Saturday Matinee: The Secret World of Roald Dahl
History Daily
History Daily
4.4 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On today’s Saturday Matinee, we read up on one of the most beloved children's authors Roald Dahl, and flip through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary, controversial life.
- Link to The Secret World of Roald Dahl: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-secret-world-of-roald-dahl/id1868436905
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Transcript
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| 0:34.4 | with Indeed. |
| 0:43.6 | Yeah. do it the right way with Indeed. As one of the world's most beloved and best-selling children's book authors, |
| 0:48.0 | Roald Dahl should be familiar to everyone. |
| 0:50.5 | Who doesn't know Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? |
| 0:52.7 | James and the Giant Peach, the BFG, Matilda. I mean, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? James and the Giant Peach, the |
| 0:54.2 | BFG, Matilda. I mean, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been made into a movie three times. |
| 0:59.7 | So we all know his work, but do we know the man? I'll tell you, no, you do not, not even close. |
| 1:06.5 | First of all, his name isn't Roald Doll. It's Ruhald Doll. And secondly, don't you think it's odd that he's a |
| 1:13.2 | children's author? His stories are so often darkly comedic and strangely violent, so full of fantastic |
| 1:19.8 | feats in strange places and hinting at deep secrets, deceptions, and often showing a sadness |
| 1:26.0 | with the world. But it all starts to make sense once you know that this man was once a World War II spy, |
| 1:33.4 | and his early missions weren't to infiltrate the Nazi party, but to investigate and influence |
| 1:38.7 | the American government. |
| 1:40.6 | Rualdahl turns out to be a man of many faces, deeply layered and complex. |
| 1:45.5 | And his fascinating story is what we're sharing on today's Saturday matinee |
| 1:49.3 | with an episode from the new podcast, The Secret World of Ruald Dal, |
... |
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