Aspects of History
The editor of Aspects of History, Ollie Webb-Carter, interviews historians and authors on the past - from the ancient world right up to the modern day. In each episode, Ollie seeks to get to the bottom of a story or scrutinise a figure from history. There are bonus episodes too, on current events and anniversaries to the Aspects of History Film Club.
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Iran & Britain are old friends, they've had ups and downs, and it's probably fair to say we're going through a difficult patch right now, but who better than Ali Ansari to talk about the historical relationship through much of the 20th century. Ali is a child of Iranians, but lives and was brought up here in Britain, w
On the 19th April 1600, after nearly two years at sea, William Adams, one of only nine surviving crew members, made land at modern day Usuki, on the east coast of Japan. He was starving, scurvy ridden and close to death. So began an extraordinary story as Adams rose up the ranks to become a revered figure in Japan even
The release of The Passion of the Christ in 2004 caused outrage, fury and accusations of antisemitism and sadomasochism. With Easter recently celebrated, we thought it time to re-examine Mel Gibson's passion project (sorry), as director Tim Hewitt joins to talk Jim Caviezel, controversy and even a QAnon. Links The Pass
The Berlin Wall stood for 28 years, but up until the very end, on the 9th November 1989, the whole world thought it was permanent. It's now 35 years since the Wall fell, but how did it get built, what was its impact, and how did it fall? Iain MacGregor, author of Checkpoint Charlie, joins as we go back the dark days of
On a dark night in April 1944 a German general was returning to his villa on the Nazi occupied island of Crete. Suddenly, two men, dressed as Wehrmacht soldiers, emerged from the darkness and stopped the car. The two men were British officers, and together with Cretan resistance fighters, they bundled the general into
On the 24th March 1603 at Richmond Palace Elizabeth I died. She had not named a successor, but James VI of Scotland was proclaimed king in London that same day, and he headed south to accede to the English throne. What sort of man was he, and how had his rule in Scotland shaped his character? Steven Veerapen joins to d
