the French Revolution. What are the stakes of President Macron's gamble today? With Clare Siviter, Associate Professor in French Theatre at the University of Bristol Emile Chabal, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh The reader is Ewan Bailey Producer: Luke Mulhall

    28 min

  7. 07/02/2024

    Presidential Candidates on Trial

    Donald Trump has made history by becoming the first former US President to be criminally charged, facing 91 felony charges across four separate cases. As he heads towards an election rematch with Joe Biden, he has promised to continue his campaign even if he is convicted or sent to prison. What impact could this have on his campaign and has a prisoner ever run for President before? Eugene V Debs (1855-1926) was one of the best-known Socialists in the United States. He ran for president five times – the final time from prison. Though his politics were rather different from Trump’s, his performance – he won almost a million votes – suggests how a criminal conviction can in fact add momentum to a presidential campaign. Guests: Adam Smith, Professor of US Politics and Political History at the University of Oxford; Quinta Jurecic, Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings; Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Producer: Dan Hardoon Reader: Eric Meyers

    28 min

  8. 03/05/2024

    The Drama of Scandal

    The Post Office Scandal has gripped the nation’s attention – but only truly captured the public's imagination following the popular ITV drama of the postmaster’s ongoing quest for justice. As the government takes steps to legislater and offer further compensation, Jonathan looks at two important factors from the Post Office inquiry – a drama making all the difference to overturning a scandal, and a miscarriage of justice being righted to make permanent and impactful change. Professor Rosalind Crone looks back at the curious case of Adolf Beck, whose wrongful conviction and fight for freedom ended in the Court of Criminal Appeal being founded. Dr Ella Dzelzainis shines a light on writer Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna, whose novels were integral in bringing the plight of child factory workers to public attention and resulted in the Factory Acts being passed. In both cases, it took notable storytelling in the press and popular literature of the day and the outcry of the British public for meaningful change to be made. Producers: Olivia Sopel and Mugabi Turya

    28 min
See All (69)

Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Jonathan Freedland presents the series in which stories from the past are compared with current events.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2025
  • Show Website
    The Long View

More From BBC

You Might Also Like