Episodes

  • The Post Office Scandal has gripped the nation’s attention – but only truly captured the public's imagination following the popular ITV drama of the postmaster’s ongoing quest for justice. As the government takes steps to legislater and offer further compensation, Jonathan looks at two important factors from the Post Office inquiry – a drama making all the difference to overturning a scandal, and a miscarriage of justice being righted to make permanent and impactful change.

    Professor Rosalind Crone looks back at the curious case of Adolf Beck, whose wrongful conviction and fight for freedom ended in the Court of Criminal Appeal being founded. Dr Ella Dzelzainis shines a light on writer Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna, whose novels were integral in bringing the plight of child factory workers to public attention and resulted in the Factory Acts being passed.

    In both cases, it took notable storytelling in the press and popular literature of the day and the outcry of the British public for meaningful change to be made.

    Producers: Olivia Sopel and Mugabi Turya

  • If Donald Trump is elected to a second term as President of the United States he would be 82 at the end, if Joe Biden is re-elected he would be 86. Age has become a campaign weapon. How effective have the octogenarian leaders of the past been shown to be?

    One was William Ewart Gladstone who was Prime Minister four times, the last when he was 82. Dr Ruth Windscheffel Head of Teaching and Learning Enhancement at York St John University and author and editor of a number of books and articles about Gladstone discusses how his advanced age affected his final administration.

    Emperor Gordian I acceded to Rome's Imperial throne in 238 AD in his early eighties. Dr James Corke-Webster is Reader in Classics, History and Liberal Arts at King's College London. He discusses with Jonathan Freedland the events surrounding Gordian's rise to power in ancient Rome's most turbulent year.

    Reader: Josh Bryant-Jones

    Producer: Harry Parker

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  • Two of Britain’s ruling political parties find themselves without the strong, charismatic leaders who won them a handsome election victory – and now they’re struggling. At Westminster, it’s the Tories who are emerging, with difficulty, from the shadow of Boris Johnson. At Holyrood, it’s the Scottish National Party getting used to life without Nicola Sturgeon. Both were once riding high – yet this month, both the Conservatives and the SNP lost closely-watched byelection contests to Labour, those Tory defeats coming in Tamworth and mid-Bedfordshire just a few days ago. But the hole left after a once-dominant leader departs the stage is not new – not in Westminster and not in Edinburgh.

    .Jonathan Freedland takes The Long View of the void left by once-dominant leaders - to the fall-out from the demise of Sir Robert Peel in the middle of the 19th century and the way Tory politics was upended by the exit of the man who had all but created the modern Conservative Party; and the power vacuum that was left by the sudden death of King James V of Scotland in 1542.

    The GuestsDr Luke Blaxill, political historian at Hertford College, Oxford Dr Amy Blakeway, Senior Lecturer in Scottish History at St Andrews

    ReadersMichael BertenshawKenny Blyth

    Assistant Producer: Olivia SopelProduction Coordinator: Shan Pillay

    Producer: Mohini Patel

  • Elon Musk made his money leading and shaping the latest advances in society but now he’s dabbling in politics on the global stage – unelected and unaccountable but with the power to hold one-to-one meetings with world leaders as he did just last week with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who flew to California to meet the tech billionaire in person. Two commercial figures in history also took on the roles of unofficial diplomats and international influencers - Henry Ford, a car maker like Elon Musk, and a man who used his pioneering industrial might for political ends; and Robert Clive, the C18th imperialist and privateer whose actions under the guise of the East India Company brought him influence locally and internationally on the back of the new opportunities of empire.

    Historians: Adam Smith, Professor of US Politics and Political History at University of OxfordChandrika Kaul, Professor of Modern History at University of St Andrews

    Reader: John Lightbody

    Producer:Mohini Patel

  • The notorious Wagner group of mercenaries marched for Moscow after calls from its leader to 'end this disgrace’. Yevgeny Prigozhin insisted it was a ‘march for justice’ and not a coup, but for 24 hours Russia’s future seemed uncertain and the political impact of the brief uprising remains to be seen.

    The Roman general, Sulla, was the first leader of the Republic to seize power by force, marching twice on Rome – first in 88 BC, and the Streltsy uprising of Russian soldiers in 1698 proved a decisive moment in the rule of Peter the Great.

    Jonathan Freedland takes the long view of marches of mutiny.

    Contributors:Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics, University of GlasgowSimon Sebag Montefiore, historian and writer

    Readings:Gerard McDermottSamuel James

    Producer: Joel Moors

  • Jonathan Freedland takes The Long View of attempted state assassinations.

    Russia claimed it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin just last week, calling it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied it, saying: “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow.” The Russian authorities said the purported attack occurred overnight but there was no independent verification of it and no evidence has been presented to support it. Questions have arisen as to why it took the Kremlin hours to report the incident and why videos of it also surfaced so late in the day. Yet accusations abound in the Kremlin as to which state was the perpetrator - Ukraine or the US. As the threat of Russian retaliation for what it termed a “terrorist” act hangs in the air, Jonathan is joined by two historians. Professor Rory Cormac, Professor of International Relations at University of Nottingham, looks back to the United States' Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) many and varied unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the 1960s. And Dr Elizabeth Norton, who specialises in the queens of England and the Tudor period, takes us back to 1586 and the Babington Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, her Catholic cousin, on the English throne. The facts of the plot are far from straightforward, and very much tied up with the extensive spy networks created by Sir Francis Walsingham, arguably the first state spymaster. In both cases espionage and politicking lie just below the surface.

    The Readers are Leah Marks and Ewan Bailey

    The Producer is Mohini Patel

  • Jonathan Freedland takes The Long View of Spring Offensives.

    As Ukraine prepares for what is anticipated will be a Russian Spring Offensive, Jonathan is joined by two historians. Dr Michael Jones looks back at the spring offensive of 1356 in the Hundred Years War, which would lead eventually to the Battle of Poitiers and the capture of the French King. Professor Heather Jones of University College London discusses the German offensive of 1918 at the end of the First World War.

    In both cases the winter season forced the conflict to pause and allowed both sides to prepare for the Spring to come. The transition to spring is a time too for anxiety and tension.

    The actors Roger Ringrose and Leah Marks provide illustrative readings.

    The Producer is Tom Alban

  • Jonathan Freedland sheds light on current events through stories from the past.

    As Donald Trump announces he's running for President a second time Jonathan takes the Long View of political leaders who made a comeback. The 7th century Byzantine Emperor Justinian II generated enormous opposition during his first reign from 685 to 695 with unfair tax rises, military defeats and ultimately ordering mass murder in Constantinople. He was overthrown, had his nose cut off by way of punishment and banished in exile to modern day Kherson, in Ukraine. Now known as 'Slit Nose' he declared he would become emperor again and slipped back into Constantinople with a military consort and retook power. He then embarked on an even more despotic and bloodthirsty reign meting out vengeance on his enemies past and present, until his own life was brought to a violent end, abandoned by his troops.

    And the only US President to ever gain office in two non consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland. In the 1880's and 1890's, the Democrat won each time on tight margins. Although he was seen as a hard working, upstanding politician of probity, scandal surrounding extra-marital relations and I child out of wedlock dogged his presidential campaign. He declared 'Reform!' on the bloated Civil Service but when the vote went against him after his first term he vowed to his support base that he may have lost the battle, but not the war and he would be back. Four years later, he was. But the second term was even less successful than the first.

    With Professor Adam Smith from Oxford University and Associate Professor Rebecca Darley from University of Leeds

    Readings by David Hounslow, Chloe Sommer and Roger Ringrose

    Producer Neil McCarthy

  • As Liz Truss resigns after 44 days in office, the shortest serving Prime Minister in UK history, Jonathan Freedland takes the Long View of short-lived leaders; from Emperor Didius Julianus in AD 193 to Prime Minister Lord Goderich in 1827.

    Contributors: Professor Tim Cornell, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of ManchesterDr Luke Blaxill, Political historian at Oxford University

    Producer: Sarah Shebbeare

  • This summer, many Brits are striking or thinking about striking. From railway workers to barristers, Post Office workers to teachers, an unusually large wave of strikes continues to build as the summer goes on. As workers struggle with the cost of living and turn to industrial action, the Labour Party is divided on how to act. As the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer is walking a tightrope: the Party was founded on workers rights but strikes are disruptive and unpopular with many voters.

    So how have Labour leaders in opposition dealt with mass strike action in the past? Jonathan Freedland takes the Long View.

    Contributors: Professor Steven Fielding of the University of Nottingham and political historian Anne PerkinsProducer: Sarah ShebbeareStudio Manager and mixing: Tim Heffer

  • In this edition of The Long View Jonathan Freedland finds historical comparisons to the current Tory leadership contest, considering moments in history when the Conservative Party has removed a prime minister and sought a new figure for Number 10.

    He is first joined by Professor Laura Beers to discuss the removal of David Lloyd George in October 1922. Lloyd George, a Liberal, had led a War Time Coalition consisting of majority Conservative MPs. A charismatic figure, Lloyd George had a reputation as an innovator and a doer, but his time as PM was also plagued by scandal. Unhappy with the PMs economics, his foreign policy and his reputation, Conservative MPs met at the Carlton Club to decide whether to abandon the coalition and oust Lloyd George. Some of the loudest criticisms came from rising star and future PM, Stanley Baldwin who described Lloyd George as a 'dynamic force'.

    Fast forward 40 years to 1963 and the Party is once again seeing a change of leader. This time after Harold Macmillan decides to resign on the eve of the Tory Conference, citing ill health. The non-democratic 'soundings' procedure, run by the party elite, settles on Alec Douglas-Home to be leader, refusing to back any of the favourites. The choice causes controversy and will have a lasting impact on how future leaders of the party are selected.

    Presented by Jonathan FreedlandProduced by Sam PeachReadings by David Hounslow

  • With the warning of potential double digit inflation on the way and the already very real cost of living crisis, Jonathan Freedland is joined by Economic Historians Albrecht Ritschl and Duncan Needham to compare today's situation with the context, causes and impact of UK inflation spikes in the 1920s and the 1970s.Economies rarely fall prey to single drivers, but war, pandemic, international oil price and food costs have all been part of Britain's story in the past. Jonathan discovers how politicians dealt with inflation in the 1920s and 1970s, what the costs of their interventions were, and to what extent the insights of hindsight might help an approach to today's growing pressures.

    Producer: Tom Alban

  • Jonathan Freedland explores the past behind the present. In the last of this long view of the future we ask when do civilizations & systems know that things cannot go on as they are. When do the rulers and the ruled sense the game is up? Historians Craig Clunas summon up the last days of the Ming Dynasty of the 17th Century, Maria Fusaro considers how the Venetian Republic registered its waning powers & end days in the 18th Century and Anthony Badger explores the existential crisis of America in 1933-would it survive as a democracy, could it be reformed & avoid collapse?

    Producer Mark Burman

  • Cancel culture is not new or unique to the modern day. For as long as humans have had society, we’ve cancelled those who violated its unwritten rules and norms. Jonathan Freedland explores what history can tell us about how today's cancel culture might play out. He looks for historical precursors, starting with the the story of Galileo, whose insistence in the early 17th Century that the Earth goes round the Sun and not vice versa, got him into deep trouble with the Catholic Church.

    Contributors: Paula Findlen, Professor of History at Stanford University in CaliforniaTerence Dooley , Professor of History at Maynooth University in County KildareSir Antony Beevor, historian and author.

    Producer: Sarah Shebbeare

  • Jonathan Freedland explores historical parallels of today's shift to renewable energy due to climate change.

    Jonathan considers moments in history when societies have been forced to adapt their energy supply due to environmental pressures. He looks to the Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom and how it adapted to a century long drought, Early Modern England's wood scarcity crisis and the shift away from coal prompted by London's Great Smog of 1952.

    In our era of environmental crisis, can these historical events offer guidance on how best to adapt our own energy resources?

    Contributors: Professor Nadine Moeller, Yale University.Keith Pluymers, Assistant Professor, Illinois State UniversityDr Roger Fouquet, London School of Economics

    Producer: Sam Peach

  • Jonathan Freedland explores historical parallels to concerns around the harms of social media today. What can history tell us about those worries might be addressed?

    Jonathan looks for historical precursors to fears around the harms of social media platforms. He examines the controversial unstamped press in the Victorian era, the rise of the motor car and road safety in the early 1900s as well as the role of whistle-blowing in exposing the tobacco industry in the second half of the 20th century.

    Producer: Laurence Grissell

  • Jonathan Freedland explores what history can tell us about how today's tensions with China today might play out.

    Jonathan looks for historical precursors to the rise of China. He examines the rise of the Macedonian Empire in the 4th century BC, the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century and the rise of the United States in the second half of the 19th century.

    What can history tell us about how conflict might be avoided when a new power threatens an existing one?

    Producer: Laurence Grissell

  • Jonathan Freedland and a team of historians and BBC correspondents take The Long View of the Union of the United Kingdom.

    The peoples of this island and their relationship with each other is hotly discussed and contested. Its relationship – constitutionally, economically and culturally - is up for debate, especially as issues of the Union after Brexit and the pandemic come to the fore. In this special edition of The Long View Jonathan Freedland and a team of historians and BBC correspondents look back at three separate moments in the history of the birth of the Union where its future - and its terms of engagement - were under similar scrutiny.

    Producer: Mohini Patel

  • Earlier this year the death of Sarah Everard provoked an outpouring of grief and anger. A vigil marking her death descended into violence and thousands of social media-posts were shared detailing experiences of attack and threats against women in public spaces. Although the attempted rape of Kate Dickinson by the military officer Valentine Baker had a less tragic conclusion, the response to his assault on her in a railway carriage, which resulted in her hanging out of the train door for several miles until rescue came, provoked a very similar reaction across the nation. The ability for a woman to travel freely, to walk the streets without let or hindrance, was a topic of hot debate. There were many men who felt that with women becoming increasingly emancipated, and more involved in walks of life traditionally the preserve of men only, they simply had to accept as inevitable, the fact that they were at greater risk. Who was responsible for women's safety, and whether or not there were practical solutions like the re-design of railway carriages so that there was both access by way of a corridor and directly onto the platform, were discussed in newspapers and journals.Jonathan and his team explore the debate back then and the anger now about what may or may not happen to insure what to most is a basic freedom - to walk the streets in safety.

    Producer; Tom Alban

  • Although not dominating the COVID headlines the backlog of legal cases in the UK is taking a heavy toll on everyone from the people involved who are seeking resolution to the legal profession itself. That's the story today, but it was also the story back in 1666 when after a year of plague and then the Great Fire of London, our capital city was crippled by a legal backlog which made economic recovery and the rebuilding that it required all but impossible. The challenge then was to deal with all the cases to do with Landlords and Leaseholders who had lost everything in the fire and so couldn't afford to begin the rebuilding process.Jonathan is joined by the historian Professor Jay Tidmarsh who will tell the story of the Fire Courts and Fire Judges, set up to deal with the backlog as quickly and efficiently as possible. What they did, how the courts operated and just how much work they got through in less than a decade might provide some ideas for today's legal practitioners. To compare the history with the present Jonathan also hears from the Chair of the Bar Council Amanda Pinto and Sir Ernest Ryder a Lord Justice of Appeal, master of Pembroke College, Oxford and a law reformer.That's the Long View of Legal Backlogs.

    Producer: Tom Alban