logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
28m 26s

Prohibition in the USA (Radio Edit)

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Greg Jenner is joined by historian Prof Sarah Churchwell and comedian Kemah Bob in 1920s USA to follow the implementation and after-effects of Prohibition. They take a look at the origins of the Prohibition laws and hear how a movement designed to encourage temperance backfired on the nation.

For the full-length version of this episode, please look further back in the feed.

Produced by Cornelius Mendez Script by Greg Jenner and Emma Nagouse Research by Tim Galsworthy

A production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.

Up next
Jul 4
History of Coffee (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Jonathan Morris and comedian Sophie Duker to learn all about the bittersweet history of coffee.Coffee is undoubtedly one of the most popular drinks worldwide, and we consume an estimated 95 million cups of the stuff everyday in the UK alone. But ... Show More
28m 11s
Jul 4
American War of Independence: Fourth of July Special
Greg Jenner is joined in the eighteenth century by Professor Frank Cogliano and comedian and actor Patton Oswalt for a special Fourth of July episode all about the American War of Independence. Also known as the American Revolutionary War, 2025 marks 250 years since the start of ... Show More
57m 34s
Jun 27
Announcing Series 10
Greg Jenner previews some of the topics and guest coming up in the new series of You're Dead To Me which starts on Friday 4 July, 2025. 
47s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Prohibition
On 17 January 1920, the 18th Amendment came into effect in the United States. It made the manufacture, sale and transportation of 'intoxicating liquor' illegal. Sarah Churchwell is BACK to explore the realities of the roaring twenties with Don. Why was alcohol banned? How did pro ... Show More
42m 6s
Mar 2022
Prohibition
For thirteen years from 1920, the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic drinks was banned in the USA. The age of prohibition was a rowdy time: enlivened by jazz and wild parties; darkened by violence and lawlessness. But how did it come about? Who were its heroes and ... Show More
1h 3m
May 2023
A Cocktail Toast to the Mob
On today’s episode of our series on Prohibition, we talk about two things that go hand in hand with the enforcement of dry laws: crime and cocktails. The spread of both was a direct consequence of the 18th amendment as mobsters ruled the violent industry of bootlegging and the ro ... Show More
44m 53s
Oct 2021
The Making of The Offensive
To celebrate Acast's Audio Fiction Week, take a peek behind the curtain of Ashwood City with this special behind-the-scenes look at the making of episode 126 of The Offensive. Featuring creators Joel Emery and Adam Jarrell as well as Paul Waggott (Patrick Nolan) and Helena Dought ... Show More
34m 3s
Sep 2023
194: The History of the Dixie Mafia
By the 1960s, organized crime gangs were well and truly already becoming a presence across the north of the United States, as underworld figures fought for sole control over highly lucrative gambling, illegal alcohol, and prostitution rings. Down south, things were done a slightl ... Show More
22m 34s
Jun 2024
CLASSIC: The Strange Story of Canadian Margarine Bootleggers
True story: once upon a time, both Canada and the United States once had bizarre laws banning the production or importation of margarine -- and prohibition naturally led to crime. Today's classic episode asks: What launched the margarine bootlegging industry? Join the guys as the ... Show More
41m 2s
Feb 2023
The Murder of Charles I
It's 1660 and General Edward Whalley and his son-in-law board a ship bound for the New World. They're on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I. His execution, the culmination of the English Civil War, sees control taken from the royalists by Oliver Cromwell and his par ... Show More
30m 35s
Apr 2024
The Stoned Age
In honor of 4/20, the girlies walk you through the hazy history of a most special substance: marijuana. In the first of two episodes, they discuss how weed has been used throughout history to treat medical maladies and help people connect with the spiritual realm. Plus, how the M ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2024
The Disappearance of Glenn Miller (with Dennis Spragg)
How does the Taylor Swift of the swing era just... disappear? That’s the question Carter tries to answer in this episode alongside Dennis Spragg, one of the foremost experts on Glenn Miller’s life and career. Join them as we uncover the mysteries surrounding the celebrated bandle ... Show More
41m 31s