logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2025
42m 7s

284. Suez Crisis: The British Imperialis...

Goalhanger
About this episode
How did Britain and France almost start World War 3 in 1956? Who was Anthony Eden and why did he hate Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser? Why was the Suez Canal so vital to European oil supplies in the 1950s? Anita and William are joined by the brilliant Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, & The Crisis That Shook The World, to disc ... Show More
Up next
Mar 26
345. Chairman Mao: The Cultural Revolution (Ep 6)
What were Mao’s motivations for launching The Cultural Revolution? Who were the Red Guards, and why did Mao indoctrinate teenagers? How did Mao die, and who came next? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the ... Show More
49m 1s
Mar 24
344. Chairman Mao: The Great Leap Forward (Ep 5)
Why did Mao declare war on sparrows as part of The Great Leap Forward? What caused China to attack India in 1962? How did Mao use a swimming pool to embarrass Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: C ... Show More
49m 6s
Mar 20
Christiane Amanpour On Iran & Trump’s Miscalculations
William and Anita are joined by renowned British-Iranian journalist, Christiane Amanpour, to discuss the war in Iran, and how it has echoes of the events she has covered since leaving Tehran in 1979. How did the Iran-Iraq War of 1980 shape the military tactics of today’s Islamic ... Show More
34m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
594. The First World War: The Invasion of Belgium (Part 1)
Following the declaration of war in 1914, how did the outbreak of the First World War unfold? What were the earliest military engagements of this terrible, totemic event? Who were its key political players and how did they respond? What was the attitude to the war in Germany? Wer ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2025
595. The First World War: The Battle of the Frontiers (Part 2)
What was Britain's first military move following the outbreak of the First World War? Where did the French launch their initial attack on the Germans? Whose army was the biggest and best of all the participants in the war? And, what unfolded at the pivotal Battle of the Ardennes ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2025
596. The First World War: The Miracle on the Marne (Part 3)
What extraordinary events saw the French - already on the brink of defeat - take on the formerly formidable German army in a remarkable counter-offensive on the 4th of September, in France, in a clash that would later become known as the Miracle on the Marne? Why was this such a ... Show More
1h 7m
Sep 2025
598. The First World War: The Eastern Front Explodes (Part 5)
While the Western front was raging following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, what was unfolding on the Eastern Front? Why was it an even bloodier and more brutal arena than the West? As Austria took on its great antagonist - the spark of the entire war - Serbia, why ... Show More
1h 10m
Nov 2024
Part One: How Lawrence of Arabia Invented Modern War
Robert tells Margaret Killjoy the whole story of Lawrence of Arabia, a British imperialist, hopeless romantic and asexual icon who invented the concept of modern insurgent war. Through it all we ask: was he a bastard? (4 Part Series) https://www.cliohistory.org/thomas-lawrence/la ... Show More
1h 19m
Sep 2025
599. The First World War: Downfall of the Habsburgs (Part 6)
After endeavouring to wreak their revenge on Serbia, what would be the greatest hammer blow to the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the First World War? With Leviv having fallen apocalyptically to the Russian hordes, what had gone so wrong? How might the war have been brought to an ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2025
Season 4, Episode 5: Eugene Rogan, The Arabs: A History
Send a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and historian Eugene Rogan, professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at Oxford, as they delve into the complex history of the Arab world, from the Ottoman conquest in 1516 to today’s geopolitical crises of the modern Middle East. Through ... Show More
52m 39s
Sep 2025
86. Mossad Pager Attack: The Long War with Hezbollah (Ep 1)
"The smartphone is a lethal collaborator. " This was the stark warning from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in February 2024. In the wake of intense conflict with Israel, the group made a fateful decision to abandon high-tech communications. They knew that their phon ... Show More
52m 11s
Nov 2025
Antony and Cleopatra
Rome. Egypt. Love. War. Over 2,000 years ago, the fates of two ancient worlds collided in one of history’s most legendary love stories: Antony and Cleopatra.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Daisy Dunn to uncover the truth behind the myth - from thei ... Show More
53m 27s
Jan 2025
The Roman Invasion of Britain
<p>43 AD. A large Roman armada sails across the perilous English Channel intent on conquest. It is the dawn of one of the most seminal moments in Britain’s ancient history.</p><br><p>In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by archeologist Duncan Mackay to follow ... Show More
46m 47s