History's Heroes

An undercover Polish operative deliberately sets out to be arrested and sent to Auschwitz. His mission is to tell the world what’s happening inside the walls of the camp. Will he make it out alive? Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio...

Hiding in an attic in the Netherlands, a German Jewish refugee risks his life to create The Underwater Cabaret, a secret, satirical magazine that seeks to ridicule the Nazis. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Produ...

A female agent, codename Madeleine, is sent to the heart of occupied France to transmit messages back to the Allies. Will the Nazis detect her? Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producers: Emma Weatherill and Sunit...

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for tales of deception, resistance and courage in History's Secret Heroes Series 3.

Can 21 year-old Terry Fox, a cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg, run the length of Canada? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smi...

With the power of the written word as their weapon, a brother and sister mount a daring campaign against the Nazis. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistan...

Deep in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, a young Soviet Naval must make a decision that could either save the world or trigger its destruction. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant P...

An arrogant young man with a passion for dissecting corpses challenges his teachers and changes the course of modern medicine. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickar...

When her kingdom is threatened, a 22-year-old Indian woman takes on the British Empire on horseback, with a sword in each hand. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Ricka...

In Norwich, a woman locks herself in a tiny cell for years. Despite limited contact with the outside world, she becomes one of the first women to write in the English language. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Pro...

After losing his sight in a childhood accident, a young Frenchman invents a tool that will change the lives of blind people around the world. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. This programme has been edited since first publication to remove the inaccurate suggestion that Charl...

A charismatic young man attracts a band of followers after denouncing his family fortune and devoting his life to the poor. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Series Producer: Suniti Somaiya Producer: Lorna Reader E...

Before she became a Hollywood star, how did the young Audrey Hepburn take on the Nazis in the Netherlands? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Produce...

When a reclusive young woman spots a shipwreck off the coast of Northumberland, she embarks on a perilous rescue mission. Little does she know, it will make her world-famous. Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Produ...

Stripped of her crown and trapped In the Tower of London will Lady Jane Grey give up her faith or face the executioner’s axe? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant Producer: Lorna Rea...

Before he became a world leader, how did Mandela as a young activist first attempt to overthrow the South African government to end apartheid? Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Produce...

Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.

Manfred Gans joins an elite, secret unit of Jewish commandos to take on the Nazis with advanced fighting and counterintelligence skills. But can he save his own family? Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: S...

Emily Anderson led a double life. This shy musicologist from Galway was also a top codebreaker for the British, whose work would play a crucial role in Allied victory. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Su...

A 24-year-old Belgian woman masterminds an escape line, spanning eight hundred miles of Nazi-occupied territory, stretching from Belgium to Spain. Can Andrée de Jongh save the lives of hundreds of stranded airmen? Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio productio...

Charles Drew, an American doctor, led the creation and use of blood banks, saving countless lives both in war and in peacetime. But while he worked around the clock to save lives, he would be dragged into a battle on a different front: the battle for civil rights and racial equality in the United States. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for...

A young circus performer from a traveling family in France breaks out of an internment camp and dedicates himself to bringing the Nazis down. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer...

After contracting Hansen’s Disease, then known as leprosy, Josefina Guerrero makes a remarkable decision. She becomes a spy for the resistance in Manila. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya E...

A group of Native American soldiers use their language to devise a secret code for the Allies. Can the Navajo code help win one of the fiercest battles of the war? Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti...

Thrill-seeker Christine Granville offers to ski across enemy lines and over the deadly Carpathian mountains, into Nazi-occupied Poland to gather intelligence for the British. Churchill would later call her his favourite spy. Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for incredible tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage. A BBC Studios Audi...