Untold Legends

About Untold Legends

What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story. NEW season: You may well have heard of the Austrian-born US actress Hedy Lamarr - a Jewish refugee who escaped the Nazis to become a Hollywood star. However, for most of her life, she didn’t receive proper recognition for her role as an inventor. She was known for starring in dozens of films, including Algiers, Samson and Delilah, Ecstasy, Boom Town and My Favourite Spy. But few people knew Hedy was also a gifted inventor. One of the technologies she co-invented laid a key foundation for future communication systems, including GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi. Presented by inventor and model Andini, and featuring special guest, Hollywood actor, AnnaSophia Robb, Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr, explores the life of a woman whose intellect was often overshadowed by her image. Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr is an 8-part series. Previously, from Untold Legends: Ora Washington was the champion the world ignored. You might know this tennis and basketball star, were it not for the colour of her skin. Former US basketball star and vice president of Atlanta Dream, Renee Montgomery, investigates Ora’s story. Ora dominated black women’s tennis, which was segregated in the 1920s and 1930s. Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

Publisher

BBC World Service

Category

society & culture · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Aug 2022

Latest episode

2 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

25 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Oct 2025

   Hedy Lamarr: 8. Hedy’s Legacy

   Hedy’s tumultuous life has taken so many twists and turns. Will she finally get the recognition she deserves as an inventor? We speak to US Navy commanders, a Microsoft inventor and Hedy’s daughter to find out, in the last part of Hedy’s amazing story. What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story. Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

2. 

   2 Oct 2025

   Hedy Lamarr: 7. Hedy on Trial

   As Hedy Lamarr gets older, her acting work dries up and she is again embroiled in a public scandal. She is accused of shoplifting. To make things worse, she is taking addictive “remedies” prescribed by Dr Max Jacobson, otherwise known as “Dr Feelgood”. Will Hedy be able to seize back her own narrative? What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story. Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

3. 

   14 Aug 2025

   Hedy Lamarr: 6. Striking out

   Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil’s visionary invention fails to make an impact with the US Navy. The actress decides it’s time to quit MGM Studios to explore new avenues as an independent movie producer. She loses a fortune, and divorces her third husband. Then, there’s a twist in Hedy’s invention tale. What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story. Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

80 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

23 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100

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

Quality

20

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

94

Contact Untold Legends

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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