25/11/2025 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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.
On radio
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Tue 25 Nov 2025 08:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
- Tue 25 Nov 2025 12:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
- Tue 25 Nov 2025 18:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Tue 25 Nov 2025 23:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Wed 26 Nov 2025 03:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service except East and Southern Africa, East Asia, South Asia & West and Central Africa
Podcast
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Witness History
The story of our times, told by the people who were there