Listen "Podcasting difficult histories"
Episode Synopsis
Personal Identity is at the heart of contemporary culture. Political philosophies are built around it and family history is a hobby undertaken by hundreds of thousands. Understanding where you came from is seen as central to understanding who you are. But what if the things that are uncovered are uncomfortable, upsetting or even life-changing?Matthew Sweet is joined at the Hay Festival by three writers who have hosted podcasts which raise these questions – Joe Dunthorne, whose memoir Children of Radium and BBC Radio 4 series Half Life explore his great-grandfather's work with chemical weapons; Kavita Puri, whose series Three Million told the story of the Bengal Famine, and of British culpability in it; and Jenny Kleeman, whose BBC Radio 4 podcast The Gift tells the stories of lives upended by DNA testing kits. How does the format of the podcast help them explore these complicated subjects?The Gift, Three Million and The History Podcast, Half Life are all available now on BBC Sounds Producer: Luke Mulhall
More episodes of the podcast Arts & Ideas
Rocks
21/11/2025
Revenge and reconciliation
14/11/2025
The end of civilisations and societies
07/11/2025
Rational and Irrational decision making
24/10/2025
Traditions, roots and local pride
17/10/2025
The status of Science
10/10/2025
The Good Life
03/10/2025
Finding my tribe
26/09/2025
Friendship
11/07/2025
Censorship, editing and self-censorship
04/07/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.