History of War
HYBRID WARRIORS
TRACING THE TRAJECTORY OF THE UKRAINE CONFLICT FROM THE BOTTOM UP TO REVEAL THE INNER WORKINGS OF VLADIMIR PUTIN'S KREMLIN
1 min |
Issue 114
Home Cinema Choice
100 years of the BBC
Martin Pipe : revisits the history of the British Broadcasting Corporation, via technical innovations including colour TV, NICAM stereo, the iPlayer... and Ceefax
10+ min |
December 2022
History of War
TIMELINE OF... MILITARY RAILWAYS
Rail transportation and artillery played an important part in military planning from the mid-19th century to the Cold War
3 min |
Issue 113
History Revealed
6 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE CROWN JEWELS
With a coronation on the horizon, we reveal some lesser-known facts about the nation’s most precious treasures
6 min |
December 2022
History of War
WWII SUPER GUNS
In the second great global conflict, railways were mounted with some of the biggest artillery pieces the world had seen
2 min |
Issue 113
History of War
HOW EDINBURGH CASTLE DEFIED THE JACOBITE REBELLION
During the rebellion of 1745, Jacobite forces took control of Edinburgh - but the city's iconic castle would not surrender
10+ min |
Issue 113
History of War
Heroes of the Victoria Cross NEVILLE HOWSE
During a fighting retreat at Vredefort, in the Orange Free State, this medical officer rescued a severely wounded man and carried him to safety, despite fierce enemy fire
6 min |
Issue 113
History Revealed
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY | A snapshot of 19th-century Parisian nightlife has hints of a darker story lurking just beneath the surface
3 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
GOING WEST
One man’s chance discovery would put California firmly on the map and change the course of US history
8 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
WONDERS OF GOD
In the 19th century, numerous young women on both sides of the Atlantic were alleged to be forgoing food and surviving on faith alone. Felicity Day uncovers the secrets of the so-called fasting girls”, whose stories have inspired a new Netflix drama
7 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
AFRICAN QUEENS THE WARRIOR 'AMAZONS' OF DAHOMEY
New Hollywood blockbuster The Woman King brings the remarkable story of the female soldiers of 19th-century west Africa to the fore. Jonny Wilkes reveals how this elite fighting force of highly trained and disciplined warriors built such a fearsome reputation
9 min |
December 2022
History of War
HOSPITAL TRAINS
These long military medical trains were first developed in the 1850s and reached the zenith of their effectiveness during World War I
3 min |
Issue 113
History of War
EYES ON THE SAND THE LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP AT EL ALAMEIN
Watching and reporting enemy movements, the LRDG served as Monty's eyes and ears in the build up to the decisive battle
8 min |
Issue 113
History of War
THE HITLER WHO FOUGHT FOR THE ALLIES
The estranged half-nephew of the Nazi leader, William Patrick Hitler led his own wartime crusade against his half-uncle across the ocean. William's story is one of family drama, FBI investigations and eventually the taking up of arms against the Axis
7 min |
Issue 113
History of War
FIRST MILITARY RAILWAYS
Some of the earliest railway networks became critical to conflicts around the world, transporting men and materiel
3 min |
Issue 113
History of War
WWI ON RAILS
The outbreak of the Great War saw the rapid development of armoured trains - formidable weapons that played a pivotal role in the conflict
5 min |
Issue 113
History of War
AN END TO THE BEGINNING - THE SECOND BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN (23 OCTOBER - 11 NOVEMBER 1942)
Eighty years ago, the Allied 8th Army launched a decisive offensive against the Axis forces in North Africa. It saw the tipping point of a long struggle for dominance over the region and precipitated the Axis collapse in the Mediterranean
10+ min |
Issue 113
History Revealed
Howard Hughes: the troubled tycoon
Every venture the American business magnate undertook was big from his blockbuster movies to the planes he constructed. But how did Hughes go from rubbing shoulders with the stars to living a life of seclusion?
3 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
The Great Smog
On 5 December 1952, as Londoners rushed around the city after the start of the festive season, fingers of fog began to unfurl between chimneys. But as night rolled in, the fog thickened, and soon a blanket of smog was choking the capital. Londoners stumbled around the streets, unable to see further than a few metres in front of them.
3 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM
Being a prospector during the California gold rush was by no means plain sailing, but non-white arrivals had it especially tough
4 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
THE PRICE OF GOLD
Dr Stephen Tuffnell shines a light on the staggering cost that intensive mining practices inflicted upon the natural world
4 min |
December 2022
History Revealed
What is the importance of the Phaistos Disc?
SHORT ANSWER The ancient treasure may be the key to unlocking an unreadable script, if it can ever be deciphered
1 min |
December 2022
Best of British
The Queen's Jesters
Robert Ross runs his rule over the favourite comedians of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
9 min |
November 2022
Best of British
AUNT ESTHER GOES TO WAR
Stephen Bourne remembers his beloved aunt who told him about her life in wartime London as she survived the blitz
4 min |
November 2022
Best of British
THE ORIGINAL BHOY
Celtic are one of Britain’s biggest football clubs but, as Mark Hornsey reveals, they were founded by a humble religious brother as part of his efforts to raise money to help the poor and disadvantaged of Glasgow’s East End
4 min |
November 2022
Best of British
Well Worth a Pepys
Simon Stabler discovers a vintage inn that really did improve with age
3 min |
November 2022
Best of British
England’s Forgotten Football Great
Yorkshireman George Raynor led Sweden to the final of the 1958 World Cup. Margaret Brecknell remembers a managerial pioneer whose achievements are little recognised in his homeland
5 min |
November 2022
Best of British
THE BIG CHANNEL 4-O
Neil Anthony was in at the start of the UK’s first new television channel for 18 years and recalls the heady and hectic times of producing new programmes
5 min |
November 2022
Best of British
SOFA SURFER
Chris Hallam pays tribute to former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull whose long career enabled him to build up an easy intimacy with his audience
5 min |
November 2022
Best of British
CARTER, CARNARVON AND A KING
Glenys Adams puts together the pieces of a historical drama and murder mystery set in Ancient Egypt which continues to fascinate over hundreds of years
5 min |