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The History Hour

Sir David Attenborough's first Zoo Quest and a WW2 sabotage mission in Norway

The History Hour

BBC

Personal Journals, History, Society & Culture

4.4913 Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service.

We start with the broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough. To mark his 100th birthday, we go back to the mid 1950s and the television programme that launched his career. Our guest is Dr Paula Kahumbu, a Kenyan conservationist and head of the conservation organisation, Wildlife Direct.

Then, the story of a World War Two sabotage plot carried out by a team of Norwegian resistance fighters.

We hear about Africa's worst stadium disaster, at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.

Plus, a Spanish nun reflects on the killing of two fellow sisters during the Algerian civil conflict in the 1990s.

We also hear how the world's most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex was found in South Dakota, USA, in 1990.

Finally, how the Nigerian 4 x 400m relay team were declared Olympic champions, 12 years after the race.

Contributors:

Sir David Attenborough - naturalist and broadcaster (BBC archive)

Dr Paula Kahumbu, CEO of Kenyan conservation organisation, Wildlife Direct

Gunnar Deinboll Jenssen - nephew of the Norwegian resistance fighter Lieutenant Peter Deinboll

Herbert Mensah - former chair of the football club Asante Kotoko

Sister Lourdes Migueles - Spanish nun who chose to stay in Algeria during civil conflict

Peter Larson - American commercial fossil collector and researcher

Enefiok Udo-Obong - former Nigerian sprinter

(Photo: Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and broadcaster, with two ring-tailed lemurs. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.

0:07.0

If you need help on money matters, you're not alone.

0:10.5

In the Martin Lewis podcast, I'll give you tips to keep more cash in your pocket

0:13.9

and answer your important questions.

0:16.7

Now that we're starting from scratch, what is the best way for us to move forward?

0:21.2

To help your everyday finances just add up.

0:24.8

Let's see what we can do.

0:26.2

The Martin Lewis podcast, listen on BBC Sounds.

0:30.1

A moment in time captured by what they heard.

0:33.1

I heard some people making phone calls.

0:34.7

Okay, which one way would you like at Teeterborough?

0:37.2

What they saw.

0:38.4

I put my head down.

0:39.4

I saw the movie of my life.

0:40.7

Start going through my head.

0:41.8

What they smelt.

0:43.2

I still remember the smell of the fresh fish.

0:45.7

And I completely lost my appetite.

0:49.2

Moments captured which last for a lifetime.

0:52.6

Scientists have made the atomic bomb. That sort of flash set on fire the birds

0:57.9

and they all fell down without their feathers on. The way was clear for Hitler to realize all his

1:04.6

demonic plans. Stories from people with first-hand accounts of events that have shaped our world.

...

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