Witness History
BBC World Service
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal ; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal ; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 19, 2022 • 9min
Una Marson and the BBC Caribbean Service
To mark the 90th anniversary of the BBC World Service, we trace the development of the Caribbean Service.Its beginnings go back to the early 1940s when the BBC’s first black producer, Una Marson was employed. She created Caribbean Voices, which gave future Nobel laureates such as Derek Walcott their first international platform.In 1969, one of the UK’s best known newsreaders, Sir Trevor McDonald, left Trinidad to join the BBC Caribbean Service as a producer.He reflects on its legacy. Produced and presented by Josephine McDermott.Archive recording of West Indies Calling from 1943, is used courtesy of the Imperial War Museum. Una Marson's poem Black Burden is used courtesy of Peepal Tree Press and the BBC Caribbean Service archive material was provided by the Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies.(Photo: Sir Trevor McDonald and Una Marson. Credit: BBC)
Dec 16, 2022 • 9min
Felix Baumgartner's huge leap
In 2012, former Austrian paratrooper Felix Baumgartner was watched live by millions as he ascended into the stratosphere in a helium balloon. He then jumped an estimated 38km from space back to earth. In doing so, he broke the speed of sound and the highest skydive record that had lasted more than 50 years. Felix spoke to Dan Hardoon about his big leap in 2022.A Whistledown production for BBC World Service.(Photo: Felix Baumgartner jumping from space. Credit: Getty Images)
Dec 15, 2022 • 9min
Soviet fashionista
Slava Zaitsev was the first designer to create high fashion collections in the Soviet Union.He tells Dina Newman about the challenges he faced working under communism. This programme was first broadcast in 2018.(Photo: A sketch of a dress designed by Slava Zaitsev. Credit: Slava Zaitsev)
Dec 14, 2022 • 10min
Returning to District Six
When Zahra Nordien was forced out of District Six in Cape Town in 1977, she vowed to one day return. She was one of the 60,000 people who were forcibly removed from the neighbourhood because of the racist South African apartheid government. What seemed like a pipe dream became a reality when Zahra set up the District Six Working Committee campaigning to get former residents into newly rebuilt homes.In 2013 her elderly mother moved back into District Six with Zahra, more than three decades after they were expelled.Zahra tells Reena Stanton-Sharma about her ongoing fight for restitution.(Photo: Cape Town, South Africa in the 1970s. Credit: Gallo Images / Juhan Kuus)
Dec 13, 2022 • 9min
The Nazi occupation of Jersey
Shopkeeper Louisa Gould risked her life to hide a Russian prisoner who had escaped from the Nazis during the German occupation of Jersey in World War Two.
She was later betrayed and died in Ravensbrück, a concentration camp, in 1945.
Vicky Carter speaks to her great-niece Jenny Lecoat.(Photo: Louisa Gould. Credit: Courtesy of the Channel Islands Occupation Society (Jersey) Collection held at Jersey Archive)
Dec 12, 2022 • 9min
Mongolian revolution
In 1990, a peaceful revolution brought democracy to Mongolia after almost 70 years of Soviet backed rule. University lecturer Ganbold Davaadorj was one of the lead figures in bringing together the Mongolian people. He went on to be the first deputy prime minister of Mongolia.He shares his story with Matt Pintus.(Photo: Protestors occupy Sükhbaatar Square in 1990. Credit: Getty Images)
Dec 9, 2022 • 9min
Creating Teletubbies
It’s 1994 and the BBC is looking for a brand-new children’s TV series. TV producer Anne Wood decides she’s going to make a show aimed at an audience that’s never had programmes made for it before – two and three-year-olds. She tells Melanie Stewart-Smith the fascinating story of how spacemen and technology inspired the creation of one of the most popular kids TV shows of all time, Teletubbies. (Photo: Teletubbies. Credit: Ragdoll Productions for the BBC/Wildbrain)
Dec 8, 2022 • 9min
'The Dismissal' of Gough Whitlam
In November 1975, the Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, was controversially sacked by an unelected official in the country's biggest constitutional crisis. Many Australians were outraged and rumours spread that Buckingham Palace was involved. It became known simply as 'The Dismissal'. Paul Kelly was a political correspondent in the Australian parliament that day. He shares his memories with Ben Henderson.(Photo: Gough Whitlam in 1975. Credit: George Lipman/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
Dec 7, 2022 • 9min
The Killing of Jean Charles de Menezes
On 22 July 2005, an unarmed Brazilian man was shot dead by anti-terrorism police at Stockwell Tube station, in London.Jean Charles de Menezes was shot seven times in the head because he was mistaken for a terror suspect.The killing made headlines all over the world and his family demanded justice.Matt Pintus spoke to Jean Charles’s cousin and best friend, Patricia da Silva, in 2022.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.(Photo: Patricia da Silva in front of mural of Jean Charles de Menezes. Credit: Getty Images)
Dec 6, 2022 • 9min
Demolishing the Babri Masjid
Hindu extremists demolished a 16th century mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya in December 1992 prompting months of communal violence across India. Photojournalist Praveen Jain witnessed rehearsals for the demolition the day before the activists stormed the mosque. He spoke to Iknoor Kaur in 2019.(Photo: Hindu extremists rehearsing the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Credit: Praveen Jain)
