In the latest episode of History Behind the Headlines, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by award-winning journalist and producer Kavita Puri to discuss the history of famine, and the challenges of tackling the contentious legacies of events such as the 1943 Bengal Famine – the subject of her new series Three Million, available now on BBC Sounds, BBC R ... 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
Jul 2024
171. The Bengal Famine: Chaos in Calcutta
By 1943, the price of rice was beyond unaffordable for most in Bengal, and people were dying in the streets. Despite government censorship of letters, news spread about the famine and the tide turned with the introduction of a new Viceroy. Yet when aid eventually did arrive from ... Show More
43m 51s
Apr 2025
Stories We Don't Tell: Realities of Surviving the Great Hunger
The history of the Great Hunger is often recounted through statistics and impersonal narratives. There are many reasons for this, but one significant factor is that many survivors were reluctant to share their stories of survival. In this episode, based on letters from the 1840s, ... Show More
37 m
Jul 2021
Trailer: Short History Of...
Each week, Short History Of... gives you a front-row seat as history’s most extraordinary moments play out right before you.
You’ll be up close with the gladiators and the Mongols, unearthing the Terracotta Army, setting sail in Blackbeard’s pirate ship, watching on as the Cold W ... Show More
1m 59s