The BBC's Nick Robinson continues his fascinating and absorbing Radio 4 series featuring eight famous British Prime Ministers. This series explores how Prime Ministers have used their power and responded to the great challenges of their time: William Pitt the Younger, who became Prime Minister aged only 24 and held the post for almost 19 years in t...

British history during the period 1714 to 1901 was fast moving. Throughout the British Isles science and technology were taking hold. Industries grew and business abroad was developing and society was changing. Money and politics were important influences as the Empire grew. Discover this fascinating era in this audiobook.

This volume of Christopher Lee's history of Britan looks at the Thatcher years, the Falklands War and the Royal Wedding.

The first 25 episodes from the landmark BBC Radio series. Martin Sixsmith brings his firsthand experience of reporting from Russia to this fascinating narrative, witnessing the critical moment when the Soviet Union finally lost its grip on power. Power struggles have a constant presence in his story, from the Mongol hordes that invaded in the 13th...

This ten-part history of mathematics reveals the personalities behind the calculations: the passions and rivalries of mathematicians struggling to get their ideas heard. Professor Marcus du Sautoy shows how these masters of abstraction find a role in the real world and proves that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science. He explores...

Gregor Samsa, a seemingly typical man, wakes up one morning to discover he has been transformed into a gigantic insect. Frustrated and depressed about his physical alteration - and his family's rejection - Samsa's plight is filled with underlying meaning. This important literary work, written against the backdrop of increasing turmoil in central Eu...

Simon Schama's different kind of history of the USA begins in the middle of an Iowa caucus. There he witnesses first-hand the exciting, chaotic crush as ordinary Americans - grannies, students, businesswomen and doctors - decide who should become the 44th President of the United States. He meets Muslim Chuck (Khalil) Alaman, the 'Chicken Club' immi...

On 23 February 1854, the Scots Fusilier Guards marched past Buckingham Palace resplendent in full regalia en route to the Crimea, as Queen Victoria bowed and waved proudly from the balcony. Day after day there were anxious farewells as women were left behind to face a bleak uncertain future. But numerous women from all social classes were actively...

This audiobook confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity and self-gratification. In each decade, political leaders think they know what they are doing, but fin...

On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, thanks largely to the efforts of the Hitler Youth, whose organized propaganda marches throughout Germany helped the Nazi Party grow in strength. By 1939, it is estimated that more than seven million boys and girls belonged to the Hitler Youth. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler'...

In this collection of digitally remastered recordings from the BBC archive we hear first-hand how, in 1940, Chamberlain resigned, Hitler invaded the Low Countries, and Winston Churchill was summoned to the greatest challenge of his long political career.

Alistair Cooke, then a Washington correspondent for 'The Guardian', recognised a great story to be told in investigating at first hand the effects of the Second World War on America and the daily lives of Americans as they adjusted to radically new circumstances. Within weeks of the Pearl Harbour attack, with a reporter's zeal, Cooke set off on a c...

Straightened. Stigmatised. 'Tamed'. Celebrated. Erased. Managed. Appropriated. Forever misunderstood. Black hair is never 'just hair'. This book is about why black hair matters and how it can be viewed as a blueprint for decolonisation. Emma Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, Black Power and on to today's Natu...

In 1887, Elizabeth Berry found notoriety throughout the nation after the death of her daughter, perceived by many to be the cruellest of murders. There were many who protested her innocence in the affair, but there were also suspicions surrounding another death related to the nurse; that of her mother. Suddenly Elizabeth Berry's dark story began ap...

Discover the amazing story of writing through the ages - from the invention of the earliest scripts to modern text messages and email.

"No more dramatic courtroom scene has ever been enacted," reported the Syracuse Herald on May 22, 1915 as it covered "the greatest libel suit in history," a battle fought between former President Theodore Roosevelt and the leader of the Republican party. Roosevelt , the boisterous and mostly beloved legendary American hero, had accused his former f...

A 15-part BBC Radio 4 series exploring the origins of the Post Office, how it became a cherished national institution, and how it adapted to globalisation and commercialisation. It s called Royal Mail but it should be known as the People s Post. Launched in 1516 by Henry VIII, it was intended to support royal communications and bolster intelligence...

In 1969 being gay in the United States was a criminal offense. It meant living a closeted life or surviving on the fringes of society. People went to jail, lost jobs, and were disowned by their families for being gay. Most doctors considered homosexuality a mental illness. There were few safe havens. The Stonewall Inn, a Mafia-run, filthy, overpric...

The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father's footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission. It is here that she meets her commanding officer...

Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens? In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how...

Continuing the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series of the story of Britain, from the start of the twentieth century to the present day - taking us through decades of whirlwind change and technological advancement.