Best Julie McDowall Podcasts (2025)

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Harold Macmillan, Part 1 34:06

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18m ago34:06

34:06

A new series on former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, a man born in the Victorian era who led Britain into her thermonuclear age and through the Cuban Missile Crisis. This episode starts with his horrible experiences in the trenches and takes us up to his 1954 appointment as Defence Secretary, but we take in Greek tragedy, adultery, plane crashes…

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When The Wind Blows, Part 16 33:11

3d ago33:11

33:11

To get ad-free listening, plus bonus episodes, visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo This week, Jim retreats into daydreams, and Hilda dishes out hard truths at the kitchen sink. Which one is best equipped to face the coming horror: the dreamer or the realist? PS I left one of my puppy's snores in the recording as it was cute. I used to sometimes do thi…

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When The Wind Blows, Part 15 30:44

14d ago30:44

30:44

To get ad-free access, plus bonus episodes, please visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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POP! 99 Red Balloons 32:35

20d ago32:35

32:35

The chart-topping 1983 hit about nuclear war - even though the band insisted it was no such thing! To get ad-free episodes, plus bonus episodes, please visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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When The Wind Blows, Part 14 31:08

1M ago31:08

31:08

Lions and tigers and bears? Oh my! We see that everything becomes a threat after nuclear war. And what is that strange scent hanging in the air? Also, a new BONUS EPISODE has been released for patrons, this one about Ronald Reagan and the biblical prophecy of Armageddon. Did Reagan believe it? Did he think the end of the world, in the form of nucle…

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France - Part Trois 32:00

1M ago32:00

32:00

The final part of our look at Savoir Pour Vivre, the French civil defence booklet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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A Canticle for Leibowitz 42:27

1M ago42:27

42:27

The weird post-nuclear novel, A Canticle for Leibowitz. We will continue our series on the French civil defence booklet next week. I just couldn't resist interrupting my own schedule with an episode on this mind-bending novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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France, Part Deux 37:39

2M ago37:39

37:39

We look at the French civil defence booklet, Savoir Pour Vivre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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France, Part One 25:51

3M ago25:51

25:51

I have the 1965 French civil defence booklet, and you can view it on Patreon here. I've made it free to read, but do consider subscribing for more content and extra pod episodes! www.patreon.com/atomichobo We will examine the booklet next week - it has been translated for me - but this week we start with an introductory look at why France decided t…

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Germany's Emergency Alert System 24:09

3M ago24:09

24:09

How will Germany alert its population to a nuclear attack? And why isn't the British warning system as good as theirs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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When The Wind Blows, Part 13 29:37

4M ago29:37

29:37

Jim lets the vampire, Fallout, cross the threshold! Join me on Patreon for more episodes at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Bell and Light System 23:07

4M ago23:07

23:07

The Bell and Light alert system, used in America in the early Cold War. I discuss the booklet A Realistic Approach to Civil Defense, from 1966. You can view the civil defence booklet, and get extra episodes, at my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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When The Wind Blows, Part 12 26:37

4M ago26:37

26:37

"All dead..." Jim tries the TV, the radio, the phone...but there's nothing. "All dead..." he keeps saying. Get the latest Four Minutes of The War Game over on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Interview with Dr Richard Lawson on the "suicide pill" question 20:11

4M ago20:11

20:11

In 1983, a GP from a village near Bristol was so worried about the prospect of nuclear war, and how it would leave him unable to effectively treat his patients, that he called a public meeting and asked the residents whether they'd wish him to issue "suicide pills" in the event of nuclear war. I interviewed Dr Richard Lawson to ask him about this v…

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Euthanasia in Nuclear War 41:35

5M ago41:35

41:35

A difficult subject this week - but aren't they all? We don't do sunshine and rainbows on this pod. I look at the topic of "suicide pills" which was bravely raised by American students at Brown in 1984, and made news all across the USA. The issue was also present in Britain in the early 80s, and was brought to prominence by a local doctor. I'll be …

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When The Wind Blows, Part 11 25:44

5M ago25:44

25:44

"I never knew a bomb could give you a headache." The fallout descends and Jim and Hilda start to feel ill. For patrons, a new Four Minutes of The War Game episode has also been uploaded. You can get it here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo Thanks, Julie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Fiascos, Mormons and Graves: Nuclear News from 1981 Aldershot 26:13

6M ago26:13

26:13

I go into the newspaper archives to see what the local papers in Aldershot were saying about nuclear war in the early 80s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.