Oct 26

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is a modern wonder of the world. One of the most recognisable and admired buildings of the 20th century, it is a symbol of modern Australia; an ambitious and outward-looking nation. But the iconic building came at a tremendous cost. A legendary calamity of bad ... Show More

54m 11s

Oct 18

Hoover Dam

Truly a modern wonder of the world, the Hoover Dam is one of the great feats of human ingenuity. Its creation was a saga of large-scale ambition and engineering genius executed by a labour force of thousands working in gruelling conditions. The project involved the rerouting of a ... Show More

54m 28s

Oct 11

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley is best known today as the author of Frankenstein, a Gothic novel widely considered the first work of science fiction. As demonstrated by her Swiss sojourn with the married Percy Shelley and the scandalous Lord Byron, Mary's own life was as sensational and tragic as ... Show More

53m 31s

Jul 2022

208. George Orwell

George Orwell is one of the most celebrated novelists, essayists, and journalists in modern British history. Tom and Dominic are joined by Robert Colls, Professor Emeritus of History at De Montfort University, to discuss the life and legacy of the man who wrote Nineteen Eighty- ... Show More

1h 9m

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

Aug 2024

Why Orwell matters

In an Orwellian twist, the word “Orwellian” has been misused so much over the decades that it’s essentially lost its meaning. But George Orwell, author of the classics Animal Farm and 1984, was very clear in his beliefs. While he was progressive and prescient in many ways, he was ... Show More

52m 24s

May 2021

#158: George Orwell

For many, he is the greatest writer in the history of the English language. Outside the UK, he is known as the author of two of the most important political fiction books in history: Animal Farm & 1984.Learn about the amazing life ... Show More

26m 3s

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

Aug 2023

History of Ideas: George Orwell

This week David discusses George Orwell’s ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’ (1941), his great wartime essay about what it does – and doesn’t – mean to be English. How did the English manage to resist fascism? How are the English going to defeat fascism? These were two different question ... Show More

54m 46s

Oct 2022

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss George Orwell's (1903-1950) final novel, published in 1949, set in a dystopian London which is now found in Airstrip One, part of the totalitarian superstate of Oceania which is always at war and where the protagonist, Winston Smith, works at the M ... Show More

52m 33s

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

Nov 2023

What was Orwell for?

George Orwell wasn’t afraid to speak against totalitarianism – but what was he for? Colin Burrow joins Tom to unpick the cultural conservatism and crackling violence underpinning Orwell’s writing, to reassess his vision of socialism and to figure out why teenagers love him so muc ... Show More

53m 39s