episode-header-image

Mar 2024

44m 3s

Ronald Reagan

About this episode

Grainne Maguire, Athena Kugblenu and Robin Morgan decide, Reagan? Or wrong 'un? Plus, could we replace a leader with an actual puppet, like Ed the Duck? And other important questions.

Producer Sally Heaven Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Audio Bristol production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

Up next

Florence Nightingale

Was Florence Nightingale a nursing pioneer, or a terror with a spreadsheet? Could the mother of modern nursing really have been a glorified doctor's receptionist from hell? Did her colonial attitudes towards race, and her perpetuation of the idea of 'women's jobs' hold us back as ... Show More

Was Marilyn Monroe a genius who beat the system to become a star? Or was she a career driven narcissist who perpetuated the sexism of old Hollywood? And does she have a case to answer for the toxic beauty standards with still live with today. Hannah Platt, Janine Harouni and Tony ... Show More

Father of bodybuilding, Joe Weider

You might not have heard of Joe Weider, but he was the man who invented modern bodybuilding. Formalised training, published magazines, birthed massive international competitions, and unearthed a megastar in Arnold Schwarzenegger. But was he a genius who built himself up from noth ... Show More

Recommended Episodes

Ronnie was one of America's most beloved and controversial presidents. From his early days as a B-movie actor and union president, to his pivotal role in heating up the Cold War, Reagan was an icon of the 80s (even for British kids like Tom!). But what was he really like? How did ... Show More

Who is Liz Truss?

Who is Liz Truss and what would she be like as leader? Are the comparisons with Margaret Thatcher accurate? What was going on with that cheese speech? In this special episode of Newscast, Adam talks to her former special adviser Kirsty Buchanan, Institute for Economic Affairs dir ... Show More

312: Reagan, Iran-Contra and the Cold War (Part 3)

Warmonger or nuclear disarmer? Ronald Reagan’s presidency survived an assassination attempt, the AIDS epidemic and the Iranian hostage crisis. He powered through the 1980s, creating his own truth and narrative, in a series of events that read like a Hollywood screenplay. Tom and ... Show More

9. Jack King and the Fifth Column

Eric Roberts, a bank worker from Surrey, joins MI5. He is given the alias Jack King and his job is to hunt for British Nazi-sympathisers. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistanc ... Show More

310: Ronald Reagan and the American Dream (Part 1)

Ronald "Dutch" Reagan was born in 1911 to a humble family of Illinois, his father an FDR-loving democrat, his mother a notable member of the local Christian community. A high school football star, "Dutch" would grow up to become one of America's favourite sports broadcasters, a H ... Show More

Artist Althea McNish and history of the Met Gala

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about Althea McNish, the Trinidadian artist who designed fabric for Queen Elizabeth II. Former Vogue editor Suzy Menkes on the success of the fashion celebration, the Met ... Show More

Who Is Ronald Reagan?

Ronald Reagan, a man who was first elected President more than forty years ago, remains one of the most impactful and influential conservative politicians in American history. Reagan, who made it in Hollywood before he made it to the White House, was a towering statesman, a favor ... Show More

Queen Elizabeth II and the Commonwealth

With the passing of Elizabeth II, an era has come to an end. Heartbroken supporters continue to grieve, but many members of the Commonwealth have signaled they are ready for a new relationship with the United Kingdom. Could new leadership in Britain usher in that change? In this ... Show More

311: Reagan: The Road to the White House (Part 2)

His Hollywood career drying up, Ronald Reagan works both for the Screen Actors Guild and General Electric in the 1950s. Building connections with the Californian elite, and having gained national attention with a speech for the Republican presidential candidate in 1964, he become ... Show More

10. Arslan Rezniqi and the Besa Code

Albania was one of the few European countries to have a larger Jewish population at the end of the war than it had at the beginning. What role did Arslan Rezniqi, a Kosovan Albanian merchant, play in this? Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World Wa ... Show More

Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami