About this episode
May 10
The Real James Bond
In the early years of the twentieth century, long before James Bond stepped onto the page, one man was at work as a new kind of spy. He crossed borders as easily as he changed names, slipped between governments and criminal networks, and dealt in secrets that could mobilise armie ... Show More
53m 26s
May 3
The Spanish Civil War
The story of Franco’s rise to power and the painful, repressive regime he oversaw is fundamentally interlinked with that of the Spanish Civil War. A brutal three-year conflict that laid bare the ideological divisions of interwar Europe, it drew support from fascist governments ac ... Show More
54m 7s
Apr 26
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake is most famous for his role in defeating the Armada of 1588 and saving England from a Spanish invasion. By that point in his life, he was already a wealthy and famous seafarer: the first Englishman to sail around the world, knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in recog ... Show More
54m 9s
Aug 2024
George Orwell: life of the week
From doublethink and thoughtcrime to coming face-to-face with our worst nightmares inside Room 101, few writers have had as much impact on the popular imagination as George Orwell. But what compelled the author of 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' to conjure up such dark, ... Show More
41m 38s
Nov 2025
304. Orwell: Animal Farm, 1984 & Totalitarian Dystopia (Part 3)
What was the inspiration behind George Orwell’s most famous works? Why did he move to the remote Scottish island of Jura to finish writing 1984? What was Orwell’s “Snitch List” which he handed over to the government after World War 2? In Part 3 of this miniseries, Anita and Willi ... Show More
48m 2s
May 2024
George Orwell Part 1 – From Eton to Barcelona
Back for season five, Origin Story continues to explore the misunderstood ideas and people that shape our politics today. With Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey. In this opening two-parter Dorian bows to the inevitable and tells the story of the subject of his book, The Ministry of Tru ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 2025
302. Orwell: The Anti-Imperialist In India & Burma (Part 1)
How was George Orwell’s childhood rooted in the British Empire and the opium trade in India? Why did George Orwell become a colonial police officer in Burma? When did Orwell develop his anti-imperialist stance? In the first part of this miniseries, Anita and William explore the e ... Show More
43m 17s
May 2025
Fidel Castro Part 5: The Bay of Pigs
A man who was right there tells us the tale of one of history’s most notorious military failures. Castro’s former lover is given a handful of poison capsules and dispatched to Fidel’s hotel. A Havana schoolboy crosses his fingers as the American bombing begins. And a young activi ... Show More
56m 50s
Jun 2025
Fidel Castro Part 7: Che Guevara in the Jungle
Castro sets out to create a breed of “new people” - turning Cuba into an island of mini-Fidels. A particular dairy cow becomes a national treasure and hot dog vendors are declared counter-revolutionary, as things get surreal. Fidel’s own sister flees, declaring Cuba a “floating p ... Show More
57m 13s
Oct 2025
303. Orwell: Fighting Fascism In The Spanish Civil War (Part 2)
Why did George Orwell go to Spain to fight on the Republican side against General Franco? Who saved his life when he was shot in the throat? How did internal feuds on the leftist side of the war influence his writing and his paranoia? In Part 2 of this miniseries, William and Ani ... Show More
40m 51s
Dec 2020
1984 by George Orwell | Episode 2 |
46m 21s
Dec 2020
1984 by George Orwell | Episode 5 |
1h 10m
Dec 2020
1984 by George Orwell | Episode 1 |
1h 15m
Best known for his books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell earned a reputation as chronicler and prophet of modern society. Plagued by illness, he exposed poverty and injustice, satirised the powerful, and took up arms against fascism. Today, his name has become an adjective - ‘Orwellian’ - to express fears about totalitarian control.
So ... Show More
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Please support our Podcast by clicking the link below. Thank you!</span></p> <p><a href="https://anchor.fm/theaudiobookspodcast/support"><strong>https://anchor.fm/theaudiobookspodcast/support</strong></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">B ... Show More
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Please support our Podcast by clicking the link below. Thank you!</span></p> <p><a href="https://anchor.fm/theaudiobookspodcast/support"><strong>https://anchor.fm/theaudiobookspodcast/support</strong></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">B ... Show More