Great War Podcasts, Part 1: BBC

One thing I've recently been trying to do is mix podcasts about the First World War into my daily playlist. At this point, all of them have been from the BBC, so I figured I'd post some links. Their first major centennial podcast was World War One.

The brunt of the Beeb's podcast coverage has been a series they've titled "The War that Changed the World". They've done a number of events in a number of different locations: Nationalism The War That Changed the World, The War that Changed the World: Part Two, The War That Changed The World: Istanbul - Modernity and Secularism, The War that Changed the World: India, and St Petersburg: Revolution. Thus far, I've listened to the ones about St. Petersburg and Istanbul, and maybe one other, I'm not sure.

I listened to I Don't Remember the War, but wasn't as impressed. They basically had an event where they talked to people in a bunch of different locations that were, at best, tangentally involved in the Great War, and who were mostly just remotely acquainted with people who'd actually been involved in the role.

They've also done several episodes about India and South Asia: India's Forgotten War, and The Ghostly Voices of World War One. I haven't listened to the first, but I listened to the second, and it was interesting.

And in 2012, while I was languishing in Aberdeen during The Long Break, I listened to ANZAC.

Work continues on my book about the First World War, and that's the inspiration for my interest in podcasts on the subject to supplement the reading I've been (trying to) do. Generally speaking, the legitimate historians who taught me the craft between 2000 and 2005 would probably focus solely on the specific subject matter, but since I want to market my book to a wider audience (really, I'm writing the book so that as many people as possible will see and remember the men about whom I'm writing), I'm trying to cast a wider net. Seeing as how my pre-October 2013 exposure to the First World War was pretty spotty, that's left me with a great deal of catching up to do. Podcasts help because it's something I can absorb while doing other things, like working or commuting. So, as I listen to more of them, I'll be sure to share the wealth.