Thirty years ago, a deadly standoff in Texas between a religious cult and the FBI hit the headlines around the United States. The story of leader David Koresh and the power he held over the Branch Davidian religious group has fascinated and appalled in the decades since, and has cast an increasingly dark shadow over US politics. Matt Elton spoke to author St ... Show More
Sep 24
The Soviet spy who couldn't love
In 1981, a Soviet spy walked into MI6 HQ in Tehran and offered to defect to Britain – if, in return, Britain could help him improve his performance in bed. In this episode, Ben Macintyre introduces Spencer Mizen to an extraordinary agent with a sexual secret – a secret that chang ... Show More
42m 44s
Apr 2023
Branch Davidians Revisited @ 30
It's been 30 years since the deadly stand-off in Waco, Texas that killed 75 people, including 25 children.Among the dead was David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians, one of several Doomsday cults that made news at the end of the 20th century.On this episode of History of ... Show More
36m 30s
Nov 2021
21: A Church vs. The Feds: Who Shot First?? The WACO Siege
In 1993, the quiet Texas town of Waco was turned into a bloody battlefield when an extremist religious group and their leader went to war with the American Government. We’re talking assault weapons, helicopters, tanks, explosions and huge fires. Dozens were killed. Today, Bailey ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2022
Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 1
On February 28th, 1993, ATF agents raided a compound in Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious group known as the Branch Davidians. A 51-day standoff ensued, ending in a violent siege. Eighty-one people lost their lives, many of them children — but to this day, no one knows which ... Show More
33m 53s
Nov 2022
Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 1
On February 28th, 1993, ATF agents raided a compound in Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious group known as the Branch Davidians. A 51-day standoff ensued, ending in a violent siege. Eighty-one people lost their lives, many of them children — but to this day, no one knows which ... Show More
32m 53s
Dec 2024
Waco: A Cult, the FBI and a Fiery Ending
<p>76 people died on 19th April 1993 when the compound of a religious sect, the Branch Davidians, went up in flames. It had been under siege by government agencies for 51 days, but no one knows what started the fire.</p><br><p>Don is joined by Jeff Guinn, investigative reporter a ... Show More
53m 43s
Sep 2025
CULTS: The Branch Davidians
In 1993, a cult outside Waco, Texas went to war with the U.S. government. Seventy-six people, including 25 children, didn’t survive. In this episode, "Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes" unravels the terrifying rise of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians...and how belief in a ... Show More
43m 57s