Podcasts about Imperial War Museum

Tonight sees the 70th Ivor Novello awards taking place at Grosvenor House in London.  They are coveted in the UK music industry because they specifically celebrate songwriting. Singer-songwriter Lola Young leads the nominations this year including one for 'best song musically and lyrically' for her breakthrough hit Messy, which spent a month at number one in the UK earlier this year.  Does this spell good news for women in the music industry? Anita Rani is joined by Linda Coogan-Byrne to discuss. If you've ever had the bad luck of getting a UTI - or Urinary Tract Infection - you'll know how painful they can be. It's a bacterial infection which can affect the bladder, urethra or kidneys and give a burning or stinging sensation when you urinate. Yesterday, in a powerful parliamentary session, the Labour MP Allison Gardner spoke through tears as she described her experiences of chronic UTIs. The MP for Stoke on Trent is now hoping to launch a cross-party parliamentary group to look at chronic UTIs - Allison joins Anita, as does the GP Ellie Cannon. A major new exhibition opens this week at The Imperial War Museum in London. Called Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, it looks at the atrocities inflicted during war and conflict from the First World War until the present day. Helen Upcraft is the exhibition's lead curator and Sara Bowcutt is the Managing Director of Women for Women International, one of the NGOs working in the field of sexual violence in conflict, who've also contributed to this exhibition. They join Anita in the studio.Women and listening... how do women listen? How good a listener are you? Two books out this month focus on listening, from listening to sounds to listening more deeply to other people. Anita speaks to writers Alice Vincent, and Emily Kasriel.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

Tredje rikets sista dagar präglades av kaos, förstörelse och död. I sitt politiska testamente utsåg Adolf Hitler storamiralen Karl Dönitz till Tysklands nye statschef. Dönitz var ingen ideolog eller sadist som Himmler eller Goebbels, men en lojal och effektiv tjänsteman i ett system byggt på förtryck och massmord. Regeringen han ledde – den så kallade Flensburgregeringen – existerade i drygt tre veckor med huvudsakligt syfte att organisera kapitulationen och möjliggöra för civila och soldater att fly till väst.I praktiken saknade Dönitzregeringen verkligt inflytande. Tysklands militära kapacitet var krossad, infrastrukturen låg i ruiner och de allierade kontrollerade redan stora delar av landet. Ändå spelade regeringen en viss roll i samordningen av partiella kapitulationer, bland annat i Danmark, Norge och norra Tyskland.Detta är det sista avsnittet i en serie av sju om andra världskriget från podden Historia Nu. Programledaren Urban Lindstedt samtalar med militärhistorikern Lars Ericson Wolke, aktuell med boken Tredje rikets sista dagar.Den 7–8 maj 1945 undertecknades Tysklands villkorslösa kapitulation, vilket formellt avslutade kriget i Europa. Trots detta dröjde det till den 23 maj innan Dönitzregeringen arresterades av brittiska trupper och upplöstes. Under mellantiden rådde fullständigt kaos: miljoner människor var på flykt, städer låg i ruiner och tusentals dog i svält, sjukdomar och våld. Tyskland delades upp i fyra ockupationszoner, och i Nürnberg inleddes rättegångarna mot ansvariga för nazismens brott.Karl Dönitz dömdes till tio års fängelse för krigsförbrytelser. I sina memoarer, liksom Albert Speer, försökte han tona ned sin roll och lägga skulden på Hitler. Först långt senare framträdde en tydligare bild av Wehrmachts och SS:s aktiva deltagande i folkmordet.Dönitz var en teknokratisk lojalist. Född 1891, utbildad inom den kejserliga marinen, gjorde han karriär som ubåtsofficer under första världskriget. Under andra världskriget ledde han ubåtskriget mot de allierade med hänsynslös effektivitet och lät använda koncentrationslägerfångar i rustningsindustrin. Han blev partimedlem först 1944, men var länge en trogen anhängare av Hitler.Striderna om Hitlers efterträdarskap hade pågått länge. Hess diskvalificerades efter sin flygning till Storbritannien 1941, Göring föll i onåd, och Himmler förrådde Hitler genom att försöka förhandla med väst. Valet föll slutligen på Dönitz, vars lojalitet aldrig ifrågasatts.Hans regering – baserad i Flensburg vid danska gränsen – försökte fördröja kapitulationen inför Röda armén, och istället prioritera reträtt och överlämnande till västmakterna. Detta ledde till partiella kapitulationer i bland annat Danmark (5 maj), Nordvästtyskland och Nederländerna, samt förhandlingar i Norge. Det var ett försök att mildra konsekvenserna av det oundvikliga nederlaget.Bild: Gripandet av tre medlemmar ur Flensburgregeringen: Alfred Jodl, Albert Speer och presidenten Karl Dönitz. På bilden ses storamiral Karl Dönitz i brittisk fångenskap efter sin arrestering. Dönitz utsågs till Hitlers efterträdare den 30 april 1945 och ledde därefter förhandlingarna om de tyska styrkornas kapitulation i väst. Foto: Malindine E G (Capt), No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit. Bild BU 6711 ur Imperial War Museums samlingar. Wikimedia commons, Public Domain.Musik: Richard Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung: Siegfriedsbegravningsmarsch avthe UnitedStates Marine Corps Band, creative commons; Wiki Media.Lyssna också på Operation Valkyria – en trojansk häst i Tredje Riket.Klippare: Emanuel Lehtonen Vill du stödja podden och samtidigt höra ännu mer av Historia Nu? Gå med i vårt gille genom att klicka här: https://plus.acast.com/s/historianu-med-urban-lindstedt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Storbritannien stod ensamt kvar mot Nazityskland efter Frankrikes fall. Adolf Hitler ville egentligen ha fred med Storbritannien, men britterna och premiärminister Winston Churchill valde att fortsätta kämpa.För att kunna invadera Storbritannien behövde Luftwaffe först besegra Royal Air Force (RAF) och etablera luftherravälde. Under flera månader kämpade brittiska jaktflygare i Spitfires och Hurricanes mot det numerärt överlägsna Luftwaffe. Trots svåra förluster lyckades RAF stå emot, och när hösten anlände stod det klart att Tyskland hade misslyckats med att krossa det brittiska försvaret.Detta är det femte avsnittet i en serie av sju om andra världskriget från podden Historia Nu. Programledaren Urban Lindstedt samtalar med Martin Hårdstedt, professor i historia, om Slaget om Storbritannien 1940.Slaget om Storbritannien blev en vändpunkt i andra världskriget. När Frankrike kapitulerade den 22 juni 1940 blev Storbritanniens situation kritisk. Landet stod nu ensamt, med en krigsmakt som var försvagad efter evakueringen vid Dunkerque. De brittiska styrkorna hade förlorat stora mängder tung materiel, inklusive stridsvagnar, artilleri och transportfordon.Churchills beslutsamhet blev avgörande för Storbritanniens motstånd. Trots att vissa inom regeringen, inklusive utrikesminister Lord Halifax, övervägde en fredsuppgörelse, stod Churchill fast vid sin linje. Han ansåg att fred med Hitler endast skulle vara en kortsiktig lösning som på sikt skulle leda till att Storbritannien tvingades leva under Nazitysklands dominans. Hans beslutsamhet stärkte den brittiska moralen och bidrog till att landet stod emot trycket från Tyskland.Tysklands invasionsplan, Operation Seelöwe, byggde på att Hermann Görings Luftwaffe först behövde besegra RAF och neutralisera den brittiska flottan genom flyganfall. Planen var ambitiös men riskabel – transportfartygen var långsamma och sårbara, och utan luftherravälde skulle de bli lätta mål för brittiska bombflyg och örlogsfartyg.Luftwaffes inledande offensiv började i juli 1940 med attacker mot brittiska hamnar och fartyg i Engelska kanalen. Dessa anfall syftade till att locka ut RAF:s jaktflyg och försvaga det brittiska försvaret innan den stora offensiven tog vid. I augusti gick tyskarna vidare till nästa fas: systematiska anfall mot RAF:s flygbaser, radarsystem och logistik. Under dessa veckor var RAF hårt pressat och förlorade många flygplan och piloter. Trots detta lyckades britterna hålla sina radaranläggningar intakta, vilket var avgörande för att kunna förutse de tyska anfallen.Bild: En formation av Supermarine Spitfire Mk I från No. 610 Squadron, baserad på Biggin Hill, under ett uppdrag den 24 juli 1940. Flygplanen, inklusive N3289 ('DW-K') och R6595 ('DW-O'), flyger i den karakteristiska "vic"-formationen som användes av Royal Air Force under Slaget om Storbritannien. Fotografi taget av Daventry B.J. (F/O), Royal Air Force, och tillhör Imperial War Museums samlingar. Wikipedia. Public Domain.Musik: Wir fahren gegen Engeland av Musikkorpt eines Infanterieregimentes - leitung: B. Ahlers "Wir fahren gegen Engeland" är en tysk marschsång från andra världskriget, känd för sin användning i propagandasyfte. Sången skrevs 1939 av Herms Niel, en av de mest produktiva kompositörerna av tysk marschmusik under det nazistiska Tredje riket. Den användes i samband med Tysklands planer på en invasion av Storbritannien, Operation Seelöwe, men blev även en del av den bredare propagandakulturen inom Wehrmacht. Källa: Internet Archive (Public Domain).Klippare: Emanuel Lehtonen Vill du stödja podden och samtidigt höra ännu mer av Historia Nu? Gå med i vårt gille genom att klicka här: https://plus.acast.com/s/historianu-med-urban-lindstedt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is the 80th anniversary of ‘Victory in Europe Day', but despite the popular impression of the joyous street parties and jubilant crowds that took over London on 8th May, 1945, the reality was rather more complex.  For starters, the terms of Germany's surrender itself had displeased the Soviet Union, and Stalin insisted on a second, official surrender in Berlin. This meant that while the West celebrated on May 8th, Russia and its allies marked Victory Day on May 9th.  Meanwhile, in Britain, the logistics behind our ‘spontaneous' celebrations had actually been in the works since D-Day, with the working title of Ceasefire Day. Winston Churchill, amongst his many more sombre duties, was tasked with ensuring that the country had enough beer and bunting. And not everyone came out in the streets. While a million people flooded central London, many others stayed home, exhausted and mourning loved ones lost in the war. The sound of church bells—silent for five years except in case of invasion—was an emotional moment for many.  In this special 80th anniversary episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider the tricky dynamics of VE Day for President Truman, just weeks after Franklin D. Roosevelt had died; explain how time zone differences caused confusion in Australia and New Zealand; and discover the ultimate celebratory foodstuff: mashed parsnips… Further Reading: • ‘What You Need To Know About VE Day 8 May 1945' (Imperial War Museums): https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-ve-day • ‘VE Day' (Bletchley Park): https://bletchleypark.org.uk/our-story/ve-day/ • ‘V E Day in London - 1945' (Movietone, 1945): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEavcsrMoMw Love the show? Support us!  Join 

After several days of commemoration events to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, culminating in a memorial service today at Westminster Abbey, we're joined by Laura Clouting, Senior Curator at the Imperial War Museum, to explore why the historic event still holds importance in today's society and what we can learn from those who endured the Second World War. Plus, as Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 99th birthday, he releases a new film with possibly one of his most important messages to date. The London Standard's Culture writer, Vicky Jessop, joins us to tell us what we can expect from ‘Ocean'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winston Churchill had only been Prime Minister for three months when, on 20th August, 1940, he delivered ‘The Few' - one of his most iconic speeches - in the House of Commons.  Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how and why Churchill's paean to the courage of RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain has been so well-remembered - albeit mainly for a quote that appears in the middle of a lengthy address: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. In this episode, The Retrospectors reveal why Churchill laboured for hours on his most famous speeches; consider how his pronouncements played a crucial role in boosting national morale; and explore how he himself transformed from a divisive figure to a unifying PM during this pivotal time in British history... Thanks for supporting our show! Further Reading: • ‘The Few' (International Churchill Society): https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/the-few/ • ‘8 Of Winston Churchill's Best Speeches – Chosen By His Grandson' (HistoryExtra, 2021): https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/churchills-greatest-speeches/ • ‘How Winston Churchill's Speeches helped to win WW2' (Imperial War Museums, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3I_-5njblk This episode first aired in 2023 Love the show? Support us!  Join 

Celebrations and events are being held around the world to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day – the day when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end. In this 5 Live News Special, we're highlighting some of the personal stories from the time through letters written to loved ones, which are read for us by relatives of the authors. The letters have been collected by the Imperial War Museum. You can see the whole collection at https://ve-vjday80.gov.uk/letterstolovedones/

The chief foreign correspondent of The Sunday Times and bestselling author of ‘I am Malala' and ‘The Girl From Aleppo' visits the South West. Christina Lamb's work is defined by determination and curiosity to vividly convey life in areas of danger and conflict. How else would the rest of us know about the injustice, the violence, but also the hope that can be found in those dark places? What is the point of bearing witness to the atrocities of war? What difference can journalism make? As one of Britain's leading foreign correspondents, Christina Lamb has never wavered from giving a voice to the unsung heroes of war, often women like the cyclists in Kabul, the Zimbabwean lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, and the famous Malala. In this talk, Christina Lamb speaks about the defining moments of her career as an author and journalist: travelling with the Mujahidin, the resistance fighting Soviet occupation in Afghanistan during the Cold War, being in a 360 Taliban ambush, and surviving a bus bombing at an assassination attempt on Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. After 38 years of reporting from the most dangerous places on earth, Christina shares why she still goes to war, asking what we can learn about humans, conflict, and resilience. CHRISTINA LAMB Author and Foreign Correspondent Christina Lamb is one of Britain's leading foreign journalists as well as a bestselling author. Her despatches with the Afghan mujaheddin fighting the Soviet Union saw her named Young Journalist of the Year at the age of 22. She has since reported everywhere from Iraq to Ukraine, Israel to Zimbabwe and been awarded Foreign Correspondent of the Year seven times as well as Europe's top war reporting prize, the Prix Bayeux, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Society of Editors and Women in Journalism as well as the Chesney Gold Medal for promoting the understanding of war, previously awarded to Henry Kissinger and Winston Churchill. She has always particularly focused on what war does to women, and her book Our Bodies, Their Battlefields about sexual violence in conflict was described by leading historian Antony Beevor as ‘the most powerful book' he had ever read and recently recommended by Queen Camilla in a speech. She has written ten books including co-authoring the international bestseller I Am Malala. She is a Global envoy for UN Education Cannot Wait, Honorary Fellow of University College Oxford, on the board of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, and an Associate of the Imperial War Museum and was awarded an OBE in 2013.

In this episode, Danny is joined by writer and comedian Paul Kerensa. Paul has written extensively for TV, including Miranda, Top Gear and Not Going Out and has published a number of highly popular books, including several children´s books. He claims to be the only stand-up comic without a naval and has performed in numerous countries. Paul is also the host of The Great British Broadcasting Century podcast, which is all about BBC history. Naturally, because Paul is a bit of a BBC history nerd, this episode is peppered with fascinating insights into the subject. They also discuss the 3 types of gigs Paul does, including lots of church gigs, and his insights into how he adapts his act for these venues include several funny anecdotal stories. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS The BBC has had a strong influence on British culture e.g. The London-centric, Victorian/Dickensian feel of a traditional Christmas is partly down to them. Bush House, which became the BBC´s home in 1940 was the most expensive building in the world. Comedy is a great way of getting people to think, including about religion. Most churches and cathedrals are better venues than comedy clubs. The BBC was not behind the first radio broadcast in the UK. The birthplace of the microphone is now a Chinese supermarket. What people will laugh at has changed drastically, making modern audiences trickier. The BBC once hosted an evening of mass telepathy. BEST MOMENTS “It´s one of those tours that never ends.” “I couldn’t find a way of saying “oh by the way I go to church” without it killing the room.” “He thought he had to speak the language of comedians to us, which he thought was just swearing.” “People aren’t going to laugh if they feel unsettled.” “There´s a community in Sussex that’s a little bit Amish.” “It´s the only building outside of Israel that has been a church, a synagogue and a mosque.” “I can’t sell one-liners like they do.” “Guildford cathedral is still selling itself for film locations for spiritual battles.” “You go from amateur questioner to procrastinator.” “I´ve got no belly button…I once did a gig where there were three of us, quite rare.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.paulkerensa.com HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

In this episode, Danny Hurst sits down to chat with British comedian and author Jeff Green. He was raised in Chester and found his comedy feet in Manchester and London. He now lives and performs in Australia. Jeff worked hard and found fame; it was not unusual for him to do 5 shows a night. He once played The Rovers Return and learned his craft alongside Suzy Eddie Izzard. Danny and Jeff swap stories, including dying at the Bearcat and performing while IRA bombs were going off. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS In the 80s, Australians and New Zealanders came to the UK bought a 2nd hand camper and toured the UK. Jeff learnt how to do stand up alongside Suzy Eddie Izzard. For 20 years, Jeff did 5 gigs a night. Danny did 3 a night. Jeff won Comedy Store New Comic of the Year. For some gigs, comics had to walk through the audience to get to the stage, being heckled all the way. Comedy is in the blood in the UK, so many members of the public have a quick wit. When a comedian is funny between jokes they are usually very successful. The best comics take risks and break the mould. Many of them also don´t care and say what they want if they think it is funny. Being a comic in Australia is tough, every gig is an overnighter. The audience is calmer but easily offended. Australians like stories rather than one-liners Irish comics had it really rough during the 80s and 90s. BEST MOMENTS “I was getting standing ovations in London and being booed in Melbourne.”” “I was at Eddie´s first ever gig when he performed in a dress.” “We've got our own Susan Boyle in Dave Jones.” “You'd probably make the same money in 89 that you're that you're making in 2025.” “That's the beauty of comedy, you've got everyone in it, from top heart consultants to forklift truck drivers.” “Australian audiences are a lot softer than British audiences.” “I made a lot of mistakes in London; I clearly pissed a lot of people off.” “He said “it´s a homage Jeff”, which is a posh way of saying “I´ve stolen it” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.facebook.com/@comedianjeffgreen https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jeff-Green/author/B0034PJJFA HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

For this episode, Danny Hurst is joined by comedian, writer and broadcaster, Susan Murray She won the 1st Jongleurs New Act award and has been wowing audiences since the mid-90s. Susan has written for and appeared on many radio shows including Jeremy Hardy Talks to the Nation and Stephen K. Amos´ Life: An Idiot´s Guide and is one of the Huffington Post´s funniest women tweeters and stalwart of the British comedy circuit and the Edinburgh Fringe and has performed across the world. Susan and Danny discuss the UK comedy revolution that happened in the 80s/90s, including The Comic Strip and The Young Ones. Susan shares some great stories and trivia about some of the UK`s biggest comedians. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Susan Murray runs the Red Imp comedy club in Walthamstow. Working on Spitting Image and one of the UK´s first adult animation shows was her path into comedy. Susan is the person behind the current comedian’s Christmas party. Held in January because everyone is working at Xmas. 95% of comics get their gigs from the Facebook page Susan started. It's still quite hard being a woman in comedy, but things are improving. Some rooms are terrible for comedy. Gigs in low ceiling rooms are easier, but ones with mirrors or round tables are hell. You can´t second guess a room, some of the gigs Susan thought would be dreadful e.g. A room full of stag parties were great. When Susan makes bread it always looks like John Merrick´s head. Comedians who do the Edinburgh Fringe end up losing money. BEST MOMENTS “I'm Scottish, manufactured, Black Country raised.” “Then The Young Ones burst on the screen, and it literally blew my mind.” “Barry Cryer was an anecdote machine.” “Gigs are a bit nicer than they used to be.” “Why would you heckle a deaf comic?” “I had people ringing me up going, can you never stop baking your s**t bread.” “You get to be really rude to people in the audience, they love it, and then you get paid for it…. What more could you want from life?” “Comedy is a delicate flower you can´t shove it anywhere and expect it to thrive.” EPISODE RESOURCES http://susan-murray.co.uk/up-coming-gigs http://www.redimpcomedy.com Find a gig FB page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/284118201700872 HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

If you love theater, art, or music, your eyes will surely have been delighted by the work of Es Devlin.She has created public sculptures and installations at the V&A, Serpentine, and Imperial War Museum, and outside at Tate Modern, Trafalgar Square, and the Lincoln Centre, as well as kinetic stage designs at La Scala and the Royal Opera House in London and monumental illuminated stage sculptures for the Super Bowl halftime show, Olympic Ceremonies, and large-scale stadium concerts, including Beyoncé, Kanye West, Take That, Billie Eilish, and many more.A major retrospective of Devlin's work was shown at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York in 2023, along with an award-winning book called An Atlas of Es Devlin— which Thames & Hudson have described as their most sculptural and intricate book to date.For this year's Salone del Mobile, she paid homage to the spaces of the Accademia di Brera with “Library of Light,” an installation that dialogues with the space, the visitors, and the incredible books of the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense.The links of this episode:- Es Devlin's official website https://esdevlin.com- Maria Gaetana Agnesi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Gaetana_Agnesi- "Library of Light" for Salone del Mobile.Milano (2025) https://www.salonemilano.it/en/session/es-devlin-library-light- Beyoncé, "The formation Word Tour" (2016) https://esdevlin.com/work/beyonce- Gucci Cosmos https://esdevlin.com/work/gucci-cosmos- U2 at The Spere Las Vegas (2024) https://esdevlin.com/work/the-sphere- Please Feed the Lions in Trafalgar Square (2018) https://londondesignfestival.com/activities/please-feed-the-lions-by-es-devlin- "Five Echoes" in Miami (2021) https://www.dezeen.com/2021/12/16/es-devlin-five-echoes-labyrinth-chanel-miami/- The book "Becoming Animal. An Earthly Cosmology" by David Abram https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318/becoming-animal-by-david-abram/

In this episode, Danny, is joined by Jim Tavare, comedian, musician, actor and director, famous for his stand-up featuring his double bass, which has made him the recipient of some of the most legendary heckles in the history of the British comedy circuit. He was one of Prince Charles's favourite comedians and is well known for co-creating and starring in the BAFTA award-winning The Sketch Show. A certain demographic, however, remember him best as Tom, the Leaky Cauldron´s hunchback barman in Harry Potter. His IMDb profile describes him as looking like "a mad scientist escaped experiment." Jim has some great stories to share, including how he found comedic inspiration during an accident that literally nearly killed him, which is fascinating. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS During an accident that nearly killed him, Jim had an out-of-body experience during which comedic inspiration struck. Jim used comedy to help him heal emotionally and mentally. He adapted physical aspects of his act so that his long-term injuries did not stop him from performing. He started his career working in a theatre via a YTS scheme, then the Enterprise allowance. Adding his double bass to his act got laughs for jokes that had previously fallen flat. Most of the time, Jim used his double bass as a prop instead of playing it. Americans respond to a different type of humour and still love the British accent. Prince Charles booked Jim to perform in front of 14 crowned heads of Europe and the UK royal family. Their unique lifestyle meant Jim had to cut some jokes because they couldn´t relate to the experiences. Comedy goes in cycles, and at times the circuit becomes saturated. BEST MOMENTS “I'd always regarded myself as relatively handsome by European standards, until I got cast as the hunchback in Harry Potter.” “People are now growing avocado trees in London.” “I just couldn’t believe the characters I was meeting and making a living while I was doing it .” “The accent helps.” “Whilst I have Jewish heritage, I can´t really say I'm Jewish.” “I owe my career to that Tony Blair government kind of atmosphere.” “ I have scar tissue on the lungs, so breathing is sometimes an issue. “ ABOUT JIM TAVARÉ http://www.jimtavare.org https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851663 HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/national-security

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/technology

Amid the fanfare around AI and autonomous weapons, decision-makers - both military and political - are imagining an augmented future for warfare that minimises human influence and connection. But in their rush for speed and lethality, leaders have failed to understand the behavioural and technical challenges that accompany these new weapon types, as well as the detail of their operation and the practicalities involved in deploying these assets on tomorrow's battlefields. Indeed, as autonomy starts to flood fighting practices, the classical concepts of combat, tactics and strategy may no longer be fit for task. We are not ready and, as Paddy Walker makes clear in War Without Oversight: Why We Need Humans on the Battlefield (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2025), human oversight over lethal engagement is critical if we are to do more than suffer defeats faster. Formerly commissioned into the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, Dr Paddy Walker is Managing Director of the Leon Group. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Buckingham, an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and an Associate at the Institute for the Public Understanding of War and Conflict at the Imperial War Museum. Previously London chair of NGO Human Rights Watch, Paddy is a Board Member of NGO Article 36 and co-authored War's Changed Landscape, also published by Howgate, with Professor Peter Roberts in 2023. Check out the New Books Network episode on that book here. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar whose research areas are related to Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, military history, War studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, as well as Russian and East European history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Today, Danny Hurst sits down with Rachel Creeger, a talented comedian, writer, director, speaker, podcaster and actress. Rachel explains how, despite being from an Orthodox Jewish background, which traditionally discourages stand-up comedy, she became one. She shares how she fell in love with comedy through her family’s love of jokes and how it helped her at school where she was bullied and struggled with being neurodiverse. A serious illness didn’t stop her either and when she received a cash windfall; she used it to run away to the theatre and fulfil her dream. She also shares her experience of growing up as an Orthodox Jew in an area where the National Front was very prevalent. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Most successful careers involve taking on multiple roles, so be willing to learn. Pursuing creative interests often requires you to take risks and prioritise personal happiness over traditional career paths. Do as much as you can within your current circumstances to follow your passion. Everything you do builds skills for your creative future. You don´t have to be famous to write something or act in a play. Personal challenges and unexpected circumstances can be transformed into opportunities. Comedians who used music, e.g. Jasper Carrott and Victoria Wood, really shaped comedy in the 70s. Dealing with the National Front was especially hard for Rachel´s older relatives who had fled persecution to find safety in the UK. BEST MOMENTS “When someone introduces me as a comedian. I get a little, tiny glow." “I said, ‘I'm going to run away to join the theatre,’ and that's what I did.” “My material isn't niche. It's just another perspective on the same stuff.” “Skinheads would stop you in the street and give you a hard time… it was sort of my normal reality.” “It was important to also be part of what was happening in Britain and in London, because that's where we were growing up.” “One minute our Sabbaths were these quite casual affairs, and then they became very strict.” “I had one of those retro-antisemitic experiences.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.rachelcreeger.com https://www.jewtalkintome.com/ https://podstatus.com/podcasts/leaving-erinsborough-327103 https://www.instagram.com/upstairsatadamandeve HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

In this episode Danny sits down with music mogul, author, public speaker and filmmaker Simon Napier-Bell, who has managed some of the world´s biggest bands, including The Yardbirds, Marc Bolan and T Rex, Japan, Sinead O´Connor and Wham! Simon was born in 1939, so he was a true war baby; in fact, a pre-war baby, who saw how the war and world events impacted the way his birth city, London, evolved and grew through 8 decades. He shares memories of air raid shelters, steam trains, spivs on Oxford Street, the start of the teenage music scene, East End weddings, working in the early music film industry, the Marquee club and much more. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Simon’s earliest memory is of going down the stairs at Harrow on The Hill station, with the air raid siren going off, to get on a steam train to be evacuated to Devon. Simon still loves London. He feels completely at home and loves the way slums have given way to beautiful spaces. Trad jazz was the first music teenagers listened to that their parents didn´t. In the 50s, every musician who did not have regular work went to Archer Street on a Monday to get gigs. The street was jam packed. The songs played at East End weddings were always the same. The Establishment on Wardour Street looked very seedy outside but inside it was a classy club filled with film and music stars. Simon likes modern music, and the innovative approaches used to produce it. Every successful performing artist is looking for love and respect. The way the music industry works has not changed much, just the technology. Every band still wanted to play the Marquee Club. Rock and Roll inspired young people to go out and follow their dreams. The music industry has broken down societal boundaries. BEST MOMENTS “At five years old, I was going off myself on my bicycle.” “London was my place to sit and dream.” “Coronation Street readied us for wanting a teenage idol with a with a regional accent, so the Beatles did well.” “The essence of being a musician is to play live.” “Drugs have always been interrelated with music.” EPISODE RESOURCES Simon Napier-Bell Books - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Simon-Napier-Bell/author/B000APTQZA Archer Street history / https://www.muhistory.com/from-the-archive-4-archer-street-london HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

Una delle più minacciose formazioni navali della Germania si ritrova isolata nel mezzo dell'Oceano Pacifico. Circondata da ogni lato da territori nemici, il suo abile comandante, sceglie di provare ad attraversare da parte a parte il più grande oceano del mondo, per colpire i traffici alleati e cercare di raggiungere la madrepatria.Seguimi su Instagram: @laguerragrande_podcastSe vuoi contribuire con una donazione sul conto PayPal: podcastlaguerragrande@gmail.comScritto e condotto da Andrea BassoMontaggio e audio: Andrea BassoFonti dell'episodio:Geoffrey Bennett, Naval Battles of the First World War, Pen & Sword Military Classics, 2005Jamie Bisher, The Intelligence War in Latin America, 1914–1922, McFarland & Company, 2016Bombardment of Papeete, American Forestry, University of Harvard, 1915Copra, TreccaniJ. Corbett, Naval Operations. History of the Great War based on Official Documents, Imperial War Museum, 2009Noëlle Destremau, Michel Gasse, La défense de Tahiti – Septembre 1914, 1999Evening Star, 07/04/1917Ernest Fayle, Seaborne Trade, History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, 1920Friedrich Forstmeier, SMS Emden, Small Protected Cruiser 1906—1914, Warship Profile 25, Profile Publications, 1972J. Gray, Amerika Samoa: A History of American Samoa and its United States Naval Administration, United States Naval Institute, 1960Erich Gröner, German Warships 1815–1945, Naval Institute Press, 1990Bruce Gudmundsson, On Armor, Praeger Publishers, 2004Paul Halpern, Naval History of World War I, U. C. L. P., 1994Hans Hildebrand, Albert Röhr, Hans-Otto Steinmetz, Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien – ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart, Mundus Verlag, 1993Richard Hough, Falklands 1914: The Pursuit of Admiral Von Spee, Periscope Publishing, 1980 Arthur Jose, The Royal Australian Navy, 1914–1918. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Angus & Robertson, 1941Ian McGibbon, The Shaping of New Zealand's War Effort, August–October 1914, New Zealand's Great War: New Zealand, the Allies & the First World War, Exisle Publishing, 2007Robert Robinson, Electronic Warfare in WW1Stephen Smith, The Samoa (N.Z.) Expeditionary Force 1914–1915, Ferguson & Osborn, 1924Lawrence Sondhaus, The Great War at Sea: A Naval History of the First World War, Cambridge University Press, 2014Hew Strachan, The First World War: To Arms, Oxford University Press, 2001Gary Staff, Battle on the Seven Seas, Pen & Sword Maritime, 2011 Sydney Morning Herald, 22 October 1914J. B. Taltavall, How the Fanning Island Cable Station Was Captured and Destroyed by the Germans, Telegraph and Telephone Age, 1914Dan Van der Vat, Gentlemen of War, The Amazing Story of Captain Karl von Müller and the SMS Emden, William Morrow and Company, 1984In copertina: cartolina celebrativa delle navi dello Squadrone Tedesco dell'Asia Orientale. Da sinistra a destra: incrociatore leggero SMS Nürnberg, incrociatore leggero Dresden, incrociatore corazzato Scharnhorst, incrociatore corazzato Gneisenau, incrociatore leggero Leipzig.

For this episode of The Unusual Histories podcast, Danny is joined by Ninia Benjamin, a tour de force who is known for 3 Non-Blondes, Big Fat Gypsy Gangster and Twisted Tales. She is a comedian, plus size model, writer, painter and actress who describes herself as a mother to your soul. Ninia has also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and Hole in the Wall. If you´ve got kids they will know her as the voice of the eagle and the mosquito in Tinga Tinga Tales. She was born and raised in London and has lived in several of the city´s boroughs, so she shares some fascinating insights into why and how these areas have changed. Ninia shares her experience of growing up as the child of immigrants from Dominica and how her identity evolved as she got older, her unique way of making people laugh and dealing with hecklers. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Ninia is a London girl through and through. She was born in Paddington but was raised mainly in Tottenham/Harringay before moving to Walthamstow. In Ninia´s lifetime the area around the Harringay Ladder has gone from mainly Turkish to largely Greek and is now becoming a popular area for Eastern Europeans. As the people change, the way the buildings in the area are used has changed drastically. Tottenham has a bad reputation for crime, but, in Ninia´s experience it is not as bad as some other boroughs. Tottenham has always been a place for new immigrants, which means it has an eclectic mix of cultures, ethnicities and religions. If you want something from a specific country e.g. an ingredient, the chances are you will find it on Tottenham High Road. Unusually, some buildings have been turned into places of worship. Ninia has only experienced racism in London on one occasion. Each wave of immigrants changes the cockney accent. Ninia´s comedy influences includes Robin Williams and Roseanne Barr. Ninia saw comedy as a path into acting. Humour is subjective. There is a new backlash against female stand up comics. Not all female comedians rely on running men down to get a laugh. BEST MOMENTS “I am truly a Tottenham girl, and I know Harringay like the back of my hand.” “Tottenham has always been a mixing pot… you can buy anything on Tottenham High Road.” “I'm the old kind of half cockney, half not cockney.” “I saw you destroy this heckler, you were awesome.” “It tickles me to be absurd.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.instagram.com/ninia_benjamin HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

In this episode, Danny Hurst is joined by Ronnie Golden, aka Tony De Meur, of the post-punk pub rock band The Fabulous Poodles. They had several hits and appeared regularly on TV and radio. The Fabulous Poodles supported many bands including The Ramones and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Later, Ronnie transitioned into stand-up, comedy, acting and song-writing. He worked with Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders and was in The Young Ones, The Fourth Protocol and more. Later, he collaborated with comedy legends such as Arthur Smith, Rich Hall and, until his death, Barry Cryer, with whom he performed regularly as a double-act. Ronnie shares some fascinating stories about his career, the people he has worked with and his influences. He also explains how he learned maths through music and how the Comedy Store and The Comic Strip Presents… changed British comedy. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Despite writing a lot of music Ronnie, like many other musicians, cannot read music. Ronnie learned maths through music, he explains how during the episode. Never turn down the chance to do something new. Repeatedly, Ronnie took on projects despite not having 100% of the skills required. He simply learned what he needed to know. All performers have bad days, including Bob Dylan. Ronnie shares what it was like to see Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix and more perform in small London venues. A lot of the comedy of the 80s came out of people being sick of the Tories. In the 60s, going up west and to Denmark Street was a buzz. Today, London has become so corporate that it has lost much of its character. BEST MOMENTS “From doing comedy songs, I developed repartee, and it became a mix of stand-up and music.” “I recognised the mathematics in music, and I connected with it. 12 bar blues and that kind of stuff.” “I bought myself a harmonica, and I didn't take it out of my mouth for about a week until I learned it.” “You´ve got to trust yourself.” “That´s the way Dylan works – he likes to surprise himself.” “In the 60s, it was a complete buzz.” “I see less of places that I used to love going to and everything’s changed.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://x.com/ronniegolden1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_Golden HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

For this episode of the Unusual Histories Podcast, Danny is joined by the actor, director and singer Ray Shell who was the original Rusty in Starlight Express. He is also the author of the impossible to put down novel – Iced, which is being developed as a film. Ray grew up in America and moved to London in 1978. He shares his fascinating first impressions of London and the UK and how things have evolved since, including different approaches to crime, racism, the structure of society, politics and far more. Ray has had an amazing career and life, including some low points. He shares it all here. If you can´t get enough of these podcasts, head to https://www.patreon.com/DannyHurst to access my exclusive, member-only, fun-filled and fact-packed history-related videos. KEY TAKEAWAYS Compared to New York, London was very quiet. London used to be far less colourful, almost grey. For Ray, the UK was very much a haven. There were barely any guns or cocaine in the UK at the time. In New York, they were rife. Racism in the UK was there in the 70s, but it was more subtle than in America. In some ways the UK was less racist than America e.g. interracial relationships were more accepted. Opportunities come from some surprising places; it really pays to be nice to people. Push yourself to do new things to create opportunities you never expected. Ray´s book "Iced" transformed his finances. If you have a book in you, write it. When Ray landed the role of Rusty in Starlight Express he couldn´t roller skate. Ordinary people do not realise the power they have if they stick together and act in unity. If you have an idea, someone will buy it, so make it a reality. BEST MOMENTS “My first impression of London was that it was so quiet compared to New York City.” “We could walk down the street without looking over our shoulder.” “Meatloaf could sing his ar** off .” “I´ve had an incredible career, but most of these things happen by accident.” “Poverty has no colour.” “We are just unconsciously giving our money away - we have power.” “My total book deal was worth about £350,000.” “Your life is not hopeless.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://x.com/rayshell https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Ray-Shell/author/B001KE89ZS https://streetangelsbooks.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/tribewilson22 HOST BIO Historian, performer, and mentor Danny Hurst has been engaging audiences for many years, whether as a lecturer, stand-up comic or intervention teacher with young offenders and excluded secondary students. Having worked with some of the most difficult people in the UK, he is a natural storyteller and entertainer, whilst purveying the most fascinating information that you didn't know you didn't know. A writer and host of pub quizzes across London, he has travelled extensively and speaks several languages. He has been a consultant for exhibitions at the Imperial War Museum and Natural History Museum in London as well as presenting accelerated learning seminars across the UK. With a wide range of knowledge ranging from motor mechanics to opera to breeding carnivorous plants, he believes learning is the most effective when it's fun. Uniquely delivered, this is history without the boring bits, told the way only Danny Hurst can. CONTACT AND SOCIALS https://instagram.com/dannyjhurstfacebook.com/danny.hurst.9638 https://twitter.com/dannyhurst https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-hurst-19574720

La guerra sui mari si sviluppa nell'Adriatico, fra l'Austria-Ungheria, la Francia e il Montenegro, ma anche nel Mare del Nord, dove gli Uboot della Kaiserliche Marine ottengono la loro consacrazione definitiva. Il sommergibile diviene l'arma definitiva della Germania per la prosecuzione della propria guerra navale.Seguimi su Instagram: @laguerragrande_podcastSe vuoi contribuire con una donazione sul conto PayPal: podcastlaguerragrande@gmail.comScritto e condotto da Andrea BassoMontaggio e audio: Andrea BassoFonti dell'episodio:Annuaire de la Marine, 1915Günter Bischof, Ferdinand Karlhofer, Nicole-Melanie Goll, Samuel R. Williamson, ‘Our Weddigen.' On the Construction of the War Hero in the k.u.k. Army.: The ‘Naval Hero' Egon Lerch as an Example, 1914: Austria-Hungary, the Origins, and the First Year of World War I, Univertity of New Orleans Press, 2014Douglas Botting, I sommergibili, Mondadori, 1988 Heiko Brendel, Lovćen, 1914-1918 Online, 2014British Merchant Ships Lost to Enemy Action, Years 1914, 1915, 1916 in date order, Naval History, 2011David Brown, The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922, U. S. Naval Institute, 1999Malcolm Brown, The Imperial War Museum Book of the First World War: A Great Conflict Recalled in Previously Unpublished Letters, Diaries, Documents and Memoirs, University of Oklahoma Press, 1993Marc Castel, Fresnel, Sous marins francais Richard Compton-Hall, Submarines at war, 1914–18, Periscope Publishing, 2004J. S. Corbett, Naval Operations. History of the Great War based on Official Documents, Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military Press, 1938Károly Csonkaréti, Marynarka Wojenna Austro-Węgier w I wojnie światowej 1914-1918, Arkadiusz Wingert, 2004Mike Farquharson-Roberts, A History of the Royal Navy: World War I, I.B.Tauris, 2014Robert Gardiner, Randal Gray, Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921, Conway Maritime Press, 1985R. Gibson, M. Prendergast, The German Submarine War, 1914–1918, Naval Institute Press, 2003James Goldrick, Before Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters, August 1914 – February 1915, U. S. Naval Institute, 2015Paul G. Halpern, La grande guerra nel Mediterraneo, LEG, 2008Paul G. Halpern, Mediterranean Theater, Naval Operations, 1914-1918 Online, 2016Peter Hart, La grande storia della Prima Guerra Mondiale, Newton & Compton, 2013Guðmundur Helgason, WWI U-boats: KUK U12, German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net, 2008David Howarth, Le corazzate, Mondadori, 1988John Jordan, Philippe Caresse, French Battleships of World War One, Seaforth Publishing, 2017Charles Koburger, The Central Powers in the Adriatic, 1914–1918: War in a Narrow Sea, Praeger, 2001Laibacher Zeitung n. 73, 1915Robert Massie, Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea, Jonathan Cape, 2004Erwin Sieche, French Naval Operations, Engagements and Ship Losses in the Adriatic in World War One, 2000Erwin Sieche, The Austro-Hungarian Submarine Force, 2000Anthony Sokol, Naval Strategy in the Adriatic Sea During the World War, U. S. Naval Institute, 1937Anthony Sokol, The Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy, U. S. Naval Institute, 1968Spencer Tucker, World War I: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection, 2014Pierpaolo Zagnoni, Il ritrovamento della torpediniera 88S, Sub 290, Adventures, 2009In copertina: Logan Marshall, Gilbert Parker, Vance Thompson, Philip Gibbs, Illustrazione dell'azione del 22 settembre, in Thrilling stories of the Great War on land and sea, in the air, under the water, 1915

Dr. Robert J. Wolf, award-winning author of Not a Real Enemy, shares powerful stories of survival, resilience, and the fight against oppression. As a guest on I Am Refocused Radio, he has brought awareness to his father's remarkable escape from both Nazi and communist persecution in Hungary. This podcast goes deeper—featuring conversations with historians, educators, and thought leaders to explore the lasting impact of the Holocaust, the rise of modern antisemitism, and the parallels between history and today's world. Through compelling discussions, Dr. Wolf ensures that these crucial stories are remembered, understood, and used to inspire future generations.Dr. Robert J. Wolf is an award-winning author, physician, and advocate for Holocaust education. His critically acclaimed book, Not a Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man's Fight for Freedom, chronicles the extraordinary journey of his father, Ervin Wolf, who survived both Nazi and communist persecution in Hungary before making a daring escape to freedom. The book has received multiple prestigious honors, including the Nautilus Book Award, the National Indie Excellence Award, the Living Now Book Award, and the Readers' Favorite Book Award for 2023.A graduate of Tufts University (B.S. in Biology and Psychology, 1984) and the University of Michigan Medical School (1988), Dr. Wolf has worked in the field of radiology for over three decades. His commitment to preserving Holocaust history and educating future generations is deeply personal—his mother, Judit Wolf, was featured in the Survivors of the Shoah documentary.Dr. Wolf actively promotes Not a Real Enemy as a vital educational resource, advocating for its inclusion in academic curricula, particularly in light of rising antisemitism. His book is available at major institutions, including the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. He has donated copies to Yad Vashem, the Florida Holocaust Museum, the Imperial War Museum in London, and many other organizations worldwide.In addition to his writing and medical career, Dr. Wolf frequently appears in media interviews, sharing insights on history, antisemitism, and global conflicts. His work draws important parallels between past and present, highlighting the enduring relevance of his father's story in today's world. A portion of his book proceeds is donated to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in honor of his late parents, both Holocaust survivors and educators.For more information, interviews, or speaking engagements, Dr. Wolf invites readers to visit his YouTube channel, Robert J Wolf MD, or explore his book, available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Amsterdam Publishers.https://mybook.to/I3hEA5http://robertjwolfmd.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter  or Bluesky for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcast.Competition ends on 5th March 2025. The winner will be contacted via Bluesky. Show references: https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakmensah/Zak Mensah is the co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust. He is passionate about helping their service make an impact by focusing on the needs of over 1 million visitors. He is encouraging the organization to adopt a "digital by default" approach. Zak's mission is to ensure that their people, skills, and services remain adaptable to the rapidly changing landscape of the cultural sector. He is exploring new ways of doing things, including innovative business models, partnerships, and arts-related KPIs, while sharing as much as possible publicly.With a background in staff development and digital, Zak has been involved with the web since the late 90s and has seen its influence grow in all aspects of life. Prior to joining the arts sector in 2013, he helped small businesses, charities, Jisc, universities, and the Heritage Lottery Fund "do" digital well.Zak also runs his own consultancy to promote positive change and keep his skills sharp. His goal is to make a ruckus. https://www.vam.ac.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyakino-wittering/Amy Akino-Wittering is Head of Operations and Commercial at Young V&A, which opened July 2023 and recently won Art Fund Museum of the Year and Kids in Museums, Family Friendly Museum of the Year awardsResponsible for the general management of Young V&A she directly manages the visitor experience and teams, catering contract, volunteering and back of house operations, collaborating closely with central V&A colleagues to deliver operations and income for Young V&A. Previously Amy worked at V&A South Kensington as Senior Visitor Experience Manager-Sales and was on the opening project team leading on visitor experience and retail at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery.She started her career at Imperial War Museums working across sites from assistant to management roles in Retail and Admissions and systems management.  https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-sapwell-b3b2a281/Paul Sapwell has been Chief Executive at independent arts and culture charity Hampshire Cultural Trust since 2018, having joined the trust in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer following an early career primarily in hospitality and leisure. Paul is a passionate believer in the transformative power that cultural experiences can have on the wellbeing of individuals and communities, and a prominent advocate for the role of commercial growth, underpinned by a flexible, entrepreneurial team culture, in sustaining museum and arts organisations. Transcription: Paul Marden: The museums and culture sector are facing unprecedented headwinds. Static or reducing funding from local government, fewer grants from trusts and foundations, all while dealing with increased people costs. The continued headwinds from cost of living crisis. But this sector continues to deliver more with less and support the cultural life of our country. Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue. I'm your host, Paul Marden and in today's episode recorded the Science Museum at the Association of Cultural Enterprises View from the Top event. I'm joined by Amy Akino-Wittering, Head of Operations and Commercial at Young V&A. Zak Mensah, Co CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust, and Paul Sapwell, CEO of Hampshire Cultural Trust. Paul Marden: And we're going to talk about how the cultural sector can innovate in order to thrive. Anyone that's listened to the podcast before will know. And this is the nervous bit. Paul Marden: We always start with an icebreaker question which my lovely guests victims have not been prepared for. So, Zak, I'm afraid you go first, my friends. So if you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be? Zak Mensah: That's easy. I think I would be the thing that gets chased by the. Is it the wild Cody who runs around all his home? But I'd be the. What's the little, the stupid Roadrunner. Yeah, so I would be Roadrunner because you constantly are literally running 100 miles an hour and then a giant piano lands on you at 4:00 on a Friday afternoon, but you respawn on the Monday and you start all over again. Pretty much feels like me. Paul Marden: I love that. I love that. Amy, you're next. Let's think of all of the inventions over the last hundred years that were offered. Flying cars, those sorts of things. What is the one thing were promised that you really miss and think we really need in our lives? Amy Akino-Wittering: I think a Time Turner, which is basically from Harry Potter. Basically you can just go and do things like six. They do six days all at once. Paul Marden: You can be Hermione if you've got a Time Turner. Amy Akino-Wittering: Yeah, great. Paul Marden: Excellent. I love that, Amy. Thank you. Paul. Paul Sapwell: You said these were going to be under no pressure. I wouldn't have liked. I wouldn't have liked either of those. Paul Marden: Oh, well, you're not going to like this one then. I'm sorry, mate, I'm, I, I live in Hampshire. Paul runs Hampshire Cultural Trust. Paul. Paul Sapwell:  Oh, even better. Paul Marden: Saints or Pompey? Paul Sapwell:  Oh, blimey. Okay, well that's, I'm an Arsenal fan. Paul Marden: So there we go. Paul Sapwell: I couldn't possibly answer Saints or Pompey? I mean, we border both. So I would just be in so much trouble if I pick one or the other. So I can. I've got to get out. Paul Marden: Are you dodging that one? Paul Sapwell: Yeah. I thought you might watch Arsenal regularly. Paul Marden: I thought you might. So we are going to start with a question from somebody from the audience, a young man named Gordon. Apparently he might be a millennial. And he says, After 15 years of turmoil, financial crash, austerity, Brexit, Covid, we face continuing cost of living issues, rising national insurance and a Trump presidency. Are we doomed in 2025? Or to put it slightly better, what are the biggest risks for your organisation and the wider sector, and what are you each doing to thrive in the year ahead? And I'm going to start with you, Paul. Paul Sapwell: That's an easy question, isn't it? Paul Marden: You can thank young Gordon. Paul Sapwell: Brilliant Gordon, Yeah. I mean, I think 2025 is going to be an incredibly tricky year, but to sort of look further than that. I'm certainly an optimist, but I think we're in a time of transition, particularly in terms of our sector, in the cultural sector, in terms of what's going to fund us and what's going to sustain us going forward. You know, I think the years of the level. I think a lot of the speakers have touched on it, but the years of the level of public sector funding is, whatever happens with this government and next is going to be going down and we just have to face that. I run an organisation which we started out in 2019. We're about 85% publicly funded. Now we're 34% publicly funded with the same turnover, I hasten to add. Paul Sapwell: And so we've made a good go of it, but I think the headwinds this year are really difficult. That said, I think that we have to be confident investing for the longer term and particularly, obviously, in this conference in areas of commercial growth. I think that, okay, the growth projections have been downgraded. I am confident that we will, as the decade continues, move into a period of growth. And we've got to be looking at the long term rather than the short term. The trick is, of course, not running out of money in the short term. And that's a really difficult place to be. Paul Marden: In the water, just here. Paul Sapwell: I don't have an easy answer to that, but I think fundamentally, you've got to give the customer what they want and the customer is still there. Paul Sapwell: And we have a fantastic product. But we've got to certainly pivot much further towards what customers want commercially, in my view, than putting as much emphasis as probably we did 10 years ago on trying to find more and more public funding, because I think that's going down. Paul Marden: Zak, have you got any thoughts on that? Zak Mensah: Yeah, I mean, in terms of money, just generally people want to back winners. So I think one of the difficult things that internally we can all say it's doom and gloom, because it does feel that doom and gloom. There are definitely days, weeks and months. I think it's right to say that it's doom and gloom. Like you can be optimist but still understand it's difficult time. And I think a lot of our, you know, a lot of our workforces certainly feel that, it can feel very difficult because every year they ask, will they have their job? Right. And that's a really fair question to ask. And we sometimes as leaders kind of say, “Oh, if we can get through the next two years, but two years for normal staff are sometimes a very long time to try and say, “You or may have not have a job to make life through.”Zak Mensah: So I think that's something I always think back in back of my mind. I think a lot of the difficulties, whichever flavour of government is about understanding how to be more savvy, about understanding the trends, about things that are fundable. Because there are lots of things that were funded 10, 20 years ago, that money has dried up. And so we've all got to think about, for example, a lot of people now looking at, well, being a speaker this afternoon was talking about more on EDI, for example, and how younger people certainly are interested in having more of a purpose driven business. Is how for us, we can make sure we're focused on the, what I was called, the user need. So the needs that people use us. Zak Mensah: Because if you can concentrate and focus on what they want, whether it be money, otherwise that ultimately does lead to a business model. Because there's no point saying just because museums and galleries have been around for 100 to 200 years, they have an absolute right to exist. The only way they exist is because every decade or whatever there's another crisis comes along and a group of people, including ourselves here, live in this room, but also listening to this make it happen. Like, we've got to convince councillors, government, businesses to be part of that journey. Because the funny thing I will say is that, you know, at Birmingham Museums, the art gallery was founded in 1885 by industry people. It was industry people that founded it. It was industry people who wanted the city to have great arts. Zak Mensah: And so now we're turning back to those same people and saying, "We need you to now step up and contribute." It doesn't always have to be money. It could be in kind support, could be advocacy. That's the kind of thing that we need to do as leaders right now, in addition to the normal making the money work and stretch as far as we can. Paul Marden: Absolutely. Amy, what are you doing at Young V&A to thrive in the year ahead and face some of these challenges? Amy Akino-Wittering: Yeah, absolutely. So we've now been open for just over two years, so I feel kind of, well, coming up to two years. And so I feel we're kind of in that stage where we kind of opened and sort of just try to make sure that we are operationally savvy. And last year was very much about refining that. And I think this year is very much about what's next and how can we build upon kind of success of opening, looking at ways in which we can innovate through doing new kind of commercial opportunities, but also how can we develop our audiences. And as well as part of kind of the wider V&A, we've got two more sites opening as well. Amy Akino-Wittering: So how as an organisation are we going to work together to kind of be in this new family of sites and work together through there? So I think for us in the kind of coming year is all about, what's next? We've opened the door. We started with a really strong foundation and a really strong vision, but then how can we keep on innovating and keep iterating that to improve? Paul Marden: Excellent. I'm going touch on stuff that Lewis talked about a minute ago. One of his reflections I really liked was thinking about how do we create a space for colleagues to engage with some of these really important issues that have been on the PowerPoints. Zak, maybe you could start. What do you think your organisation can do to act as bottom up catalyst for change as opposed to trying to drive these changes from the top down? Zak Mensah: I think the first thing is about understanding that there are a lot of people who do want to be able to voice their hopes and fears around a whole host of subjects, whether it be specifically around, if you're ethnic minority, about your fear of living in the UK, if you have climate, lots of important subjects people want to talk about. You know, I think certainly internally, and I'll be very clear about this, I think there's a very different view sometimes about the difference between internal and the external voice of the organisation. So what we see a lot of is staff individually believe that as a service there are lots of things we could and should be talking about publicly that may or may not directly align with how as a leader we see it. Zak Mensah: So, you know, there are lots of fights we do get into. We can't get into every single fight. And sometimes there's a real fine balance around what we decide to go for. So if you take during Black Lives Matter example, me and Sarah Shropshire started in November 2020, there was an expectation that immediately we would be like the spokesperson for the whole museum sector about black and brown issues. And like, it's really hard to say, actually. I am not speaking on behalf of every single person in the whole country. I do take it seriously and we set up internally ways people to talk about it, but didn't always feel appropriate. Zak Mensah: And I'll give another example is around, for example, war. Any one time there's something like 15 global conflicts happening and, you know, we talk and go backwards and forwards internally sometimes about, you know, do we talk about them publicly? If we talk about them internally, how we talk about them, do we single one out or do we talk about them all? Are they equal? How do you equally talk about things are very horrific for a number of people?Zak Mensah: And knowing that we've got staff from dozens of countries who all have different views on how their homeland or area they're interested in is impacted. Things are very horrific for a number of people. But I do think that there's always. It's always really tricky because the best conversations and the best conversations need care and a lot of the conversations happen in like, pockets that we have no control over. Zak Mensah: And so it's again, how do you set an environment as a leader that is allowing the bottom up to do their own thing, but in a way that isn't going to be detrimental to the whole workforce? Because I think it is. Again, I mentioned it's been. It's really tricky and that's the simple truth. It is no easy answer to these things because if it was easy, we'd all solved it. Yeah. But acknowledging it there, it's the elephant in the room, I think is really important and growing to be more and more important for us as leaders. Paul Marden: I think Lewis was saying it's really important to know where you stand on issues and it is okay for you to have a stance on issues that says, I'm not going to make a stand on this one issue. I thought that was a really interesting perspective. Imy's talk. I think were talking a lot about the journey of Titanic Belfast, which I love as a museum, to go to a museum that emotionally moved me as much with so very few actual artefacts. I just think it's an amazing storytelling experience. But you talked a little bit about the team and what you do to be able to nurture that team. And one of the things that we're talking about is trying to get 110% out of everybody getting to more with less, getting them to innovate. Paul Marden: How do you balance all of those challenges and not break the people and maintain a 98% retention rate like Titanic does? Paul? Paul Sapwell: Well, maintaining a 98 retention rate, I think fairly unprecedented and huge congratulations. I mean, I think it follows on a bit from what Zak was saying, actually. You know, it's tough, isn't it, being leaders in terms of whether you're making that kind of external message or whether you've got a tough internal message. I mean, I've always taken a stance that you've got to be as transparent as you possibly can be and people will go a long way with you if it doesn't appear that things are being taken in a dark room somewhere. And I think for us, what we've tried to do is to put in the mechanisms for that to happen. I've been really fortunate to work with a fantastic people director, Hampshire Cultural Trust. Paul Sapwell: One of the first things, I think you've also got to make a stance, by the way, on people being important. One of the first things I did as CEO was say we need a people director. It's quite rare in the heritage sector. I came from hospitality, it was the norm. It's an odd thing that people and HR doesn't always sit at the top table. Sometimes it's sort of delegated down in operations or even finance. So I think that's really important and we needed a strategy and part of that is putting in place a lot of the stuff that you talked about of the Titanic, which I think is really impressive. And we're somewhere on that journey, but not quite as far along, but proper employee forums where you listen. Paul Sapwell: I meet with an employee elected employee forum quarterly and talk to them about all issues with nothing off the table. We also have an EDI group with a mix, again, senior leadership on there talking about these issues. And I think that, you know, if there was one thing I would say it's, you're not always going to be able to give easy answers, are you? This year we're being hit with an enormous national insurance hit to the staff costs and that is going to affect pay. I can't pretend that it isn't. And if we're going to not run out of money in the next few years, we're going to have to give less of a pay increase this year than we would like to. Paul Sapwell: But we've been talking about that openly since it hit and I hope that our team will go, will understand, but obviously that doesn't make it, make it easy. And I think the same is true with the issues that you're talking about. You can't take a stance on every single issue that comes through each of these forums every quarter, but you have a conversation about it. And I think that's the most important bit for me. Paul Marden: Amy, I'm going to segue wide away from today's talks. Regular listeners will know that I'm a Trustee of Kids in Museums and I was chatting with my fellow trustees about today's event and we wondered, given the impact of the cultural sector, on the impact that it has on the lives of young people and how there are so many challenges at the moment for disadvantaged young people to engage in the sector. You know, we all know that post Covid, many schools have cut their school visits into museums and galleries. I pick you because Young V&A was the winner of Kids in Museums Family Friendly Awards last year. So let's just start with you and talk about what are the innovative things that you've done to break down barriers to encourage children and families to engage in the museum. Amy Akino-Wittering: Yes, of course. So Young V&A when we kind of opened its entire purpose is about engaging children. It's all about kind of that creative confidence in Generation Alpha. And so the whole museum has been designed with and for young people. So its target audience is between naught to 14 year olds. We spoke with over 22,000 young people in the development of the museum to hear what do they want from it. I think there's a survey which said that 40% of children thought that museums were boring and it weren't places for them. So, well, what can we do as we've got this opportunity to redevelop, to make sure that it is a place that people want to go and enjoy and be themselves. Amy Akino-Wittering: And so that was kind of like the North Star in terms of what every kind of decision in the kind of opening and making and running of Young V&A is really centred around this as well. And so it goes from the aesthetic in terms of the height of things, the bright colours from this swirling staircase that we have at Young V&A, which came from an idea that someone wanted to helter skelter in the space to the tone of voice in our interpretation and also how the objects are displayed. We've got objects from across the V&A, we've got over 2,000 objects. But it's not just the museum as was the Museum of Childhood collection, it's from across all of the different departments of the V&A. And it's been curated with that kind of child centred and child focused way. Amy Akino-Wittering: Co design is also a really kind of core part of it as well. So we kind of co designed with local audiences and children for various design displays and also co curation. So each gallery was co curated between the learning team and the curatorial team as well. And then obviously we've kind of got to actually open the building and have a team to deliver that visitor experience. And again, that is all very much fed through that audience lens. And so we looked at our structures of, you know, what types of people do we want in the space? You know, our core audience are children. We need people who want to engage with that audience. It's a very specific kind of audience, but also we are a hyper local organisation as well and so how can we encourage applicants from the local boroughs? Amy Akino-Wittering: So we drove a very inclusive recruitment process where we basically did a behaviour led process for recruitment, we redid all the job descriptions, went out into our local community, did workshops and CV surgeries and basically just made it as easy as possible for people to apply and get interview. And the kind of core things that were looking at was behaviours. We can teach people how to go on a till or to learn how to do fire evacuations, but actually it's much harder to get people because that's what the job is. You know, the majority, you know, all your visitors will come to a touch point with the front of house team. They are your most important ambassadors. Amy Akino-Wittering: So we need to make sure that we've got the best kind of resources and time and structure in place to support them, to give the best possible experience that we can. So we spent a lot of time doing that. We spent a lot of time as well working Kids in Museums come in and do training about specific family engagement training as well, which has been really beneficial. And then also we really believe that, you know, the customer experience, the visitor experience is directly impacted by the employee experience. You can't expect the team to deliver this amazing, joyful visitor experience if actually they're pretty miserable behind the scenes. So how can we make sure that the structures that we have and the environment that we have is reflective of how we want them to be on the floor as well? Amy Akino-Wittering: So we make sure that we have forums to make sure that, you know, people can have their say. We make sure. So we did this team charter, which was this sort of collaborative effort to see, like, how do you want to feel in the workplace, but also how do you want your visitors to feel? And actually, it was all very similar in terms of the outcomes that came from that kind of exercise. And it's these kind of agreement that we have together to how we're going to work together and those kind of things which we do to ensure. It's that kind of frequent communication and making sure that we're on the same page and it kind of brings that joy which then comes out to the visitors. Amy Akino-Wittering: And that is kind of I think all those things together has all really helped in terms of when someone comes into the space, children, they're front and centre. They really feel like it's a place for them and they've got kind of people around them which really get them and that they will help facilitate their curiosity and things like that. So that's what we've done. Paul Marden: Amazing. Paul, have you got some thoughts? Paul Sapwell: Yeah. I love what you're saying about the visitor. The visitor services guys on the front desk. I mean, they are the most important people, essentially, and that's why I was nodding vigorously. I think that's part of what I was talking about earlier in terms of pivot into more of a commercial view, because a commercial company completely relies on their customer who comes in. And I think my experience of being in an organisation that's moved out of being run predominantly by a council to one that's independent now was, I've got to be honest, at the start, that wasn't how it felt. Paul Sapwell: And actually you could produce big lists of visitor figures, but ultimately, if they went up or down, it didn't really matter because the funding was going to stay the same, whatever, and there would be other metrics, and I think that's the big shift in mentality, because if you don't give the customer what they want, and that means really valuing people on your front line. And, you know, we've had conversations at the Museum Association about it, about how there's almost been that divide in museums between the people who talk to your customers and the museum staff. And I think that's a really. Or people who would see themselves doing proper museum work. And I think that, you know, that's something we've got to. We're moving in the right direction, but we've got to move quicker. Paul Marden: All of our best memories, aren't they, of going to these places are not necessarily about the amazing artefacts, it's the stories that your team tell people when they interact with them. You feel so happy as a result of it. I think of some amazing experiences. Zak, have you got any thoughts on this? Innovative ways in which we make museums family friendly, how we encourage make them more children friendly? Zak Mensah: Well, the first thing is it's something like 50% of people have children. And so knowing that is in the UK is a thing. Just knowing that as a fact. Right. Means that thinking then about families who will come, but also the staff workforce. Because again, like, you know, if your staff, you're your biggest advocates we just talked about is making it friendly for people to have children in the workforce means that most people recommend it and word of mouth is the biggest way that you can influence people and then from that when people come. So we've got nine venues overall pre pandemic, have a million visitors a year. Zak Mensah: We say we're family friendly, but I've got two young children and quite often the experience, not just my place, but other places doesn't actually say match up with that because like just saying to a seven year old, you must love art, doesn't really work, right, if it's Blue. Paul Marden: Can't tell them. You can't just make them like, yeah. Zak Mensah: I can't tell anything because anyone in my family anything. If you convince about bluey=, then you've got another chance. But you know, you've got to think about actually what is their experience going to be. So, you know, have you got picnic area? Have you got toilets? Lots of toilets. Do you allow your staff, for example, in previous roles? We allow people, if they want to do potty training, they could do potty training in the gallery. Because the reality was if they didn't use the potty that they had in their bag, it was going somewhere else. And so I remember watching in horror as someone literally tried to scoop up a child and move their parent out of a gallery to start to go to the toilet. Zak Mensah: And I was like, there was no way they were going to make it out that door. I would love to have that CCTV footage because I bet that was quite interesting. But, you know, it sounds, you know, some sort of flippant and fun. Zak Mensah: But that's the little thing because like all those little things about making it, you know, enjoyable. Because if you can make it enjoyable for the. For the parent or the guardian, you can make it fun for the, you know, for the kids. You know, you have to have sharp crayons and pencils. Whatever it is, like always things that's really kids don't want much. That's the little thing because like all those little things about making it, you know, enjoyable. Right. Like, if you can give them almost that version of experience to make people think it's good. Because I think we sometimes dissociate the child's experience with the fact they're with someone else. So actually you've got to make it good for the people that they're with. And quite often people do it, you know, who take. Zak Mensah: They might take the extended family. So they'll say like, you know, I'll take my niece or whatever, I'm there. And they don't usually actually have to have the children. So sometimes they need help as well, you know, to make sure the experience. Paul Marden: Extra needs to be able to solve the kids' problems. Zak Mensah: Absolutely. So for me it's about making it that friendly from that perspective. So often with school trips, for example, it's how can you make the school trips fun? Because I see quite a lot of kids on school trips that they sort of being marched through and forced to go. So then they're less likely to recommend it to their parents and their parents just like to come. So for me, it's kind of like trying to use that learning visit which often people's first. Most people tell me, I've been to museum as a child and they usually get towards school age, secondary school, and they don't go anymore. Paul Marden: Yes. Zak Mensah: So it's like, how do we make sure that. I don't think as a sector where family friendly enough, other than those people who already are super engaged, they make the kids have fun. I'm probably talking about my trauma now. Paul Marden: Let's return today's speakers. Let's just talk a little bit about Mike's discussion of using behavioural models to influence buying decisions. Yeah. What are the biggest behavioural barriers that you see within your organisation? In terms of visitor experience, from kind of awareness through to decision making, what could you do? What could you change? Zak Mensah: So the first obvious one is a lot of people are terrified of being in spaces because they're not sure how to behave. There's this weird secret code that doesn't. It's not actually written down anywhere that people think the museum experience has got to be quiet, that it's got to be. That you've got to know what you're looking at. It can't just be fun. And actually having. Just having fun is a really important part of what you want to do. So for us, I think the problem is, as well as once you work in the sector, those barriers are invisible because you just work there. You feel comfortable now coming. Yeah. And so the behaviour part is super interesting. And so, for example, it's a phrase I sometimes use around, like. Zak Mensah: It's around this idea of, like, “People like us do things like this”, which I stole from Seth Godin. So, you know, what we did, for example, is w e now don't have staff uniform because we've got quite a diverse. We're dividing diversity in Birmingham and we want people to feel comfortable and recognise people outside the building who then might be going, like, sure, I might. Hoodies, for example. If you wear a hoodie, you might own. The museum's. Not for me, the museums for other people who wear suits, etc. So actually, if they see staffing. Yeah, if they see staff in hoodies or whatever, in hijabs or niqab, whichever outfit they want to wear, then that is a signal about those people are welcome. Zak Mensah: That's one example where that idea came from the team about how we can show and tell and do what we say we're going to do, rather than just saying, “Oh, but we're really friendly museums are great and come in.” Because actually they are intimidating from the outside. They're often intimidating intellectually. Paul Marden: Yep. Zak Mensah: The train, the media, all the time is being really high brow all the time. So it's like actually we. We have to find ways to accept that those barriers exist. And that often means finding people who don't use you to actually tell you that. And we've just finished a citizen's jury, for example, which had almost 30 people who are representative of the city come in and 80% of them at the first meeting said they didn't think the museum is relevant to them. Those are ordinary people who live in the city who. That's 80% of those people. Four in five people don't think the museum is relevant for them, even though we know that we could make it relevant to them. And that was a really sad, shocking figure, but also is motivating. Zak Mensah: And I think our job, you know, as leaders is how do we help people feel inclusive, to be an inclusive space and then like. And go for it. Paul Marden: Excellent. Thank you, Amy. Amy Akino-Wittering: Yeah, I think a lot of what we have done as well is to try and go out of our four walls of Young V&A as well. So we do a lot of kind of community engagement as well through kind of the learning team as well as for volunteering programme. Like we rocked up at stores at Whitechapel Market and kind of saying, “This is our kind of programme”, just chatting with people where they haven't heard of Young V&A even though it's down the road. And so it's like, how can we, yeah, kind of go out and about and also kind of advocate across as well. And then also it's like when people do kind of take that step to actually go onto our site and then come into the building making sure that the visitor experience is as inclusive, as welcoming as possible. Similar. Amy Akino-Wittering: We also just have aprons and they can wear whatever they want underneath and just again, so as people feel relaxed and they feel when our audiences come in, they say, oh yeah, no, that's something that I might wear. Or you know, they just feel more kind of settled and at home. So that's something that's really important that we kind of do as well. Paul Marden: Lovely, Paul. Paul Sapwell: The biggest challenge for us, I mean being a smaller organisation and a brand that isn't known. As well as it could be, I think our biggest challenge now is that customer journey from online through to what you get when you arrive and we're not consistent enough. And I know we'd all talk about this forever but you know, big commercial organisations do this really well. You know, you're going to sell a ticket within a couple of clicks from a social media piece, you're going to get a follow up email that looks exciting and you know, then your product is either going to arrive or you're going to arrive at it and it will be like you thought you were buying. And I'm not sure that we always do that. Paul Sapwell: I've got to be honest and I think to do that you've got to put a lot of investment in it. And that's what we're part of the strategy that we've launched, we launched back in November is about that. Paul Sapwell: And again, that comes back to, you know, commercial mindsets that matters. It matters that we put the right image in whatever way that is to the right customer who we're trying to attract. We've got to understand those customers better and then make sure that's, that's seamless. And, you know, we run 20 venues. They're really different. We've got everything from the Great Hall, Mediaeval Hall in Winchester, which is full of people on from travel trade have come off of cruises and things. And then we've got Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, which is a sort of family living history museum. Paul Sapwell: They don't get any international tourists. So having a really limited pot of marketing to be able to go all these sort of areas is really difficult. But I think that would be the challenge. But thinking about it holistically, really, because it's the same person who clicks on the social media ad to the person who ends up arriving in your venue. And that needs to be really consistent. Yeah, it sounds like cash is the barrier. We're going to try and work with it. But that's the important bit for me. Paul Marden: I'm grinning like the village idiot because this is what I advocate all the time. I'm looking at my marketing friends in the audience who would also share. Share your thoughts on this. We know from the Rubber Cheese survey that it's eight to 10 steps it takes people to checkout. I tried to buy tickets for an aquarium last year and they made me enter a password along with the names and addresses of everybody that was joining me and then told me off three times for getting the password wrong in the checkout process. I had to be really to buy those tickets and. Paul Sapwell: Well, yeah, you touch on. Yeah. I mean, we could have a whole conversation, but no, I mean, we love a complicated ticketing system in the cultural sector, don't we? I mean, with all the right intentions. I mean, even the list in some places of different concessions. I mean, you don't want to go. I think I'm that or I'm that. You know, and it's done with the right intention. But it's an enormous barrier. Paul Marden: Yeah, completely. Paul Sapwell: And you know, we make things so complex and I don't have the fix, but I know we've got to fix it. And that means putting sort of. Again, learn from companies who do this really well rather than. Yeah. Looking for ideas ourselves. Lots of people do it really well out there. That's what we got to do. Paul Marden: Thinking of lots of my team who might think that this is something somebody should solve. Zak Mensah: The fix is simple, isn't it? Because you just said then that there are other people doing it well. What we're not really good at artists actually copying people. Zak Mensah: Like just copy someone else who's done it better than us. It's really. It really does annoy me. Let's just say that what always happens is that we make decisions by committee, don't we? So it would have been two steps, but then someone from marketing said, but you've got to have a newsletter. And someone from another team would say, “You've got to also ask for this. And then you've got to do this. Then you've got to try and get the kids to come for school trip.” Before you know it, people mean well and they've made it really complicated. I think sometimes it's like, actually, let's just do the simplest thing. Let's do all the hard work to remove those barriers and then we can try and flog them stuff when they get there. Paul Marden: So friend of mine, Andy talks a lot about you don't go to a fine dining restaurant and walk up to the maitre d and he says to you, “Would you like a table, by the way, are you going to have dessert? And would you like a coffee? And what are you going to have for your starter main course and dessert? Oh, right, I'll take you to your table.” You have a conversation with people and you lead them and you don't try and pack everything into the very first time you ever talk to the potential client. Zak Mensah: Which is why Greg's does so well. Paul Marden: Yeah, look guys, I could carry on about this conversation, but we are the barrier to everybody getting to their drinks and nibbles and so we've got. Paul Sapwell: Including us. Paul Marden: I know, sorry. We've got a couple of things that I must cover. So we always ask our guests for a book recommendation. It can be a novel, it can be work related. So Zak, would you like to go first with yours? Zak Mensah: Yeah. Turn the ship around! I think it's David Marquet. It's a book about a nuclear submarine commander who basically realises all these stupid rules. And so he just said to everyone, just tell me you intend to. So say to him, I intend to turn the ship left, I intend to take holiday, etc, because he realised that there were so many stupid rules and I think museum will have loads of stupid rules. It's a really good thing. And I know most of you won't read the book because most people say, “Yeah, I'll read it. They don't read it.” There's a 10 minute YouTube video. Surely you can spend 10 minutes of time if you can't be bothered to do that. There is literally a 30 second Wikipedia article about it. But please don't do it. Paul Marden: Zak feels very strongly about this. Paul, your book recommendation, please. Paul Sapwell: Well, last year I read Wild Swans by Jung Chang and I'm trying to find a way of getting into a business conversation. I think there's so much that comes out of that book, but I think, yeah, striving for Utopia is often, you know, the book. Right. Most people in terms of living under communist China and we know we could go on about utopian things that haven't worked, but I think there's, for this conversation, that's perhaps where we need to think, you know, going forward here. There isn't a sort of utopian way that things should be done for our sector. There is, you know, we're making our way here and yeah. Obviously it's a fantastic book. Paul Marden: Excellent. Thank you, Paul. Amy, your recommendation? Amy Akino-Wittering: Yeah, so mine isn't linked to like professional development at all. Mine. Paul Marden: Well, you did have one. Amy Akino-Wittering: Well, I did have one and you were like, no, just go for your favourite one. So I was like, Persuasion by Jane Austen. It's a classic. Paul Marden: We've got, we've got big anniversary at the moment, haven't we? In Chawton where Jane Austen lived has got big thing about 200 years, 250 years? Amy Akino-Wittering: Celebration for the whole year. So I'm gonna go in. Paul Sapwell: Yeah, everyone's trying to get in on this, by the way. I just have to put this out there. You know, she was born in Hampshire. Paul Marden: I know. Paul Sapwell: Born in Hampshire, actually. Born Basingstoke. Paul Marden: I know.Paul Sapwell: Yes. Paul Marden: There's a lot of celebrations for Jane this year. Paul Sapwell: Yeah, everyone's trying. I've seen so many angles for her. Oh, she was here and she went to the toilet. Fair enough. I mean, it's a big celebration. Paul Marden: If you'd like a copy of the book or any of these books, head over to Bluesky and like and repost the show announcement saying, I want Zak, Paul or Amy's book. And the first person to do that will get the book sent to them. Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this episode, then please leave us a five star review. It really does help more people to find us and remember to follow us on Bluesky , X or Instagram for your chance to win the book. Thank you very much, everybody. Paul Sapwell: Thank you. Amy Akino-Wittering: Thank you. The 2024 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsDownload the 2024 Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

For our first full episode of Season 8, Kelly is joined by Margaret MacMillan to discuss the importance of history in shaping the behavior of individuals, politicians, and entire societies.  Margaret MacMillan is an emeritus professor of History at the University of Toronto and an emeritus professor of International History at Oxford University. She was provost of Trinity College, Toronto from 2002 to 2007 and warden of St Antony's College, Oxford from 2007 to 2017. She is a trustee of the Imperial War Museum and sits on a number of non-profit advisory boards. Her research specializes in British imperial history and the international history of the 19th and 20th centuries. Her publications have been translated into 26 languages and include Paris, 1919, Nixon and Mao, and The War that Ended Peace. Her latest book, published in 2020, is War: How Conflict Shaped Us: https://www.amazon.com/War-How-Conflict-Shaped-Us/dp/1984856138 The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Theo Malhotra and Freddie Mallinson.  Recorded on February 10, 2025. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown  

Our World War was a three-part BBC Drama series for the Great War Centenary in 2014 covering the fighting at Mons in 1914, the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918. It pioneered a new approach to film making about the Great War but a decade on is it still relevant and what does it tell us about the Great War?The Paddy Kennedy interview is in the archives of the Imperial War Museum.Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.Send us a textSupport the show

In episode 135 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, join host Tracy and Doug as they delve into the fascinating world of World War II sites in London and its surroundings. With numerous inquiries from travellers, they share their insights into the most notable locations to include in your itinerary if you're a history enthusiast.The episode starts with a discussion on London's three major World War II sites: the Imperial War Museum, the Churchill War Rooms, and HMS Belfast. With his keen interest in World War II, Doug provides detailed insights into each site, highlighting their historical significance and visitor experiences. The Imperial War Museum, located in Lambeth, offers a comprehensive look at themed exhibitions. At the same time, the Churchill War Rooms provide a glimpse into the wartime operations and the life of Winston Churchill. HMS Belfast, a Town Class light cruiser, offers an engaging experience with its rich naval history.Tracy and Doug also share their private tour experience with LivTours, where they gained in-depth knowledge from an expert guide. The episode further explores sites outside of London, including Chartwell, Winston Churchill's former home, and Bletchley Park, home of the codebreakers, both accessible from London and offer unique insights into the war efforts.Doug highlights additional World War II sites across the UK for those willing to venture further, such as the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge, the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, and the Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool. Each site offers a distinct perspective on the war, making them worthwhile visits for history buffs.Whether you're a history aficionado or simply curious about the past, this episode offers a wealth of information and tips for exploring the UK's World War II heritage.

The 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz is marked on 27 January. It's a day for remembering the horrors of the Holocaust, and other more recent genocides.   But with many survivors now in their old age, how do we preserve their stories and accounts of what happened for future generations?   Niall visits the Imperial War Museum to speak to historian Dr James Bulgin who is the museum's head of public history, to learn more about the importance of sharing the lessons from the Holocaust, and how best to do so in an increasingly polarised world.  Producers: Natalie Ktena, Soila Apparicio Editor: Philly Beaumont 

We all know you're here because you - like us, are a bona fide history nerd, so here's a little something from the producers of this podcast; a brand new series of Conflict Of Interest with the Imperial War Museum. We think you're going to love it How have artists, filmmakers and photographers shaped our understanding of wars and conflict? Journalist and writer Helen Lewis explores the recently-opened Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at Imperial War Museum, London. From No Man's Land to mushroom clouds, Helen discovers the people that have interpreted over a hundred years of conflict, in this specially-curated tour by James Bulgin, Head of Public History at IWM. They are joined by Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters' Chief Photographer for the UK and Ireland, and a photojournalist for almost 30 years - and someone who can give us a first hand account of what it's like to be capturing a seismic event in the moment. Objects Discussed: Paul Nash, The Menin Road, 1919 John Armstrong, Pro Patria, 1938  War Pictorial News No. 21 Mushroom Cloud over Nagasaki, 1945 Suzanne Plunkett, People Covered in Dust and Debris New York, 11 September 2001 -  © AP (IWM DC 123993) © AP (IWM DC 124023) Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In February 1942, Gordon Cummins, a twenty-eight-year-old Royal Air Force Serviceman, murdered four women and attempted to murder two others over a six-day period in London, leading the press to dub him “The Blackout Ripper.”At a time when the fear of imminent bombings was high and London was on high alert, authorities nonetheless launched an investigation and, quite remarkably, were able to catch Cummins quickly, thereby preventing any further murders; yet the question remains, how was it that a brutally violent killer manage to kill so many people in such a short amount of time and barely attract attention of the police and press?Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!ReferencesBolton News. 1942. "Is 'killer' at large?" Bolton News, February 14: 1.Campbell, Duncan. 2010. "London in the blitz: how crime flourished under cover of the blackout." The Guardian, August 28.Driscoll, Margarette. 2022. "Ranmpage of the Blackout Ripper." Daily Mail, November 24.Evening Standard. 1942. "Accused of murder of 4 women." Evening Standard (London, England), March 26: 8.Evening Telegraph. 1942. "'Killer' theory in wave of London murders." Evening Telegraph (Derby, England), February 14: 8.Herald Express. 1942. "Cadet's defense in murder trial." Herald Express (Devon, England), April 28: 1.Hull Daily Mail. 1942. "London murders." Hull Daily Mail, February 11: 1.Imperial War Museum. n.d. Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-nation-at-a-standstill-shutdown-in-the-second-world-war.Liverpool Daily Post. 1942. "Another London murder." Liverpool Daily Post, February 14: 1.Storey, Neil. 2023. The Blackout Murders: Homicide in WW2. South Yorkshire, England: Pen and Sword.The Citizen. 1942. "Cadet sent for trial." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), March 27: 1.—. 1942. "'Evidence was overwhelming'." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), June 9: 8.—. 1942. "Fresh Jury to be sworn in." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), April 24: 1.The Times. 1942. "Airman charged with three murders." The Times (London, England), March 13: 2.Venning, Annabel. 2017. "The Blackout Ripper; under cover of the Blitz." Mail on Sunday, January 29.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In response to the onset of German bombing raids during World War II, many of England's most vulnerable citizens evacuated or were temporarily evacuated out of urban areas to safer, more rural parts of the country. Those who remained in the cities would ultimately spend years enduring wartime blackouts, periods where the city was plunged into complete darkness in order to prevent German bombers from easily identifying their targets. The blackouts were a significant inconvenience and safety risk for everyone, but for at least one Londoner, they offered a perfect opportunity to enact his darkest fantasies.Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!ReferencesBolton News. 1942. "Is 'killer' at large?" Bolton News, February 14: 1.Campbell, Duncan. 2010. "London in the blitz: how crime flourished under cover of the blackout." The Guardian, August 28.Driscoll, Margarette. 2022. "Ranmpage of the Blackout Ripper." Daily Mail, November 24.Evening Standard. 1942. "Accused of murder of 4 women." Evening Standard (London, England), March 26: 8.Evening Telegraph. 1942. "'Killer' theory in wave of London murders." Evening Telegraph (Derby, England), February 14: 8.Herald Express. 1942. "Cadet's defense in murder trial." Herald Express (Devon, England), April 28: 1.Hull Daily Mail. 1942. "London murders." Hull Daily Mail, February 11: 1.Imperial War Museum. n.d. Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-nation-at-a-standstill-shutdown-in-the-second-world-war.Liverpool Daily Post. 1942. "Another London murder." Liverpool Daily Post, February 14: 1.Storey, Neil. 2023. The Blackout Murders: Homicide in WW2. South Yorkshire, England: Pen and Sword.The Citizen. 1942. "Cadet sent for trial." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), March 27: 1.—. 1942. "'Evidence was overwhelming'." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), June 9: 8.—. 1942. "Fresh Jury to be sworn in." The Citizen (Gloucester, England), April 24: 1.The Times. 1942. "Airman charged with three murders." The Times (London, England), March 13: 2.Venning, Annabel. 2017. "The Blackout Ripper; under cover of the Blitz." Mail on Sunday, January 29.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Layfield introduces Conflict of Interest on the series recommendation show Your Next Podcast. Conflict of Interest is a podcast from the Imperial War Museums where celebrities visit one of the museums' sites to learn about some of the most interesting and relevant wars in our history. Guided by experts in the field and museum curators, they ask all the questions you might want to ask yourself about these periods we all should know a little more about. Follow Conflict of Interest wherever you're reading this.

More conflicts explained in a brand new series focusing on the role of art, film and photography in depicting warfare across the Twentieth Century. This time featuring: Broadcaster Helen Lewis Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar Comedian Rachel Parris Writer Carl Miller (‘The Kill List') Actor Susan Wokoma Comedian Geoff Norcott New episodes from 3rd January - if you know someone who would love our show, please share the news with this link: https://podfollow.com/conflict-of-interest Narrator:  James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums

In this episode, Alice interviews two guests about the 'peace knowledge' produced by different museums. Charlotte Houlahan joins us from Yorkshire, where she is principal curator at The Peace Museum in Saltaire, near Bradford. Alongside her, Lydia Cole, a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex, shares insights from her new research project, 'Curating Peace', which examines ways that exhibitions and museum collections shape public knowledge of peacemaking in the United Kingdom. The Peace Museum in Saltaire is the UK's only peace museum. Founded in 1994, it recently moved to new premises, which prompted its curators to think afresh about the kinds of peace stories it shares with the public. Charlotte gives listeners a flavour of some of the items in its collection, talks us through the design of its new exhibition space, and reflects on its mission to empower and inspire visitors through the human stories of individual peace activists past and present.Lydia helps us to identify the different kinds of peace knowledge present in war-oriented museum spaces, such as London's Imperial War Museum. Discussing their WWI and WWII galleries, their Peace and Security section, and their 2017 temporary exhibition 'People Power', she discusses different approaches - some of which focus on top-down, institutional forms of peacebuilding, while others centre ordinary people and even take the curation of peace knowledge (and conflict histories) beyond the museum space.The conversation ends with some important reflections on the challenges of talking about peace amid conflict, the benefits that might arise from the development of more peace-oriented museums, and the ripple effects beyond the museum space of sharing peace knowledge in the everyday. We hope you enjoy the episode. For a version of our podcast with close captions, please use this link. For more information about individuals and their projects, please visit the University of St Andrews' Visualising War website and the Visualising Peace Project. You can access our own virtual Museum of Peace here.Music composed by Jonathan YoungSound mixing by Zofia Guertin

Anne McElvoy and guests discuss the art of diplomacy from Ancient Greece to the Tudors and today's shifting international security as well as how its portrayed on screen in dramas like the BBC's Wolf Hall and the Netflix series The Diplomat. Her guests include: Former EU and US Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald . Bronwen Maddox from the think tank Chatham House. Historian Dr Clare Jackson who is the author of Devil Land England Under Seige 1588-1688. Dr Holly Furneaux, Professor at Cardiff University talks about her research into "enemy intimacy" which is part of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London called War and the Mind.

THIS WEEK! We are discussing The first month of the First World War. From the tension that lured in Europe, to the alliances, and the shot of Sarajevo that would be the casus beli for The First World War. All this, and more this week on "Well That Aged Well. With "Erlend Hedegart". Find Dr. Kempshall on social media here:Twitter/X: @ chriskepmshall Instagram: @ Chriskempshal About Dr. Chris Kempshall About Dr. CHris Kempshall: Dr Chris Kempshall is a public historian and author who specialises both in transnational experiences of warfare and modern media representations of history; predominantly computer games and the Star Wars franchise. He is currently the President for the International Society for First World War Studies and a Senior Research Fellow for the Centre for Army Leadership, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He is also a series editor for the De Gruyter academic book series ‘Video Games and the Humanities‘. He has acted as an academic advisor and consultant to institutions such as the Imperial War Museum, 14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Memorial and the musée Guerre et Paix en Ardennes as well as providing historical expertise to various computer game developersTHIS WEEK! We are discussing The first month of the First World War. From the tension that lured in Europe, to the alliances, and the shot of Sarajevo that would be the casus beli for The First World War. All this, and more this week on "Well That Aged Well. With "Erlend Hedegart". Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/well-that-aged-well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back this time with our theme of Double Lives.  Mike discusses Operation Mincemeat. Sources(2020, May 11). Operation mincemeat. BBC Two. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wllmb(n.d.). History - operation mincemeat (pictures, video, Facts & News). BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/operation_mincemeatBrown, A. C. (2002). Bodyguard of lies. The Lyons Press.(n.d.). Operation mincemeat: How A corpse duped hitler. https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/operation-mincemeat-what-happened-hitler-tricked-who-william-martin-glyndwr-michael/Macintyre, B. (2020). Operation mincemeat: How A dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the Nazis and assured an Allied victory. McClelland & Stewart.Masterman, J. C. (2012). The Double-Cross System: The incredible story of how Nazi spies were turned into double agents. Lyons Press.Montagu, E. (1953). The man who never was. Hassell Street Press.The National Archives. (2009, August 12). The Discovery Service. Operation MINCEMEAT: copies of documents made available to press | The National Archives. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/record?catid=5435220&catln=6Sumar Productions. (1956). The Man Who Never Was. United Kingdom.Tripney, N. (2022, April 20). Operation mincemeat: The incredible plot that tricked Hitler. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220414-operation-mincemeat-the-incredible-plot-that-tricked-hitlerThe War on Paper: Operation Mincemeat. Imperial War Museums. (n.d.). https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-war-on-paper-operation-mincemeatWikimedia Foundation. (2024, September 21). Operation mincemeat. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_MincemeatBrew CrimeWebsite, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Group, Youtube, patreon, Supporter

School of Instructions, the latest work by Ishion Hutchinson, draws from the time he spent in the archive of the Imperial War Museum, to foreground the experience—brutal, significant, but long overlooked—of West Indian volunteers in the First World War. This book length poem is a sensorial voyage into the convoys, garrisons and trenches of the Middle Eastern war theatre in all its monstrousness and disorientation, in which Ishion Hutchinson masterfully deploys his immense gift for spiriting vivid, textured, and living images from the page. The poem also juxtaposes the horror of war with the life of Godspeed, an ordinary—by which I mean mischievous and sweet-natured—boy growing up in rural Jamaica in the 1990s. And it is perhaps this interweaving of narratives, of epochs, of worlds, of the micro and the macro, that makes School of Instructions not just a significant work of poetry, but also an important act of historical empathy, reaching back more than a century to highlight how the ossified remains of empire continue to distort the lives of the people of once colonised lands. School of Instructions—which was shortlisted for the 2023 T. S. Eliot Prize—is a profound, affecting book, quite unlike any other work of poetry.Buy School of Instructions: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/school-of-instructions*Ishion Hutchinson was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. He is the author of the poetry collections Far District, which won the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, and House of Lords and Commons, which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize in Literature, the Whiting Award, and a Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prize, among honors.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company. His latest novel, Beasts of England, a sequel of sorts to Animal Farm, is available now. Buy a signed copy here: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/beasts-of-englandListen to Alex Freiman's latest EP, In The Beginning: https://open.spotify.com/album/5iZYPMCUnG7xiCtsFCBlVa?si=h5x3FK1URq6SwH9Kb_SO3w Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winston Churchill had only been Prime Minister for three months when, on 20th August, 1940, he delivered ‘The Few' - one of his most iconic speeches - in the House of Commons.  Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider how and why Churchill's paean to the courage of RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain has been so well-remembered - albeit mainly for a quote that appears in the middle of a lengthy address: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. In this episode, The Retrospectors reveal why Churchill laboured for hours on his most famous speeches; consider how his pronouncements played a crucial role in boosting national morale; and explore how he himself transformed from a divisive figure to a unifying PM during this pivotal time in British history... Thanks for supporting our show! Further Reading: • ‘The Few' (International Churchill Society): https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/the-few/ • ‘8 Of Winston Churchill's Best Speeches – Chosen By His Grandson' (HistoryExtra, 2021): https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/churchills-greatest-speeches/ • ‘How Winston Churchill's Speeches helped to win WW2' (Imperial War Museums, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3I_-5njblk This episode first premiered in 2023, for members of

One of the most well-told episodes of the First World War, the 1915 Gallipoli expedition, also has its own long-ignored aspects - specifically, the story of how the Allied force successfully evacuated in the middle of winter under the guns of the Turkish defenders. Our guest for this episode of New Books in Military History is an expert on the Gallipoli campaign, retired chief oral historian of the Imperial War Museum in London, U.K., Peter Hart. In a rollicking and engaging interview with host Bobby WIntermute, Peter discusses his most recent book, The Gallipoli Evacuation (Living History, 2020), the oral historian's craft, and the overall conditions faced by British, ANZAC, French, and Turkish troops in the waning months of the campaign.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Summary Henry Hemming (X, Website) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the case of Frank Hegarty, a British spy operating within the IRA. Henry is a bestselling espionage author.  What You'll Learn Intelligence Espionage and the role of MI5 within the Troubles The story of Frank Hegarty, a British spy working in Derry Freddie Scappaticci, or Stakeknife, and Operation Kenova The moral implications of spying Reflections Sacrifice, risk, and trust The nuances of conflict  And much, much more … Quotes of the Week “This is where it becomes, morally, much more complex. What's difficult … is that most of the handlers who were faced with these decisions didn't have adequate training. They didn't know what the law said. They didn't know exactly what the limits were to what they could and could not do … And suddenly, as we're beginning to find out, mistakes were made.” – Henry Hemming.   Resources  SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Irish Garda Intelligence Chief with Assistant Commissioner Michael McElgunn (2023)  Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023) The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy (2022) *Beginner Resources* Why is Ireland Divided? History Matters, YouTube (2022) [3 min. video] What You Need to Know About The Troubles, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article]  A Brief History of Ireland, T. Lambert, Local Histories (n.d.) [Short article]  DEEPER DIVE Books Stakeknife's Dirty War: The Inside Story of Scappaticci, the IRA's Nutting Squad, and the British Spooks who Ran the War, R. O'Rawe (Merrion Press, 2023) The Intelligence War against the IRA, T. Leahy (Cambridge University Press, 2020) Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, P. Radden Keefe (Anchor, 2020) Primary Sources  Operation Kenova Interim Report (2024) Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry (2010) The Good Friday Agreement (1998) The Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) IRA Green Book (1977)  Guerrilla Warfare Handbook for IRA Volunteers (1956) *Wildcard Resource* Much of the events mentioned in this week's episode take place in Derry, or Londonderry, Northern Ireland.  Check out one of Erin's favorite TV shows, Derry Girls – It tells the story of a young group of friends growing up in Derry during the Troubles. The town loved the show so much, they erected a mural to immortalize the five fictional friends that represented so many of their own upbringings in Derry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 110 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, Tracy chats with Leanne McHarg, from New South Wales, Australia, to share an in-depth trip report of her family's recent adventure to the UK. Leanne provides a detailed account of their three-week journey, which included stops in Zurich, Paris, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. She discusses their travel logistics, including the decision to use trains for most of their European travel, and the advantages of booking tickets early to secure the best prices. The family's itinerary was thoughtfully planned, taking into account school holidays and Easter, which influenced their travel dates and destinations.The episode dives into the highlights of their trip, from visiting iconic attractions like Madame Tussauds in London, the Imperial War Museum, and a tour of Lord's Cricket Ground, to exploring Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Leanne shares how they balanced the interests of all family members, ensuring each had a memorable experience, whether it was visiting the NBA store in London or taking a day tour to Glencoe and Loch Ness.Leanne also offers practical tips for fellow travellers, such as the importance of using apps like Citymapper for navigation, the benefits of packing cubes, and the peace of mind provided by Apple AirTags. She emphasises the value of flexibility in travel plans and preparing each night for the following day's activities.This episode is packed with useful insights and personal anecdotes, making it a must-listen for anyone planning a family trip to the UK or Europe.Whether you're planning your own family adventure or just love hearing about travel experiences, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and tips.⭐️ Guests - Leeanne McHarg

We meet Es Devlin CBE to discuss her new multi-media work SURFACING commissioned by BMW and unveiled at Art Basel in Basel 2024.A pioneering combination of sustainable energy and movement in an installation of water, light, sound and dance. A dance collaboration and a series of mobile sound installations within a pilot fleet of BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicles.In Hall 1.1 of the art fair Devlin created a booth displaying four works: Surfacing (2024), an illuminated cube of rain penetrated by a line of light and Surfacing II (2024), a pair of painted televisions in which a dancing figure appears to displace pixels and pigment, are flanked by Mask (2018) a projection-mapped model city fusing hands and river, and Mask in Motion (2018) a revolving illuminated translucent printed city which meshes viewers within its kinetic shadow.Each work continues Devlin's 30 year exploration of the entangled dance between humans and technology. The booth surprises visitors each hour as Surfacing's box of rain, like a magician's apparatus, conjures a 7 minute dance work by renowned Paris-based choreographer Sharon Eyal with music composed by London-based duo Polyphonia. A meeting of artist and engineers: Devlin has spent the past year engaging with engineers at BMW, learning the mechanics behind the hydrogen fuel cell technology and its implications for the future of sustainable energy systems. As an opening chapter to the works on view in Hall 1.1, she has created a simple soundscape drawn from their conversations and underscored by composers Polyphonia which is played to guests in the pilot fleet of BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicles.Devlin says: “I learned from the BMW engineers the beautiful symmetry of the system at work within the hydrogen fuel cell: the energy that is used to separate hydrogen atoms from oxygen is recreated when the oxygen is reunited with hydrogen within the car. The by-product is not only the energy which propels the vehicle, but water.”The exterior of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen has been wrapped in a painted blue and white collage in which Devlin overlays paintings and text made in response to the prints and literature which populated her wall and bookshelves as a teenager. Painted gestures echoing the 1831 woodcut ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa' by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, are superimposed over hand written extracts from literature's longest sentence about water drawn from James Joyce's seminal novel ‘Ulysses'. Underlying the collage are excerpts from BMW Group publications on hydrogen fuel cell technology.Artist and Stage Designer, Es Devlin's work explores biodiversity, linguistic diversity and collective ai-generated poetry. She views the audience as a temporary society and encourages profound cognitive shifts by inviting public participation in communal choral works. Her canvas ranges from public sculptures and installations at Tate Modern, V&A, Serpentine, Imperial War Museum and United Nations General Assembly, to kinetic stage designs at the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Olympic ceremonies, Super-Bowl half-time shows, and monumental illuminated stage sculptures for Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar and U2.Visit: https://EsDevlin.com/ and Follow @EsDevlin and @BMWGroupCulture Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summary Andrew Hodges (Website, Wikipedia) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the life and work of Alan Turing. Andrew is an emeritus senior research fellow of mathematics at the University of Oxford.  What You'll Learn Intelligence Turing's early foundations for artificial intelligence  Interwar cryptanalysis Bletchley Park, Hut 8, and British Naval Intelligence The mechanics of the Bombe machine Reflections Legacy changing alongside social history The weight and pressure of genius  And much, much more … Quotes of the Week “Everything that you do with the digital, everything that we're doing now through these computers, flows from his perceptions. And that in turn came through his practical experience during the Second World War on breaking the enemy codes.” – Andrew Hodges . Resources  SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* The Real Ian Fleming with Nicholas Shakespeare (2024)  ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: “The D-Day Deception” – with National WWII Museum Curator Corey Graff (2023)  Hitler's Trojan Horse – Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023) How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023) *Beginner Resources* Alan Turing, B.J. Copeland, Britannica (2024) [Short biography] How Did the Enigma Machine Work? Science Museum Group, YouTube (2019) [2 min. video] How Alan Turing Cracked the Enigma Code, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article] DEEPER DIVE Books The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, J. D. Turing (Arcturus, 2020) Turing's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, C. Bernhardt (MIT Press, 2017) Alan Turing: The Enigma, A. Hodges (Burnett Books/Hutchinson, 1983) Primary Sources  Alan Turing Obituary and Tributes (1954)  Can digital computers think? (1951) Computing Machinery and Intelligence (1950) Proposed electronic calculator (1946) Turing's Treatise on the Enigma (1939-1942) On Computable Numbers (1936) *Wildcard Resource* Alan Turing's School Report Card Didn't do very well in high school? Neither did Alan Turing. Amongst hopeful comments about his promising skills in mathematics, teachers noted Turing's carelessness and severe lack of neatness in his work.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices