In Our Time History Podcasts

BBC Radio's podcast archive is a rich source of expert information for teachers and students alike. A fine example of this is the series linked here, the 'In Our Time History' series. The format is simple - a significant event, individual or era is looked at and discussed in depth by expert historians and pitched in such a way as to accessible to all whilst stretching those with a particular interest. Of direct relevance to our current A Level historians might be Rana Mitter's views on the Sino-Japanese war, Saul David's analysis on the importance of Clausewitz's 'On War' or Richard Evans and Eric Hobsbawm discussing whether an understanding of history could lead to us predicting the future. The benefit of listening to such clear and concise expert evaluation should not be underestimated in a time when historical writing can sometimes become a rather tangled web.
The sister series, just called 'In Our Time', can be found here and covers a myriad of areas, history among them. For broader thinkers and cross curricular students there are also science and philosophy editions. Just one word of caution; much as presenter Melvyn Bragg may be admired for the breadth of his knowledge in chairing these discussions, his tendency to interrupt far more expert opinion and his rather pompous tone can grate after a while. Overall though, an excellent resource and an opportunity to engage with real academic debate with those UCAS forms and university interviews on the horizon.
S Shergold