Your History

Umpire and cricketer, Dickie Bird was one of cricket’s best-known and warmly regarded figures. Here, Mike Atherton, the the former England captain, and Times Chief Cricket Correspondent describes how no umpire before or since has been quite as famous. Dickie Bird had a long and illustrious career as an international umpire and a long-standing affiliation with his beloved Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nobel prizewinning physicist Rainer Weiss, whose measurements of gravitational waves validated Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity - and all down to what was described as a ‘chirp.’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Redford was one of the most successful and influential figures in American cinema. A leading man who brought gravitas to stardom, he starred in hits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Great Gatsby, and All the President’s Men, which he also produced. He later became a pivotal force in independent film with the founding of the Sundance Film Festival. Yet behind the fame was a man who distrusted Hollywood, guarded his privacy, and found solace in the wilderness of Utah.Aubrey Allegretti reads the obituary of Robert Redford, who died at the age of 89. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ricky Hatton was a two-weight world boxing champion, beloved for his fearless style in the ring and his laddish charm outside it. Nicknamed “the Hitman,” he won 45 of his 48 professional bouts - and outside the ring, he fought his own demons with the same relentless spirit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Duchess of Kent—known in non-royal life as Katharine Kent—was a woman who balanced royal duty with profound personal conviction. She embodied a spirit of “royal empathy” well before it became associated with Princess Diana, and is remembered for her warmth, her passion for tennis and music, and her quiet dedication to charitable work behind the scenes.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From window dresser to fashion empire, Giorgio Armani reshaped modern fashion. This is his story, as told through the words of the obituary team at The Times.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A career Royal Artillery officer, Major General Brian Pennicott played a pivotal role in the Falklands War, by chance, becoming one of the few witnesses to Argentina’s surrender in 1982. That night, he toasted the Queen beneath her hastily rehung portrait with a bottle of whisky. In retirement, he settled on the edge of Salisbury Plain - never far from the sound of gunfire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stuart Prebble rose through television’s ranks to become ITV’s chief executive, but found his biggest hit away from the boardroom - turning middle-aged men complaining into comedy gold with Grumpy Old Men. The show became a cultural phenomenon, spawning spin-offs, books, and even a West End show.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joan Anderson, an Australian model, introduced the hula hoop to America in the 1950s. However, when the toy became a worldwide craze, she received none of the credit. Photo Credit: Chris Riess and Amy Hill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once hailed as the “world’s best-looking man” - Terence Stamp was a striking presence who embodied the glamour of the swinging sixties, and went on to reinvent himself as one of cinema’s great villains. Charismatic, enigmatic, and forever restless, he was an actor of dazzling contradictions - never quite what the world expected him to be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She turned yoghurt pots into treasure, pets into celebrities, and treated her young audience as valued "customers". For 26 years, Biddy Baxter was the driving force behind Blue Peter, transforming it into the cleverest show on children's television and attracting audiences of up to 12 million.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Lovell was the cool-headed astronaut who became one of the first men to orbit the moon, and later commanded the Apollo 13 mission - famously telling mission control, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” In the days that followed, his skill and leadership helped bring the crew safely home, turning what could have been a disaster into one of NASA’s greatest recoveries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the first female head of MI5 and the first chief to be publicly identified, Stella Rimington, brought freshness and innovation to MI5 and a much-needed openness during her time as director-general.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Allan Ahlberg was the beloved children’s author of Peepo! and The Jolly Postman. Capturing the everyday magic of childhood with his illustrator wife Janet, he wrote over 150 books. We remember the teacher-turned-writer whose work shaped generations of young readers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In January 1943, 21-year-old Margot Friedländer returned to her home in Berlin to find her family gone – her 17-year-old brother had been arrested by the Gestapo, and her mother had turned herself in to the authorities to be with him. She left Margot a note with just five words, urging her to "try to make your life." After 15 months in hiding, Margot was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Decades after her liberation, Margot became one of the very few Berlin-born Holocaust survivors to return to Germany, saying Berlin was "how I actually discovered true humanity.”Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hulk Hogan helped turn wrestling into a global spectacle. Known for his flamboyant physique, yellow moustache and trademark bandana, he was one of WWE’s most iconic stars. But the story of Terry Bollea, the man behind the persona, was every bit as fascinating as the one he performed in the ring. Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Black Sabbath star, known as the Prince of Darkness, leaves behind a legacy that's shaped heavy metal rock music and inspired a generation of fans and musicians.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the barracks to the presidential villa, Muhammadu Buhari was a strong and disciplined leader who left a lasting mark on Nigeria’s history – first as a firm military ruler in the 1980s, and three decades on, as its democratically elected president.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pioneering yet reclusive artist was one of founding figures of British pop art whose bold, vibrant work helped define a movement. Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lord Tebbit was one of the most combative figures in British politics, and was known as Thatcher's 'enforcer'. A key architect of 1980s union reform, he survived the Brighton bombing and later left frontline politics to care for his wife, Margaret, who was severely injured in the bombing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was one of Britain’s most intrepid and inspiring foreign correspondents - a journalist who dodged bullets, bombs and dictators to bring distant wars into the nation’s living rooms. From Kinshasa to Kabul, Sandy Gall reported with grit and clarity, surviving more near-death experiences than he cared to count. Though best known as the voice of ITN’s News at Ten, it was far from the studio and on the frontline that he found his purpose as a journalist.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nina Kuscsik was a trailblazing athlete who challenged the patronising rules of her sport and helped open the door for generations of female distance runners. She made history as the first woman to win both the Boston and New York Marathons in the same year and led the fight to secure a marathon event for women in the Olympics. Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actress, model and music publicist, Madeleine Kasket, helped the fledgling radio station Classic FM to find its footing. Her connections included the greats of the classical music world - the tenor Plácido Domingo, cellist Julian Bream, and flautist James Galway. For a decade from the mid 1980s her partner was the harmonica player Larry Adler. The society photographer Baron was so taken with her look that he published a photograph of her for the Evening Standard in the same pose as the famous bust of the Egyptian queen, Nefertiti.Image credit: Baron Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David "Syd" Lawrence - the first British-born black cricketer to play for England - was fearsome fast bowler whose career was cruelly cut short by injury. He fell horribly in the middle of his delivery stride as he was about to bowl on the last day of the Third Test between England and New Zealand in Wellington on February 10, 1992. He said that it “felt like a sniper had shot me in the knee” and although he never played for England again, it was typical of his bravery that he attempted a comeback for Gloucestershire in county cricket not once but twice.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alfred Brendel, one of the most influential pianists of the 20th and 21st centuries, was born in a small Czech town and came of age during the Second World War. Self-taught and fiercely intellectual, he brought clarity, wit and emotional depth to the works of composers like Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart - leaving a lasting mark on classical music.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerry Francis was the first black South African to play in the English First Division. A child of the apartheid era, he came to Britain to prove himself against white players after being inspired by Nelson Mandela. He shone briefly on the pitch, but he believed his playing career was cut short by what he called the "racist attitudes in the boardroom".Image: Shutterstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Wilson was the musical genius behind The Beach Boys and didn’t just write songs, he created an idea of California as a state of bliss. From sun-kissed harmonies to the psychedelic heights of Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations, he was the creator of the Beach Boys’ musical golden era. But behind the blissful soundscapes, lay a turbulent life and a troubled man.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I decided that it would be a lot better if they weren’t used, a lot better if they were impossible to build." Richard Garwin was credited as the physicist who turned a crude design of a hydrogen bomb into something close to a blueprint in a couple of weeks. “I understood what many of these hydrogen bombs would mean” he said later "But if I hadn’t designed it, somebody else would have, probably within the year or so." He was also a remarkable inventor in many other fields of physics and who went on to influence the creation of many aspects of modern life we now take for granted.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Described as a musical “joy maker,” Michael Tretow was the sound engineer behind all of Abba’s first eight albums and every one of their hit singles between 1973 and 1982. Experimenting with different recording techniques, he helped develop Abba’s remarkable signature sound.Image: Alamy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sebastião Salgado, one of the world’s most prodigious and impactful photographers chronicling the world we inhabit. Working in high-contrast black and white, Salgado sought to convey profound truths about the world in which we live, leaving a legacy of over half a million images. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yuri Grigorovich, a revered and sometimes divisive figure in the history of the Bolshoi Ballet. As a leading choreographer of the 20th century, he played a pivotal role in shaping a bold, contemporary vision for Russian ballet.Image Credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joseph Nye, coined the two word phrase: “soft power” as a way of encapsulating a new way to see US foreign policy - a path through influence rather than military force and it became a catch phrase for many nations to rethink their place in the world.Image Credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Karen Durbin championed feminism, free expression, and sharp writing. A defining voice at New York's The Village Voice and its second female editor-in-chief.Image: SYLVIA PLACHY/COURTESY BARNARD COLLEGE ARCHIVE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The uncompromising frontman of Pere Ubu, the art-punk band whose experimental sound left a lasting mark on modern music - inspiring generations of artists to take risks and push boundaries.Photo credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Virginia Giuffre was one of the most outspoken accusers of convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend. She alleged they trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17, a claim Prince Andrew has always denied. Following her death aged 41, her family have described her as a "fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking".Warning: This episode of Your History contains references to sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Your History tells the story of Anne Harper - miners’ strike campaigner, activist and fierce voice for working-class women.Image Credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pope Francis has died aged 88 after contracting pneumonia, ending a tumultuous pontificate of 12 years in which the Argentine pope championed liberal causes, shook up the Church’s bureaucracy and clashed with conservative Catholics. The Times obituary of Pope Francis is read by Kaya Burgess, religious affairs correspondent.Photo credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nobel prize winning author with an insatiable intellectual curiosity who also ran a failed attempt to become president of his native country - Peru .Picture credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drummer Clem Burke powered the sound of punk and new wave, and played with Dylan, the Ramones and Iggy Pop as well as Blondie. This week we explore the life of rock's tireless rhythm machine, and some of the science behind his seismic beat.Image Credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cold War Royal Navy captain who trailed a soviet ballistic submarine for more than ten thousand miles without being detected. He would go on to command the 10th Submarine Squadron, which operated the Polaris nuclear deterrent.Photo credit: Farnfield family Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Hollywood legend renowned for roles in Top Gun and The Doors, but with a career marked by dedication to craft and a volatile on-set persona. From his early days at Juilliard to his battle with throat cancer, Kilmer’s journey was as dramatic as his performances.Photo Credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Constable Trevor Lock found himself at the centre of one of Britain’s most infamous events - the Iranian Embassy siege. The six-day stand-off ended with the dramatic storming of the building by the SAS in 1980. Despite his vital role in saving countless lives, Trevor Lock never courted publicity: He simply did his duty.Photo credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week The Times publishes an obituary of Anne Frank, eighty years after her death. She was fifteen when she died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, after two years in hiding. Her diary has been published in more than eighty languages and provides a vivid insight into the life of a young jewish girl who has become an emblem of the suffering of all Holocaust victims.Photo credit: Alamy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Australian socialite who chased a fairytale title across continents, only to be left jilted at the altar by a so-called Ottoman prince. But she would rewrite her story, later marrying for love and becoming an unexpected countess.Photo credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist who lost one of the most famous boxing matches in history on one night in an African jungle clearing. Later in life he became a devout Christian and returned to the ring to become the oldest champion ever at age forty five. Image: Getty Images Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Formula 1 legend who built a team from nothing and built it to win races, working with some of the leading drivers of his generation. But he was also a canny businessman with an eye for the deal.Image: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Belgian agent was caught, beaten and sent to a concentration camp but survived to tell her story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Francesco Rivella - a young chemist from Northern Italy - changed breakfast forever after spending ten years refining the recipe for Nutella. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author of saucy sex guides linking fantasy and pornography while championing the right of everyone to have the sex life of their own choosing. The Associate Editor of The Times Magazine. Jane Mulkerrins tells the details - at least those we were able to print - of the life of Tuppy Owens. Photo Credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The self-taught 'people's painter' from Scotland who battled rejection from critics and art experts alike only to become one of the most successful artists in Britain.Photo credit: Getty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.