History Book Club

Most listeners will remember the Michael Caine and Stanley Baker epic, Zulu, but in order to provide the historical context, I’ve selected Zulu Dawn which was it’s prequel, and so despite being released 15 years later, it’s chronologically 24hours earlier.

This is the British film made in 1979 starring Peter O’Toole, Burt Lancaster and Bob Hoskins. Joining is Roger Moorhouse and in Tim Hewitt’s place, Alec Marsh, author, Telegraph columnist and a lovely chap, so I hope you enjoy.

Alec Marsh at the Telegraph

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Best Performance

Most Egregious Overracting

Biggest Plot Flaw

Historical Inaccuracy

What if Tarantino Made It?

Who won the film?

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Stakeknife, real name Freddie Scappaticci, continues to be officially denied as a British agent by the Government. This is part of their Neither Confirm Nor Deny policy. Indeed the IRA itself is in denial over Scappaticci’s role, which was as a senior member of the provisionals' Internal Security Unit, responsible for rooting out IRA Volunteers who had been giving information to the RUC, Army or MI5. The methods employed by Scappaticci and fellow IRA members involved torture, and ended with shots to head, hence their nickname, the Nutting Squad.

A recent inquiry, Operation Kenova, concluded with the Head of the PSNI saying Scappaticci cost more lives than he saved. But, in that same report states he provided a VAST amount of intelligence much of which was valuable. He seemed primarily to be providing his Army handlers, the Force Research Unit, with information on what the IRA was thinking strategically. So, if much of his intelligence was valuable, that presented a complex moral challenge, particularly when one remembers there were dealing with a highly advanced insurgency that killed nearly 2,000 people during the Troubles, around 650 of whom were civilians.

But at the same time Scappaticci was, in some cases, torturing British agents himself. In addition, the same organisation, the FRU, ran another agent, Brian Nelson, within the loyalist UDA, and he was in the habit of providing addresses of suspected IRA members to his comrades, who would then pay them a visit and carry out murder and mayhem. He would obtain these details from the Army, and innocent civilians were killed, among them Patrick Finucane, a solicitor from West Belfast.

Joining today is John Ware, BBC man, Panorama presenter, and the man who broke the Omagh bombing story. He’s a highly respected journalist of the Troubles, interested in the moral compromises that had to be made during the conflict in Northern Ireland. He’s written a new book, Neither Confirm Nor Deny.

John Ware Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Neither Confirm Nor Deny

⁠Who Bombed Omagh? Panorama Documentary with John Ware

⁠History Book Club Book List⁠

Oliver Webb-Carter Links

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Pericles was the foremost statesman of Athens’ classical age, dominating the political sphere, and giving his name to the building programme that produced the architecture we see on the Acropolis today. But what was he really like beyond the orator and politician? Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, honorary citizen of modern day Sparta and author of a new biography of Pericles.

We discuss Pericles’ mid-life crisis, his genius for giving speeches and we start with Paul’s experience of the BBC radio programme In Our Time on which Paul often appears as a guest.

Paul Cartledge Links⁠⁠⁠

Pericles: Statesman, Demagogue, Eccentric

BBCR4 In Our Time: The Delian League

History Book Club Book List

Oliver Webb-Carter Links

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A bonus for listeners as we are blessed with an appearance by Helen Lederer, the comedian and actress. She and Giuseppe Albano join to discuss Trent Park, which was the large mansion used by the intelligence services to house senior German generals after their capture. They would be wined and dined so as to loosen their tongues, and all the while recording devices took down every word and translators searched for information to help the war effort.

Trent Park House of Secrets

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We are in the midst of Odysseymania as the new film by Christopher Nolan breaks records at the box office. Nolan’s interpretation of the poem has attracted criticism, from casting to armour but any anachronisms are simply the latest in a very long line that began in English with George Chapman’s translation in the 16th century.

Henry Power, author of Homer Haunted joins me as we discuss the new movie, why Homer will always be relevant, and we talk about some of the varied and entertaining translations that are out there.

Henry Power Links⁠

Homer Haunted: The Many Afterlives of an Ancient Poet

Christopher Logue: War Music

Oliver Webb-Carter Links

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