Best Nazi Fugitives Podcasts (2025)

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Creating the board game Catan 10:45

Play Pause

35m ago10:45

10:45

In 1995, Klaus Teuber’s board game Catan launched in Germany. The board is made up of hexagonal tiles, and it's a game about strategy and collecting resources. It's since sold over 40 million copies and been translated into more than 40 different languages. Klaus Teuber died in 2023. Megan Jones speaks to his son Benjamin, who now runs the company,…

1
How the hoverboard was created 10:36

1d ago10:36

10:36

It was Back to the Future II that made a generation of children dream of travelling by hoverboard. In the 1989 film, the hero Marty McFly escapes from his arch nemesis Biff by jumping on a flying skateboard. But it wasn’t until 2011 that inventor Shane Chen came up with the next best thing – a motorised skateboard that moves intuitively and gives t…

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The Man Behind John le Carré 38:12

3d ago38:12

38:12

John le Carré, born David Cornwell in 1931, was a British novelist renowned for his morally complex spy fiction. Writing under a pen name gave him the freedom to publish while he worked in both MI5 and MI6, but after the breakthrough success of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, he left the intel community world for good. Le Carré’s work spanned th…

1
Inventing Play-Doh 10:34

2d ago10:34

10:34

In 1956, one of the world’s most beloved children’s toys went on sale for the first time, but its origins were surprising. The modelling clay had started out as a household cleaning product. In the days when homes were heated by coal fires, it was used to clean soot and dirt from wallpaper. But its manufacturer ran into trouble as oil and gas heati…

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The invention of Jenga 10:51

3d ago10:51

10:51

It's just over 30 years since the brick game was introduced to the world at a department store in London. Made of 54 wooden blocks stacked into a tower in rows of three by three, each player takes a turn to remove a block from the tower and place it at the top. When the tower falls, the game is over. Surya Elango speaks to its British designer Lesl…

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I broke the most important rule: don't get attached 41:06

3d ago41:06

41:06

Swedish youth worker Nicolas Lunabba had one strict rule: never get attached to the kids you help. Then 13-year-old Elijah moved in — and turned his mentor’s flat into a home. In Malmö, Sweden, where poverty and violence shaped young lives, detachment was Nicolas' survival strategy. Then he met Elijah, an eight year old with a mohawk, a basketball …

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The first television opera 10:32

6d ago10:32

10:32

On 24 December 1951, in the United States, television history was made with the live broadcast of Amahl and the Night Visitors, the first opera ever composed specifically for TV. Written by acclaimed Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti, the opera almost didn’t happen. Struggling with writer’s block and a looming deadline, Menotti feared he wouldn’t…

1
When Laurel and Hardy spent Christmas at an English pub 10:25

7d ago10:25

10:25

In December 1953, Hollywood film stars Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy spent a few weeks at the Bull Inn, Bottesford, Leicestershire, while they performed a show at the nearby Nottingham Empire. Stan’s sister, Olga Healey, was the landlady. Customers and staff said the duo spent time serving behind the bar, signing autographs and chatting with regular…

1
When Norway introduced salmon sushi to Japan 10:11

8d ago10:11

10:11

In the late 1980s, Norway needed a new market for its growing farmed salmon production. Fish-loving Japan and its lucrative sushi market seemed to fit the bill. But salmon was one fish the Japanese did not eat raw. Lars Bevanger speaks to Bjørn-Eirik Olsen, the man who came up with the idea of putting salmon on sushi rice, and who spent years convi…

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Inside Operation Odyssey Lightning in Libya 34:52

9d ago34:52

34:52

From August to December 2016, then Marine Special Operations Officer Ivan Ingraham lived on an assault ship off the coast of Sirte, a city in northern Libya that lies between Tripoli and Benghazi. It was the hometown of Muammar Gaddafi, who invested in Sirte before dying there during Libya’s first civil war. In the midst of a second civil war, ISIS…

1
India's disability law 10:36

9d ago10:36

10:36

In December 1995, India's parliament passed the country's first disability rights legislation. The landmark law aimed to give full participation and equality rights to an estimated 60 million people - around five percent of India's population who are affected by physical or mental disabilities. In 2015, Farhana Haider spoke to disability rights act…

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How NFL tickets caught fugitives 10:37

10d ago10:37

10:37

Operation Flagship was a U.S Marshals sting operation, where some of Washington DC’s most wanted fugitives, were lured to a convention centre under the pretence of having won coveted NFL tickets in December 1985. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by cheerleaders and mascots – all law enforcement officers in disguise. It led to one of America’s …

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Tulisa: I wanted fame, but it almost destroyed me 39:10

10d ago39:10

39:10

N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos survived betrayal and a tabloid sting. Tulisa was born into a family of musicians in Camden, London, and says music was part of her everyday life. But her childhood was impacted by her mother's severe mental health episodes that would often end up with her being held in psychiatric institutions. After her parents d…

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Introducing The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev 4:11

12d ago4:11

4:11

The world is on the brink of nuclear war. How can the Soviet Union and the USA prevent it? Hosts Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, relatives of the superpower leaders President John F Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, tell the personal and political history of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Together Nina and Max explore what drove JFK and Khrushche…

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The Paris climate agreement 10:04

13d ago10:04

10:04

On 12 December 2015, nearly 200 countries adopted the Paris climate agreement. It legally committed countries to climate action plans, designed to stop global temperatures rising 2C above pre-industrial levels. Those commitments have influenced government policy and people's lives ever since. Christiana Figueres was head of climate negotiations at …

1
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa 11:14

14d ago11:14

11:14

Following the abolishment of Apartheid in the 1990s, South Africa had to find a way to confront its brutal past without endangering the chance for peace. But it was a challenging process for many survivors of atrocities committed by the former racist regime. Sisi Khampepe served on the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, s…

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The discovery of the coelacanth 10:20

15d ago10:20

10:20

In 1938, South African museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered a coelacanth, a fish that was believed to have been extinct for 65 million years. It is thought to be our ancestor and the missing link between how fish evolved into four-legged amphibians. Produced and presented by Rachel Naylor in collaboration with BBC Archives. Eye-witn…

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Auctioning Off the Key to Kryptos 27:37

16d ago27:37

27:37

At the CIA headquarters in Langley, you will find Kryptos, a large curved copper panel that holds the letters to four encrypted messages. The first three messages- K1, K2, and K3- were solved in the nineties, but K4 continued to mystify cryptographers for decades. That is until Jim Sanborn, the artist who created Kryptos, decided to auction off the…

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Dismaland: Banksy's dystopian theme park 10:38

16d ago10:38

10:38

In 2015, Banksy turned a derelict swimming pool in Weston-super-Mare, England, into a dystopian theme park which drew huge crowds and Hollywood stars. Working under cover of darkness, the street artist created Dismaland - a 'bemusement park' offering a satirical twist on mainstream resorts. The temporary exhibition featured a fire-ravaged castle, a…

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The Balcombe Street IRA siege 9:10

17d ago9:10

9:10

In December 1975, four members of one of the IRA’s deadliest units were chased by police through the streets of London before hiding out in a small flat owned by a middle-aged couple called John and Sheila Matthews. The resulting six-day siege was covered live on television and radio, and gripped Britain. It ended when Metropolitan Police negotiato…

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The ragtag boy who was taken in by a football icon 40:52

18d ago40:52

40:52

The incredible story of the football icon who changed a boy's life. Craig Bromfield's start in life was difficult: there was often no electricity in his childhood home, and he didn’t even own a coat. He was in and out of the social care system, and would ask for money on the street. This is what 11-year-old Craig was doing with his brother Aaron, o…

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How Lagos Fashion Week began 10:56

20d ago10:56

10:56

In 2011, Lagos Fashion Week debuted, putting Nigerian style on the map. Omoyemi Akerele founded the event which helped to launch the careers of designers internationally. It has grown into a major fashion event and won the 2025 Earthshot Prize for sustainability. In 2023, Omoyemi Akerele spoke to Reena Stanton-Sharma about the first show. Eye-witne…

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Wole Soyinka: Imprisoned during Nigeria’s Biafra war 10:20

21d ago10:20

10:20

In 1967, Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka tried to stop the country’s Biafra war, in which Nigeria’s Igbo people responded to violence by seceding from the rest of the country. They proclaimed a new Republic of Biafra. When the fighting began, Soyinka was building a reputation as a poet and playwright abroad. However, in a last-ditch attempt to avert c…

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Escaping Nigeria's Biafra war 10:36

22d ago10:36

10:36

When the south-east region of Nigeria declared itself to be the independent state of Biafra, civil war broke out in May 1967. More than a million people died before the fighting stopped. In 2021, Patricia Ngozi Ebigwe, now better known as TV and music star Patti Boulaye, spoke to Paul Waters about escaping the conflict. Eye-witness accounts brought…

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An Interview with the CIA’s Former “Q” 35:04

23d ago35:04

35:04

Bob Wallace was appointed Deputy Director of the CIA’s Office of Technical Service in 1995 and became its director three years later. In other words, he was the CIA’s “Q.” The storied office dealt in microdots and secret writing, creating innovations that spanned concealments, forged documents, surveillance equipment, covert communications, and spe…

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Building the New Afrika Shrine in Nigeria 11:00

23d ago11:00

11:00

It's 25 years since the opening of the New Afrika Shrine, an open-air entertainment centre in Nigeria. A hub for Afrobeat music and culture, it's dedicated to the legacy of Fela Kuti who pioneered the genre. Omoyeni Anikulapo-Kuti, also known as Yeni Kuti, is Fela’s eldest daughter. She speaks to Surya Elango about building the New Afrika Shrine. E…

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West Africa fights back against Boko Haram 11:11

24d ago11:11

11:11

In 2015, West African countries fought against the jihadist militant group Boko Haram which controlled large areas of northeastern Nigeria. The group, whose name means 'western education is forbidden', had killed thousands and displaced millions in the years preceding 2015. They made worldwide headlines in 2014 when they kidnapped 276 girls from a …

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My private trauma was leaked to the press – so I fought back 41:20

25d ago41:20

41:20

When Jenny Evans was sexually assaulted and confidential details appeared in a national newspaper, she decided to investigate – uncovering police corruption, tabloid spying, and phone-hacking. Jenny got a role in her first feature film when she was just 19 years old. At a film party in London she became separated from her friends and was sexually a…

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Ravi and George 10:38

27d ago10:38

10:38

Following the Beatles final concert tour, George Harrison travelled to India in 1967 to learn sitar under the renowned musician Ravi Shankar. Fleeing Beatlemania he travelled in disguise to Mumbai and then to Srinagar in Kashmir. Listening to BBC archive and using excerpts from a Martin Scorsese documentary, we hear one of the world's most famous g…

1
India goes to the UN 10:33

28d ago10:33

10:33

In 1946, an Indian woman made history by leading her country’s first delegation to the United Nations. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit described it as a moment that reshaped her life. As the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, she was already in the public eye, but stepping onto the global stage was far from easy. She grappled with doub…

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The Howard Hughes literary hoax 10:04

29d ago10:04

10:04

In 1971, the publishing world was rocked by one of the biggest hoaxes in literary history – a fake autobiography of the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. Hughes was an aerospace engineer, film producer, record-breaking aviator and business tycoon, who’d built a $2 billion fortune to become one of the richest people in the world. But for years he…

101
Inside the CIA’s Book Club Designed to Bring Down Communism 33:17

1M ago33:17

33:17

The CIA’s book club, known by the codename QRHELPFUL, was a secret 35-year program born of the fear that communism would dominate the globe. About 10 million books were smuggled into the Soviet Union during the Cold War, transported by trucks and yachts, in tins and luggage, and even dropped from balloons. The agency believed that the literature co…

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Colombia's Salt Cathedral 10:35

1M ago10:35

10:35

In 1995, a cathedral was built 180m underground in the Zipaquirá Salt Mine in Colombia. The idea came from the miners building makeshift altars in the mine in the 1930s, to pray for their safety before starting their shifts. It’s now a major tourist attraction, attracting more than 600,000 visitors a year. Rachel Naylor speaks to the engineer behin…

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Toy Story: the first digitally-animated feature film 10:47

1M ago10:47

10:47

Released in 1995, this buddy movie about a cowboy doll and a toy astronaut was the first to use entirely computer-generated images. The story, about a group of toys who come alive when humans are not around, appealed to audiences around the world. In 2017, animator Doug Sweetland spoke to Ashley Byrne about his work on the Pixar film. This was a Ma…

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How Paramore’s singer revived her grandad’s lost album 38:08

1M ago38:08

38:08

Hayley Williams’ grandpa Rusty nurtured her musical dreams – now, she’s returning the favour. As the lead singer of American rock band Paramore, Hayley Williams has won three Grammy Awards and toured the world. Behind the scenes, her grandad Rusty has been her biggest supporter and musical hero, nurturing her childhood passion and later her career.…

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How the Bosnian war ended 10:12

1M ago10:12

10:12

The Dayton Peace Accords were signed on the 21 November 1995, ending the three-and-a-half-year war in Bosnia. The war was part of the break-up of Yugoslavia; it is estimated that 100,000 people were killed. In 2010, Lucy Williamson spoke to Milan Milutinović who was one of the leading negotiators for the Serbian delegation about the final 24 hours …

1
The Spanish king reclaims his throne 10:38

1M ago10:38

10:38

In 1975, the death of General Francisco Franco was announced in Spain, bringing to an end 36 years of dictatorship. Franco had already chosen his successor: Prince Juan Carlos, grandson of the last monarch, Alphonso XIII. This was the man who - Franco thought - would continue his authoritarian, anti-democratic and deeply conservative regime. But Ju…

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The death of Franco 10:32

1M ago10:32

10:32

General Francisco Franco died in November 1975, ending 36 years of dictatorship over Spain. The general had been in power since 1939 after winning the country’s bloody civil war, and his death followed a long illness. He was mourned by conservative Spaniards but those on the left celebrated, calling him a fascist who had once been an ally of Hitler…

1
The Hunt for China’s Spy Family 38:32

1M ago38:32

38:32

For decades, California-based engineer Chi Mak quietly stole secrets on war-fighting technologies. He and his family members shared the intelligence with spies in China, giving Beijing astounding insights they hadn’t earned. Former FBI Special Agent James Gaylord takes us back to the elaborate investigation in 2004. Evidence gathered by his squad, …

1
Angela Merkel suspends EU asylum rules in 2015 10:47

1M ago10:47

10:47

In the summer of 2015, there was a surge in the number of people from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, seeking asylum in Europe. Social Democrat politician Aydan Özoğuz was Angela Merkel's minister of state concerned with immigration, refugees and integration from 2013 to 2018. She describes to Josephine McDermott visiting her father's home city of Kil…

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Reagan and Gorbachev: The Geneva Summit 10:18

1M ago10:18

10:18

Forty years ago, in November 1985, two of the world’s most powerful leaders met for the first time. With Cold War tensions running high and the nuclear arms race dominating global politics, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came together for the first time at the Geneva Summit. Using archive recordings, Megan Jones expl…

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Miriam Toews: A loud voice in a town once ruled by silence 41:38

1M ago41:38

41:38

The award-winning author who used her strict Mennonite upbringing to tell its unspoken stories. Miriam Toews is one of Canada’s most acclaimed novelists, but her journey began far from the literary world. Raised in the conservative Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba, she grew up surrounded by deep faith, strict expectations, and a culture where …

1
When Maldives' ministers met underwater 10:51

1M ago10:51

10:51

On 17 October 2009, the Maldives’ top government officials donned their scuba gear for the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting. Fish floated around while ministers communicated with hand gestures, white boards and special underwater pencils. Meanwhile on the surface, journalists jostled to see what was happening. The watery meeting was filmed …

1
Bataclan attack in Paris 10:33

1M ago10:33

10:33

On 13 November 2015, 90 people were shot dead by gunmen at the Bataclan theatre in France during an Eagles of Death Metal concert. A further 40 people were killed in co-ordinated terror attacks by jihadists across the city on the same night. Rachel Naylor speaks to British couple Justine Merton-Scott and Tony Scott, who managed to escape the venue …

1
Prosecuting Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials 11:09

1M ago11:09

11:09

In November 1945, the first major war crimes trial in history opened in the German city of Nuremberg. Senior Nazis who had committed atrocities during World War Two were prosecuted by the victorious Allied powers of Britain, the USA, France and the Soviet Union. In 2014, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Benjamin Ferencz, who helped unearth evidence of mass …

1
A Family of Spies and a Bloodline of Secrets 34:04

1M ago34:04

34:04

No other American has a family history quite like Christine Kuehn. Through years of doing painstaking interviews, hunting down letters, and pouring through FBI records, Christine learned that her German-born aunt had a fling with Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels. When he found out she was half-Jewish, Goebbels sent the family to Hawaii to spy. After…

1
Birth of the G7 10:35

1M ago10:35

10:35

In November 1975, a summit took place at Rambouillet, France, where the heads of six of the world’s most industrialised nations and their finance ministers came together. The leaders of the US, France, Germany, Britain, Japan and Italy hoped to solve the ongoing economic crisis. The summit marked the birth of an institution now known as the G7. Fra…

1
Breaking the sound barrier 10:30

2M ago10:30

10:30

On 14 October 1947, American Chuck Yeager became the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound. Despite having two broken ribs, Chuck reached Mach 1.06 – a speed of more than 1,100km per hour. He flew an orange, single-seated, rocket-powered Bell X-1, 13,000m above the Mojave Desert in California. Produced and presented by Rachel Naylor, in…

1
Introducing Deep Cover Presents: Snowball 49:51

2M ago49:51

49:51

We’re sharing a preview of another podcast we think you’ll enjoy, Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. Snowball follows journalist Ollie Wards as he unravels the wild story of how his own family was taken in, and taken down, by a charming con woman from California…and tries to find out where she is now. He embarks on a question to find out how she did it…

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Trapped underground: my 54-hour cave rescue 38:33

2M ago38:33

38:33

Trapped underground: my 54-hour cave rescue. For George Linnane, an experienced caver from England, being underground is his happy place, somewhere he can feel calm away from the chaos of daily life. But when he and two friends set out for a routine trip in the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system in Wales one Saturday lunchtime in November 2021, they coul…