The first lesbian couple to get married and World Laughter Day

The History Hour

BBC

History, Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 879 Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2024

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalise gay marriage. Four couples were chosen to take part in a collective wedding at midnight which was broadcast on TV. Hélène Faasen and Anne-Marie Thus talk about the wedding they thought they'd never have.

Our guest Lauren Moss, the LGBT & Identity Correspondent at BBC News tells us about the history of gay marriage. Also, the man who risked his life to make the audio recordings which blew open one of the biggest corruption scandals in Spain's recent history.

Then we hear the story of the 1970s defection from the Soviet Union of a world-famous ballerina. Plus, the mystery surrounding the fate of the last king of France's son and the man who really does believe that laughter is the best medicine.

Contributors: Hélène Faasen & Anne-Marie Thus - the first lesbian couple to get married legally. Lauren Moss - LGBT & Identity Correspondent at BBC News. José Luis Peñas - the man that made secret recordings that revealed the Gurtel scandal. Prof Jean Jacques Cassiman - Belgian geneticist. Deborah Cadbury - historian. Dr Madan Kataria – founder of World Laughter Day.

(Photo: The couple arrive to be married at the Amsterdam City Hall. Credit: Marcel Antonisse/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	I was one of many people that were victims who was used by somebody who was
0:05.2	psychopathic. Let's tell this story. World of Secrets, season two, The
0:10.9	Disciples. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
0:17.0	Hello and welcome to the History Hour podcast from the BBC World Service with me Max Pearson,
0:27.0	the past brought to life by those who were there.
0:30.3	This week the first female ballet star to defect to the west from Soviet Russia.
0:34.6	When it's a company going on tour, they usually travel with the KGB.
0:39.8	KGB, a policeman.
0:41.4	Yes, we have few in the company unknown.
0:45.0	Plus what really happened to the last King of France's young son.
0:49.0	Also, Jose Luis Penas, the man who risked his life making secret recordings that revealed
0:54.5	one of Spain's biggest corruption scandals.
0:57.0	As soon as my name was Leak, the number of friends I had rapidly decreased because my neighborhood is a stronghold of the
1:04.4	P. I got all sorts of threats. That and the man who really does believe that
1:09.5	laughter is the best medicine coming up later in the podcast. But before that a moment which
1:15.4	brought a smile to the faces of one particular couple and which sent a message
1:19.4	around the world. On the 1st of April 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to
1:25.8	legalize gay marriage. Four couples were chosen to take part in a collective wedding at midnight
1:32.0	which was broadcast on TV.
1:34.0	Elena Fassa and Anne-Marie Thuss have been telling Dan Hardoon
1:38.0	about the wedding they thought they'd never have.
1:41.0	We arrived at City Hall and it was really difficult to go to all those people.
	...

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