BBC series about the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev, comes to YouTube

The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev, from the BBC World Service, is released weekly from 21 June 2026 on YouTube. Across ten episodes, The Bomb tells the gripping story of how the world teetered on the edge of nuclear war, as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union escalated to an unprecedented level in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Hosted by Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, this is the story of two men whose actions shaped global history, told through a uniquely personal lens. Nina Khrushcheva is the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, and Max Kennedy is the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of Robert F. Kennedy.

The series features extraordinary archive footage including:

• Khrushchev’s public show of support for Fidel Castro during his 1961 visit to New York – where the two leaders warmly embraced before the world’s press
• The meeting between Khrushchev and Kennedy at the Vienna Summit in 1961
• President John F. Kennedy’s televised address to the nation in October 1962, outlining the gravity of the crisis

What began as a covert Soviet operation to place nuclear missiles in Cuba soon spiralled into a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 that threatened the future of the world.

With leading historians, Khrushcheva and Kennedy examine the political decisions, miscalculations, and human dynamics that brought the superpowers to the edge of catastrophe.

Host Nina Khrushcheva says: “A nuclear threat has become a very prominent topic of political conversations in recent years. Having a series about the bomb and the Cuban Missile Crisis is not only timely, it is instructive. How were Khrushchev and Kennedy able to overcome the worst Cold War confrontation and resolve it to mutual satisfaction? I am proud to be part of this BBC podcast exploring historical lessons of that era.”

Host Max Kennedy says: “The Cuban Missile Crisis remains the most dangerous moment in world history. My father, Robert F. Kennedy, then Attorney General, worked hard to help resolve the conflict, and his book Thirteen Days is still taught in universities. It’s vital that young people understand the difference one person, deeply committed to public service, can make. I hoped to help bring President Kennedy’s extraordinary effort to light for a new generation.”

Simon Pitts, World Service Commissioning Editor, says: “During the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev stared into the abyss of nuclear apocalypse. I’m thrilled that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are telling the story of the world leaders, their own families, who brought humanity back from the brink of devastation.”

The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev is produced by Megan Jones, edited by Chris Ledgard, and sound designed by Tim Nielsen at Skywalker Sound. Film editor is Oliver Jarvis and the Archive producer is Matthew Hawes. Music is composed by Trevor Gureckis and Elizabeth Purnell. It is commissioned by Simon Pitts. The Bomb is a BBC Audio Wales production for the BBC World Service.

Episode one will be released on the BBC World Service YouTube channel on Sunday 21 June, with new episodes available weekly for 10 weeks.

By bringing The Bomb to YouTube in a visualised format, BBC World Service is expanding the reach of its storytelling, offering audiences a new way to experience in-depth, high-quality journalism on one of history’s most consequential events.

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