Witness History
BBC World ServiceWitness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. Wh... more
| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 2025 | Founded | 17 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Personal JournalsHistorySociety & Culture | |||
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Latest Episodes
When the set fell apart for an ambitious cinematic space opera that was produced on a characteristically small Turkish budget, nationally famed director Çetin İnanç had to think fast to save his film.
What resulted was a domestic hit in 1982, origi... more
In 1976, American toy designer Jim Swearingen was working at Kenner, a mid-sized company in the American Midwest.
When a script for a new film called Star Wars landed on his desk, Jim was intrigued. Larger toy companies had already passed on the cha... more
On the 5 September 1986, hijackers took over a Pan-American Airways flight during a stop-over at Karachi Airport in Pakistan.
The armed Palestinian terrorists wanted to fly the plane to Cyprus and Israel, to free members of their organisation who w... more
On 4 September 1995, Hurricane Luis hit the Caribbean island of Antigua.
Two people were killed and three-quarters of homes were destroyed.
Authorities said it set the island back by a decade.
Resident Eli Fuller tells Jen Dale about the havoc cau... more
Key Facts
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Reviews
- Brilliant daily tidbit
Great podcast. The perfect length to learn something new every day. Another piece of excellence from the BBC.
Apple Podcasts5flashdash92
United Kingdom18 days ago - Need to check their facts
The Rosa Parks story is completely incorrect. Rosa and her husband were politically active for years and the stunt on the bus was orchestrated. She had a journalist sitting behind her who had agreed to be there to write a favourable report for them.
Apple Podcasts2hannakusoUnited Kingdom2 months ago - Great Show
Nice, short digestible bits of history that I always enjoy listening to.
Apple Podcasts5Gobks
United States7 months ago - Why Bother?
Minute long historical news isn’t worth the time.
Apple Podcasts1Ned TallywhackerUnited Kingdom8 months ago - Love the history
My mother used to listen to your show on BBC short wave here in Canada, I found you on the podcast and I’ve been listening for years and years. 🥰
Apple Podcasts5CinderDaxWolf
Canada10 months ago
Listeners Say
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Chart Rankings
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Apple Podcasts | #48 | United States/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #14 | United Kingdom/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #37 | Canada/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #135 | United Kingdom/Society & Culture |
Apple Podcasts | #13 |  Australia/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #14 |  Italy/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
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Frequently Asked Questions About Witness History
What is Witness History about and what kind of topics does it cover?
Short, bite-sized history with firsthand voices that illuminate turning points in world events. Episodes cover a wide range of topics—from colonial conflicts, revolutions, and political repression to cultural phenomena, technology origins, and landmark social changes. The format relies on archival material and interviews with witnesses, descendants, and specialists to provide context, nuance, and human perspective. A few standout traits include tightly crafted narratives, diverse geographies, and episodes that connect past events to contemporary understanding. This collection is likely to appeal to curious listeners who enjoy compact, well-researched history told through personal testimony, and may be especially attractive to sponsors seeki... more
Where can I find podcast stats for Witness History?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Witness History. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Witness History and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does Witness History get?
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What are the audience demographics for Witness History?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Witness History, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does Witness History have?
To see how many followers or subscribers Witness History has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to Witness History?
These podcasts share a similar audience with Witness History:
1. The History Hour
2. The Documentary Podcast
3. The Inquiry
4. Lives Less Ordinary
5. From Our Own Correspondent
How many episodes of Witness History are there?
Witness History launched 17 years ago and published 2025 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact Witness History?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for Witness History?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Witness History from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Witness History?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Witness History. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on Witness History?
Recent guests on Witness History include:
1. Mairead Corrigan Maguire
2. Betty Williams
3. Rebecca Erbelding
4. Carmen Sosa
5. Edward Knipling
6. Agnes Lee
7. Don White
8. Paula Kahumbu
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.