logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
8m 58s

Surviving the Falkands War

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 1982 British soldier Simon Weston was severely burned when Argentine planes bombed his ship, the Sir Galahad, as it unloaded troops in the Falkland Islands. Scott Wright hears how Weston was not initially expected to survive, and how he later met and forgave one of the Argentine pilots who caused his life-changing injuries. The interview was produced by Alan Hamilton and the programme is a Moon Road Production.

PHOTO: Simon Weston (Getty Images)

Up next
Jul 11
The man who said ‘no’ to Disney
In 1941, Walt Disney made a tempting offer to a fellow pioneer of the animation industry, Quirino Cristiani - the author of the first animated feature film.Cristiani was an Italian immigrant raised in Argentina who built a career creating animated political satires in the early d ... Show More
9m 55s
Jul 10
Ni Una Menos women’s movement in Argentina
On 3 June 2015, tens of thousands of people gathered in the capital, Buenos Aires, and in dozens of cities and towns demanding an end to violence against women. There were demonstrations in Chile and Uruguay in solidarity too. Argentina was reporting a female murder rate of one e ... Show More
9m 31s
Jul 9
Argentina’s national genetics bank created to identify stolen babies
In 1982, Argentine geneticist Victor Penchaszadeh was living in exile in New York when he received a call that would change the course of his career. Two founding members of the campaign group, the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, were asking for his help to find their kidnappe ... Show More
10m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
170. The Falklands War: The Task Force Sails (Part 2)
In the second episode of our Falklands War mini-series, Britain is faced with an Argentine occupation and prepares to go to war. Margaret Thatcher discovers her inner Winston Churchill - but faces a titanic showdown in Parliament, which sits on a Saturday for the first time since ... Show More
52m 28s
Mar 2022
171. The Falklands War: Battle for the Islands (Part 3)
In the third episode of our Falklands War mini-series, the story heats up. The most controversial episode of the war, the sinking of the Belgrano, takes place, the British Task Force lands and battle plays out. Tom and Dominic thumb through their copies of the Sun, relive Reagan' ... Show More
53m 35s
Apr 2022
Falklands40: What Started the Falklands War?
On April 2nd 1982 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared war against Argentina over the Falkland Islands in the Southern Atlantic. To make sense of the conflict on its 40th anniversary, the podcast is bringing you a special season of episodes marking the key moments of ... Show More
39m 1s
May 2023
World War II victory in North Africa
Peter Royle, 103, endured a month of solid fighting in the hills outside of Tunis in 1943. Eventually the Allies prevailed and took more than 250,000 German and Italian prisoners of war. They declared victory in Tunisia on 13 May. Peter came close to dying many times. He recalls ... Show More
11m 32s
Dec 2022
181 - Britain's Coast at War
During WWII, the whole of Britain’s coastline was involved in the struggle against the Nazis. In 1940-41 invasion was the main threat. Many towns and cities around the coast, such as Plymouth, Portsmouth, Hull and Great Yarmouth, were the targets of devastating air raids. The Eas ... Show More
58m 56s
Feb 2023
185 - Adrian Carton de Wiart
In this episode, I discuss one of the most remarkable soldiers of the British Army, Adrian Carton de Wiart. Belgium by birth, he would fight in the Boer War, lose an eye in the Somaliland Campaign, win a VC and lose a hand in First World War, command the British troops during the ... Show More
48m 12s
Dec 2021
The Battle of Trafalgar
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the events of 21st October 1805, in which the British fleet led by Nelson destroyed a combined Franco-Spanish fleet in the Atlantic off the coast of Spain. Nelson's death that day was deeply mourned in Britain, and his example proved influential, a ... Show More
51m 57s
Dec 2021
The Battle of Trafalgar
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the events of 21st October 1805, in which the British fleet led by Nelson destroyed a combined Franco-Spanish fleet in the Atlantic off the coast of Spain. Nelson's death that day was deeply mourned in Britain, and his example proved influential, a ... Show More
51m 57s
Apr 2022
172. The Falklands War: Afterlife (Part 4)
In the final part of our Falklands series, Tom and Dominic discuss the legacy of the war in both the UK and Argentina, and debate whether the nostalgic sentiment stirred by Britain’s victory laid the foundations for Brexit. If you enjoyed this series and want a deeper dive into t ... Show More
54m 32s