Episodes

  • 78. McCarthyism: The Fall of Joseph McCarthy (Ep 5)

    78. McCarthyism: The Fall of Joseph McCarthy (Ep 5)
    Mar 16 2026
    What happened when Joseph McCarthy turned his communist-catching energy on the army? What film, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando, is viewed as an allegory for the McCarthy hearings? In what ways did the ‘Lavender scare’ subtext influence the investigations into Roy Cohn? What famous line brought down the reputation of this ‘red-scare’ fuelling demagogue? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at the Army-McCarthy hearings and the spectacularly public downfall of Joseph McCarthy. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • 77. McCarthyism: The Crucible, High Noon, and Hollywood’s Revenge (Ep 4)

    77. McCarthyism: The Crucible, High Noon, and Hollywood’s Revenge (Ep 4)
    Mar 9 2026
    How did the most celebrated writers and directors in America take aim at McCarthyism in works such as High Noon and The Crucible? Why did Roy Cohn, the man who went on to be Donald Trump’s mentor, get involved in the trials? Despite both men using homophobic language, why are there rumours about McCarthy and Cohn’s sexuality? What is the relevance of this for the trials? Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • 76. McCarthyism: Spies, Lies, And Smears (Ep 3)

    76. McCarthyism: Spies, Lies, And Smears (Ep 3)
    Mar 2 2026
    Who is Joseph McCarthy, the young senator who gives his name to these trials? Had Communist agents really infiltrated the US Government? Who were the Rosenbergs, America's most notorious communist couple, executed for giving state secrets to the Soviet Union? Why were American academics forced into exile? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga introduce Joseph McCarthy and the loyalty purges that made him notorious. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • 75. McCarthyism: Hollywood on Trial (Ep 2)

    75. McCarthyism: Hollywood on Trial (Ep 2)
    Feb 23 2026
    What happened when the House of Un-American Activities Committee started to prosecute some of the biggest names in Hollywood? Who were the infamous ‘Hollywood Ten’? Why did the trial of Alger Hiss, a State Department official, terrify the American public? How did a young Richard Nixon make his name during these trials? Join David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell as they look at when the HUAC hearings came to Hollywood. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • 74. McCarthyism: How The Red Scare Gripped America (Ep 1)

    74. McCarthyism: How The Red Scare Gripped America (Ep 1)
    Feb 16 2026
    What was the second Red Scare where government employees, creatives, and intellectuals were prosecuted for holding ‘un-American’ views? What are the 19th century origins of Trump’s catch phrase, ‘America First’? Who was Martin Dies, the man responsible for setting up the ‘House of Unamerican Activities Committee’? Join Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga for the first part of their series looking at the McCarthyism purges that gripped America in the 20th century. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • 73. Chernobyl: An Explosion That Brought Down A Superpower (Ep 6)

    73. Chernobyl: An Explosion That Brought Down A Superpower (Ep 6)
    Feb 12 2026
    Did Chernobyl cause the collapse of the Soviet Union? How did the disaster fuel the fight for independence? What happened when war came to the Exclusion Zone after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022? How are the victims still being impacted by the violence? Join David Olusgoa and Sarah Churchwell for the last episode in this Chernobyl series, looking at the legacy of the explosion. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • 72. Chernobyl: Soviet Secrets Are Still Coming Out (Ep 5)

    72. Chernobyl: Soviet Secrets Are Still Coming Out (Ep 5)
    Feb 9 2026
    Who were the bio-robots, the 3,000 young reservists drafted in to fight the radiation? Why was an absurdly inadequate, yet enormous, structure built at pace to contain the fallout? Could trust be restored between the US and the USSR after the latter lied about the explosion? Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at how the nuclear fallout ate away at the very core of the Soviet Union. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    24 mins
  • 71. Chernobyl: Three Men Who Saved Europe (Ep 4)

    71. Chernobyl: Three Men Who Saved Europe (Ep 4)
    Feb 5 2026
    What were the two "nightmare scenarios” that would have led to enormous damage in the weeks following the explosion? What happened when three heroic men waded into radioactive water to stop much of Europe becoming uninhabitable for centuries? How did army reservists fight to contain the nuclear fallout in a mission named ‘The Battle of Chernobyl’? David Olusoga and Sarah Churchwell explore the terrifying consequences that the soviets narrowly avoided in the weeks following the explosion. Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins