History's Secret Heroes

About History's Secret Heroes

Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for tales of deception, resistance and courage in History's Secret Heroes Series 4.History's Heroes: the BBC's breathtaking, high stakes, story-led history podcast feed that shines a light on extraordinary people from across history. Series include 'History's Heroes' with narration from Historian Alex von Tunzelmann, 'History's Toughest Heroes' with narration from Ray Winstone, 'History's Youngest Heroes' with narration from Nicola Coughlan and 'History's Secret Heroes' with narration from Helena Bonham Carter. In History's Heroes, Historian Alex von Tunzelmann (Radio 4's The History Podcast: The Lucan Obsession/writer of all the History's Heroes series) shines a light on the inspiring and unusual stories of courage, pioneering and people who used their voice to spark change. Heroes covered include groundbreaking surgeon Harold Gillies, composers Rodgers and Hammerstein and swimming champion Gertrude Ederle. Join Alex for stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone.In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone reveals wild, true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors. Heroes covered include arctic explorer Peter Freuchen, Hollywood stunt woman Kitty O'Neil and medieval knight William Marshal. Join Ray for tales of fearsome heroes who lived life on the edge. In History's Youngest Heroes, actress Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) tells twelve true stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. Before she became a Hollywood star, how did the young Audrey Hepburn take on the Nazis during World War Two? As a young activist, how did Nelson Mandela attempt to overthrow the South African government to end apartheid? Did Queen of England, Lady Jane Grey give up her faith or face the executioner's axe? Why did Terry Fox, a young man with a prosthetic leg, set out to run the length of Canada? Join Nicola to hear inspiring tales of young heroes both famous and forgotten, whose bravery demonstrates how young people can change history. In History's Secret Heroes, Helena Bonham Carter recounts untold stories of heroes from World War Two whose acts of resistance, deception and courage helped defeat fascism. In each episode, Helena shines a light on the spies, Royal Air Force pilots, army officers, prisoners of war and double agents who risked their lives to save others. Learn all about forgotten stories of survival, bravery and espionage - from the opera singers who helped dozens of Jewish people escape Nazi Germany, to the woman that Winston Churchill would go on to call his favourite spy. Previous episodes have looked at the story of the American actor George Takei (Star Trek), who was imprisoned without trial along with 12,000 other Japanese Americans, and Bela Hazan, a young Jewish woman who went undercover at the Gestapo headquarters to fight against the Nazis. From secret missions behind enemy lines in occupied Europe, to underground resistance movements across Germany, France, Poland, Great Britain and beyond, History's Secret Heroes reveals how ordinary people can make an extraordinary impact. Join Alex, Ray, Nicola and Helena for tales of deception, rebellion, risk and courage.

Publisher

BBC Radio 4

Category

history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 May 2023

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

89 of 120 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   History's Secret Heroes - Series 4: The Ovitz Family

   Host Helena Bonham Carter interviews actor Warwick Davies, biographer Eilat Negev, and historian Warren Rosenblum about the Ovitz family's remarkable survival during World War Two.

2. 

   15 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   History's Secret Heroes - Series 4: Airey Neave: Escape from Colditz Castle

   Helena Bonham Carter interviews biographer Patrick Bishop and Airey Neave's daughter Marigold Webb about Neave's daring escape from Colditz Castle during WWII.

3. 

   8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   History's Secret Heroes - Series 4: The Cockleshell Heroes

   Military historian Robert Lyman and Terry Sparks, son of Bill Sparks, join host Helena Bonham Carter to recount the daring Cockleshell Heroes mission during World War Two.

Inside a recent episode

History's Secret Heroes - Series 4: The Ovitz Family

Published 22 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Warren Rosenblum is a professor of modern history with a special focus on the history of disability. We should be humble about the fact that the language we use today might in 20 or 30 years be seen as derogatory because language is always changing. I think the best thing is to defer to the community themselves and say, what are they comfortable with? There are terms that aren't acceptable at all. The word midget is highly offensive. I prefer little person, to be honest. Dwarves is an acceptable term. It's more of a kind of medical term in a sense. After Shimshon Ovitz's wife died, he married again. […]

Who has been a guest on History's Secret Heroes

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Warwick Davies
• Eilat Negev
• Warren Rosenblum
• Patrick Bishop
• Marigold Webb

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

486 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

952 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 41 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

42

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

99

Pitching History's Secret Heroes

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting pitches.

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Questions about History's Secret Heroes