Best About Postwar Podcasts (2025)

1
The Sale Of Manhattan 1:14:48

Play Pause

1h ago1:14:48

1:14:48

Introduced as ‘The Lost Colony’, this is another episode of The Goon Show which sees Neddie Seagoon being duped by Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty. In this case, they convince him that he is a Native American who rightfully owns New York – his ancestors having sold the land to Dutch settlers in the 1620s for a piece of brown string, eleven pence in no…

1
America and China in 2025 30:35

18m ago30:35

30:35

Explaining History Podcast: 2025 in Review - The Year the Tech War Was Lost As 2025 draws to a close, we reflect on a pivotal year that historians may one day see as the moment the world changed forever. This episode delves into the most significant geopolitical shift of our time: the American retreat from its tech and trade war with China, and the…

1
Episode 755: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #665 NOVEMBER 12, 2025 59:01

2h ago59:01

59:01

1
Episode 754: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #730 NOVEMBER 12, 2025 59:01

7d ago59:01

59:01

1
Heroes Of Comedy (Channel 4) 1:25:56

20h ago1:25:56

1:25:56

From 1995 to 2002 Heroes Of Comedy on Channel 4 showcased and celebrated some of the finest comic talents Britain has ever produced and this week, with returning guest Chris Diamond, we're taking a look at the series with particular emphasis on three editions: The Goons, Terry-Thomas & Tommy Cooper. It's a sprawling and highly entertaining chat whi…

1
Live Aid, famine, debt and activism: A four decade struggle for justice 35:28

21m ago35:28

35:28

In this episode of the Explaining History podcast, host Nick Shepley is joined by veteran journalist and author Paul Vallely to explore the definitive inside story of Live Aid and its far-reaching legacy. Vallely’s new book, Live Aid: The Definitive 40-Year Story from Pop and Poverty to Politics and Power, chronicles the journey from the 1984–85 Et…

1
Churchill's Spaniards: how veterans of the Spanish Civil War fought for Britain 33:52

3d ago33:52

33:52

Churchill’s Spaniards: The Spanish Republicans Who Fought for Britain in WWII — with Sean F. Scullion In this episode, I speak with historian Sean F. Scullion, author of Churchill’s Spaniards, about a remarkable and little-known story: the Spanish Republicans who escaped the fall of the Second Republic, endured internment under Vichy France, and la…

51
Poverty, power and punishment in Georgian Britain 33:13

21h ago33:13

33:13

What was life really like for the poor and powerless in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars? In this episode of the Explaining History podcast, we're joined by Katharine Quarmby, author of the powerful new historical novel, The Low Road. Set in 1813, The Low Road is a story of hardship, struggle, and love found in the most brutal corners of English lif…

1
Episode 752: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #664 NOVEMBER 05, 2025 59:00

1d ago59:00

59:00

1
Episode 751: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #729 NOVEMBER 05, 2025 58:59

1d ago58:59

58:59

1
It's A Square World (LP, 1962) 1:14:54

14d ago1:14:54

1:14:54

"It is seldom enough that I can recommend any record - let alone an LP - without strict reservations of one kind or another. But here, for once, go in and buy the thing - with my blessing. If you have any feeling for the past, the present or the future, you won't regret it." - Pete Murray, 19th May 1962. This week we’re exploring one of George Mart…

1
Episode 753: DRIVE TIME VOL 8 #11 1:12:22

4d ago1:12:22

1:12:22

1
Family, memory and the burden of Germany's past 42:15

9d ago42:15

42:15

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick is joined by acclaimed author Anne Weber to discuss her new book Sanderling (Indigo Press, 2025) — a deeply personal and philosophical exploration of family, identity, and the shadow of Germany’s past. Through the story of her great-grandfather Florens Christian Rang — a theologian, lawyer, and close frie…

1
Episode 750: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #663 OCTOBER 29, 2025 58:59

13d ago58:59

58:59

1
Episode 749: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #728 OCTOBER 29, 2025 59:00

16d ago59:00

59:00

1
The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) 1:28:21

8d ago1:28:21

1:28:21

"It's the only time Sellers had to duplicate himself, at least physically." - Roger Lewis on The Prisoner Of Zenda. This 1979 film is an adaptation of the classic Anthony Hope adventure yarn with a screenplay by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais. Peter Sellers plays both Rudolf V, the bumbling King of Ruritania, and his English look-alike, Sydney Frewi…

1
Silencing the Special Procedures: Sanctions and the UN Human Rights System 28:56

22d ago28:56

28:56

This year, the US government has issued sanctions on a number of experts from the UN to the International Criminal Court for speaking out about human rights in Gaza. President Donald Trump authorized sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan with the goal of stopping the ICC from undertaking its indepen…

1
Episode 748: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #662 OCTOBER 22, 2025 59:00

23d ago59:00

59:00

1
Episode 747: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #727 OCTOBER 22, 2025 58:59

16d ago58:59

58:59

1
The Policy 1:23:15

16d ago1:23:15

1:23:15

"My dear sir, without doubt you have done for the art of singing what Columbus did for the steam engine." Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty plan to escape dire poverty by taking out a £10,000 life insurance policy on Neddie Seagoon. They tell him he can collect the money the moment he’s deceased, and give him an instruction book. After a number of stupi…

1
Episode 746: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #661 OCTOBER 15, 2025 59:00

1M ago59:00

59:00

1
Episode 745: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #726 OCTOBER 15, 2025 58:59

28d ago58:59

58:59

1
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) 1:32:08

24d ago1:32:08

1:32:08

“Aw, don’t come the raw prawn!” (Barry McKenzie) “There’s too many Barrys!” (Tyler) Based on the character created for Private Eye, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie was a huge hit in Australia when it was released in 1972, surpassing $1m in box office receipts thus making it the first Australian film to do so. Starring Barry Crocker in the titular …

101
Episode 744: DRIVE TIME VOL 8 #10 1:09:45

26d ago1:09:45

1:09:45

1
Unsung Victorians: Grace Darling, Josephine Butler & George Biddell Airy 31:09

28d ago31:09

31:09

Author Mark Beatty joins to explore three Victorians who shaped their era in very different ways yet rarely get the spotlight. We trace Grace Darling’s 1838 sea rescue and the birth of tabloid celebrity; Josephine Butler’s fearless campaign against the Contagious Diseases Acts and for raising the age of consent; and George Biddell Airy’s half-centu…

1
John Dee: Queen Elizabeth's Wizard 29:53

28d ago29:53

29:53

Who was John Dee—the Tudor polymath who advised Elizabeth I, mapped the heavens, spoke (he believed) with angels, and penned a landmark preface to Euclid? Historian and writer Rachel Morris joins to unpack Dee’s strange, brilliant world at the fault line between Renaissance “natural magic” and the birth of modern science. We explore why astrology w…

1
Episode 743: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #660 OCTOBER 08, 2025 59:01

29d ago59:01

59:01

1
Episode 742: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #725 OCTOBER 08, 2025 59:00

29d ago59:00

59:00

1
The Man Who Tried To Destroy London's Monuments 1:18:41

1M ago1:18:41

1:18:41

1
Berlin in 1945 24:20

1M ago24:20

24:20

1
Goon Pod Q&A 1:26:13

1M ago1:26:13

1:26:13

Goon Pod listeners were asked to send in their questions and comments about the show, the Goons or comedy in general and they didn't disappoint! Adam Leslie (Award-Winning Novelist) joined Tyler to work through the list of listener folderol and there was so much that they only managed to get through half of it! So - in a packed show you will hear u…

1
The politics of rearmament in Britain - 1936 26:51

1M ago26:51

26:51

In the mid-1930s, with the shadow of one great war still looming and the threat of another growing darker, Britain faced a vexing national crisis: should it rearm? This episode delves into the complex political, economic, and social debates that defined this critical period. We explore the profound public anxiety shaped by the memory of World War I…

1
The Ottoman Empire and Germany - 1914 26:12

1M ago26:12

26:12

In this episode of Explaining History, we delve into the intricate web of diplomacy, ambition, and betrayal that led the Ottoman Empire into the Great War. Drawing from Eugene Rogan's "The Fall of the Ottomans," we explore the Empire's precarious position in the years before 1914, caught between the competing interests of Europe's great powers. Dis…

1
Italian dockworkers and Gaza 22:08

1M ago22:08

22:08

As an international aid flotilla approaches the shores of Gaza, sailing directly towards an Israeli naval blockade, strikers in Italy have forced the government there to send warships to escort them (much against the official policy of the far right Meloni government). This shows us the power of solidarity and strike action. Go Deeper: Visit our we…

1
Economica: The Hidden History of Women, Wealth, and Power 31:52

1M ago31:52

31:52

Who really built the global economy? Traditional history books tell a story dominated by men—inventors, industrialists, and financiers. But what if this narrative is missing half the picture? In this eye-opening episode, host Nick is joined by Dr. Victoria Bateman of Gresham College to discuss her hugely ambitious new book, Economica: A Global Hist…

1
Uzbekistan and Central Asia in transition 32:31

2M ago32:31

32:31

Unveiling Uzbekistan: A Nation at the Crossroads of History and Future Join host Nick as he welcomes back acclaimed journalist and author Joanna Lillis to the Explaining History podcast. Seven years after her last appearance to discuss her book on Kazakhstan, "Dark Shadows," Joanna returns to shed light on the enigmatic nation of Uzbekistan, the su…

1
Episode 741: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #658 SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 58:59

2M ago58:59

58:59

1
Episode 740: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #723 SEPTEMBER 24 2025 59:00

2M ago59:00

59:00

1
It's Trad Dad (1962) 1:25:12

2M ago1:25:12

1:25:12

At first glance you may be forgiven for thinking this fairly obscure 1962 British film was one of those forgettable ‘let’s put the show on right here!’ teensploitation flicks full of popular music acts of the day, bland and generic enough to offend nobody other than crusty old colonel-types who objected to young people being seen to have fun. But t…

1
The Holocaust and the General Government in occupied Poland 26:05

2M ago26:05

26:05

In this episode, The Explaining History Podcast explores the dark and complex evolution of genocide during the Second World War. Drawing on the foundational research of Nikolaus Wachsmann in his seminal work, "KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps," and the broader "functionalist" school of historical thought, this episode traces the path t…

1
Is It Time To Rethink The Binary In Sports? 40:03

2M ago40:03

40:03

When South African runner Caster Semenya dominated international competitions, sports authorities demanded she prove she was “really” a woman. The rules they created—targeting women with intersex traits or naturally higher testosterone—have since reshaped the future of women’s sports. In this episode of Entitled, we unpack the controversial regulat…

1
Episode 739: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #657 SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 59:00

2M ago59:00

59:00

1
Episode 738: WEDNESDAY'S EVEN WORSE, #722 SEPTEMBER 17 2025 59:01

2M ago59:01

59:01

1
The Nadger Plague 1:08:17

2M ago1:08:17

1:08:17

The year is 1656 in Ninfield, Sussex. Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty arrive at the stately home of Lord Neddie Seagoon, seeking shelter for the night. As he shows them to their room, Lord Seagoon notices that the seats of their trousers are burned out... a ghastly indication of the dreaded Nadger Plague! This is definitely one of those Goon Shows whe…

1
Social Democracy and the Splintering of the 60s left 23:37

2M ago23:37

23:37

In the post war decades huge strides were made across the world to address the worst aspects of social deprivation using the coordinated power of the state. Often the resulted showed working class communities that those deciding their fate were indifferent as to the actual results. In Tony Judt's penultimate book Ill Fares The Land, he explores the…

1
Trump's State Visit 2.0 24:45

2M ago24:45

24:45

This week, two seemingly separate events tell a single, troubling story about Britain's place in the modern world. First, a massive, 100,000-strong far-right rally, supported by American funding, took to the streets of London. Now, Keir Starmer's government is preparing to roll out the red carpet for an unprecedented second state visit for Donald T…

1
The Explaining History Podcast 1:27

2M ago1:27

1:27

If you’re new to Explaining History, this short trailer is the perfect introduction to the show. For over a decade, we've been helping listeners understand the 20th Century. Host Nick Shepley and expert guests break down the critical events, ideologies, and conflicts that shaped our modern world. This isn't a dry lecture; it's an engaging, critical…

1
The creation of the Central African Federation 25:57

2M ago25:57

25:57

In this episode, we explore the creation of the Central African Federation (1953–1963), Britain’s attempt to bind together Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland into one semi-autonomous bloc. The federation was sold as a bold experiment in multiracial partnership and economic modernization, but in reality it served white settler inter…

1
Anti Communist Hysteria and state legislation in America 25:28

2M ago25:28

25:28

In the late 1940s and early 1950s some of the most extreme anti communist laws were passed at state level, including the death penalty for membership of any seditious organisation and the compulsory registration of subversive parties. None of this legislation was ever actually enacted and much of it was declared unconstitutional by federal judges a…

1
Episode 736: ACOUSTIC BLUES CLUB, #656 SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 58:59

2M ago58:59

58:59