Dancing in the Street and Ai Weiwei

The History Hour

BBC

History, Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 879 Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes including the story behind Mick Jagger and David Bowie's duet for Live Aid in 1985 and the Chinese artist who was jailed for his art inspired by the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.

He speaks to music journalist Alice Austin to explore other concerts in world history that have had a political impact.

Also, the American politician who first coined the phrase "drill, baby, drill" in 2008, the making of Back To The Future in 1985 and the trophy killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe in 2015.

Contributors: Bernard Doherty - former Live Aid press officer. Alice Austin - music journalist. Ai Weiwei - artist. Prof Andrew Loveridge - zoologist who studied Cecil the lion. Michael Steele - the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, who came up with the slogan "Drill, baby, drill!" Bob Gale - the co-writer and producer of the Back to the Future.

(Photo: Mick Jagger and David Bowie performing Dancing In The Street. Credit: Brian Cooke / Redferns)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Get closer to the action with live commentary from the world's greatest sporting events on BBC Sounds.
0:06.1	It is all over!
0:08.4	Bulls are edge, caught behind.
0:10.6	Including cricket Super League, women's Euros 2025, Wimbledon, Formula One and much more.
0:17.6	It's all right to the lights and foot to the floor.
0:20.0	Oh, what a's done it!
0:21.4	Drop shots!
0:22.9	Winner!
0:23.6	On five sports extra, sports extra two and sports extra three.
0:27.6	Listen, only on BBC Sounds.
0:34.6	Hello and welcome to The History Hour from the BBC World Service with me, Max Pearson,
0:39.3	the past brought to life by those who were there.
0:42.5	This week, the artwork that landed Ai Wei Wei Wei in a Chinese jail.
0:46.9	The worst thing they tell me is I have to be sentenced for 13 years.
0:53.0	They said, when you come out, your child will not recognize you.
0:58.1	Also, the global shock generated by the trophy killing of Cecil the Lion.
1:02.9	Yeah, I sat there and sniffing the night air and just very relaxed.
1:07.1	You know, very beautiful. And I think that would be my last sort of memory of him and how you was such a
1:11.8	beautiful animal. And the man who first coined the phrase drill baby drill. You could tell the look
1:17.3	of my face was like, oh snap, they like this. And then I started chanting with them a little bit.
1:24.8	Yeah, I want to drill baby drill. All right, let's do that.
1:32.2	That's coming up later, but first we're going to examine one of the key moments in a truly iconic cultural event. On the 13th of July, 1985, Wembley Stadium in London was the focus for the
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