History

The Evolution of Trees

How trees first arose from small plants and changed the world, and why new trees emerge.

04 Jun 2026,·54 mins

Charlemagne

Charlemagne remains one of the towering figures of European history.

01 Jun 2026,·46 mins

Evil Animals - Koalas

Are Koalas - aka Koala Minogue – Evil or Genius?

03 Jun 2026,·31 mins

SAS Hijacked A Fascist Train To Liberate A Concentration Camp

The breathtaking tale of WWII’s most cinematic untold raid.

04 Jun 2026,·48 mins

London’s Golden Age: The Shadow of the Madhouse (Part 4)

Tom and Dominic reach the conclusion of the life of one of Britain’s greatest men...

05 Jun 2026,·64 mins

England’s Identity Crisis

As the World Cup opens, Nick Watt explores the political battle over English identity.

07 Jun 2026,·28 mins

Sixty Years of Hurt

4. England v The Culture

England's unfulfilled 'Golden Generation', epitomised by 90s pin up, David Beckham

06 Jun 2026,·28 mins

The Murder that Shook Mary Queen of Scots

Did this murder mark the beginning of the end for Mary Queen of Scots?

04 Jun 2026,·48 mins

El Chapo Part 5: Cornered on the Coast

A routine wiretap in Arizona unexpectedly leads the DEA to El Chapo’s personal cell phone

03 Jun 2026,·34 mins

Cartoonist Naji al-Ali

Mona Chalabi chooses Naji al-Ali, Palestinian cartoonist shot in London in 1987.

01 Jun 2026,·28 mins

Real Vikings

10. 1066 and the Last Vikings

1066 ushers in the ultimate Norse showdown, bringing down the curtain on the Viking Age…

26 May 2026,·58 mins

How Civilizations Die - with Paul Cooper

Tim is joined by Paul Cooperto explore why the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire collapsed

05 Jun 2026,·40 mins

Top Secret Tempsford: WW2 and 21st Century ghosts

A visit to a WW2 memorial barn leads Nat to the secret history of RAF Tempsford.

01 Jun 2026,·65 mins

1600: Opera's First Breath

1600, Florence. At a Medici wedding, a new artform is born.

06 Jun 2026,·56 mins

Empress Dowager Cixi (Radio Edit)

Join Greg and his guests in 19th-century China to learn about Empress Dowager Cixi.

05 Jun 2026,·28 mins

Inside the Brothels of New Orleans

Storyville was the red-light district in New Orleans. What was its story?

02 Jun 2026,·51 mins

The creation of Inspector Montalbano

In March 1994, the first Inspector Montalbano mystery, The Shape of Water, was published

05 Jun 2026,·10 mins

Elizabethans in India

How English travellers tried to win favour in a faraway place that scarcely noticed them?

01 Jun 2026,·55 mins

1939 and 2026: The Furies of War

The story of the residents of Weimar during the rise and reign of Hitler

22 May 2026,·14 mins

100 Objects #3: The Pension Files

Unearthing a remarkable slave rebellion through dusty Civil War paperwork.

05 Jun 2026,·43 mins

Rose Heilbron QC and The Cameo Murder

Can the first woman to lead a murder case in England prove herself in court?

31 Mar 2026,·28 mins

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley: Series 4

60. True Crime on Trial

Lucy Worsley puts true crime on trial and asks are we so obsessed with true crime?

17 Feb 2026,·28 mins

Unspun World: What's it like to live in Iran now?

How do ordinary Iranians feel about the conflict with the United States?

05 Jun 2026,·26 mins

The Balkans

The Birth and Death of Yugoslavia

Misha Glenny returns to the Balkans to report on the birth and death of Yugoslavia.

13 Apr 2026,·42 mins

Israel and the Palestinians

10: From 2010 to the present day

Jonny Dymond and guests explore the complicated back-story of the Middle East conflict.

13 Apr 2026,·28 mins

Secret Barnet and Hadley

The Battle of Barnet, old Great North Road, inns, blue plaques and forgotten buildings.

04 Jun 2026,·12 mins

Rinsed

10. New Tricks

Could the water industry be nationalised?

22 May 2026,·17 mins

June 1st to June 7th

Fascinating, surprising and eye-opening stories from the past, brought to life.

05 Jun 2026,·5 mins

6. Moral Courage

Diane Foley must decide whether to face a man linked to her son’s murder - or not.

10 Feb 2026,·31 mins

Dictators' Kids

What must it be like to be the child of a brutal tyrant?

14 Jan 2026,·27 mins