Witness HistoryEpisodes Episode guide
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12/11/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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11/11/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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10/11/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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09/11/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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06/11/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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05/11/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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Brazil's Mariana dam disaster
In 2015, the Fundão dam collapsed near Mariana, causing a major environmental disaster
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'I survived Typhoon Haiyan'
In November 2013, Joanna Sustento was hit by a devastating storm in the Philippines
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Family's daring steam train escape from East Berlin
On 5 Dec 1961, driver Harry Deterling ploughed through the East German state iron curtain
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30/10/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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29/10/2026 GMT
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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Britain's real ale revolution
In 1971 the Campaign for Real Ale was set up becoming a hugely influential movement
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Bonn v Berlin: how Germany chose its capital
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and Germany had to choose its new capital
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The Siege of Paris
In 1870, the city of Paris was encircled by the Prussian army
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The Hungarian Revolution
In 1956, students and workers took to the streets of Budapest to protest at Soviet rule
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Witness History
The story of our times told by the people who were there.
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Malta’s divorce referendum
In 2011, Maltese voters went to the polls to decide if divorce should be legalised
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How Ten Canoes made cinema history
In 2006, Australia's first feature film in Aboriginal languages was created
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Gerald Durrell's mission to save species from extinction
In 1959, the writer Gerald Durrell opened the gates to a new kind of zoo
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Declaring chimpanzees an endangered species
In 1990, human’s closest living relatives were declared endangered for the first time
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When Dian Fossey was murdered
American gorilla expert Dian Fossey was murdered in 1985 in the mountains of Rwanda
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Washoe: The chimp who learnt to sign
By 1970 Washoe the chimp was thought to be the first non-human to learn a human language
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Harry Harlow's monkey attachment studies
Harry Harlow's controversial monkey tests in the 1950s transformed ideas on attachment
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The first monkeys to survive space travel
On 28 May 1959, the USA sent two monkeys into space and brought them back alive.
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The boy behind the creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh books
In 1926, the first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published, inspired by a young boy's toys
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How rats were trained to clear landmines
In 2004, the world's first team of rats were cleared to be used in demining operations(R)
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The mirrors that lit up a dark Norwegian town
In 2013, Rjukan saw winter sunshine for the first time – thanks to an unusual invention
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Egypt’s President Sadat is assassinated
In October 1981, President Anwar Sadat was assassinated at a military parade
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The Peruvian pilots who secretly delivered fighter jets during the Falklands War
In June 1982, Peru sent fighter jets to help Argentina combat the UK
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Boer War: Siege of Ladysmith
In 1899, British troops faced a four-month siege in South Africa
