The Bomb
BBC World Service
How the nuclear bomb shaped world history. The scientists who raced to build weapons, the spies who stole the technology and the superpowers who grappled with deployment. In Season 3, nuclear war is terrifyingly close. Can the superpowers of the Soviet Union and the USA prevent apocalypse? Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, relatives of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and US President John F Kennedy, tell the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Season 2 is about Klaus Fuchs, the brilliant young physicist from a pacifist German family whose spying for Russia changed history. Season 1 tells the story of Leo Szilard, and the scientist’s discovery of the lethal potential for nuclear weapons in the race to beat Nazi Germany.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 15, 2022 • 40min
Klaus Fuchs: 2. A split life
The world’s most dangerous spy? A young scientist’s journey into espionage. From a German pacifist family to a Soviet spy ring. Physicist Klaus Fuchs flees Nazi rule for England and joins the race to develop an atomic bomb – whoever gets there first wins the war. Presenter Rosa Ellis discovers how Fuchs’ double life begins. #thebombThis podcast has been edited for accuracy. Audio was updated on 20th July 2022.
Jul 8, 2022 • 21min
Klaus Fuchs: 1. A grave matter
The man who stole the atomic bomb. And why he did it. Klaus Fuchs was a talented scientist - but he was also a Soviet spy. He worked on the British American atomic bomb project, whilst handing nuclear secrets to the Russians. Host Rosa Ellis uncovers the double lives of Klaus Fuchs and her great-aunt Ursula. #thebomb
Jun 26, 2022 • 4min
Klaus Fuchs: Bonus: The sound design
What does the inside of an atom sound like? Meet our sound designer for Season 2. How Tim Nielsen is using cinematic design. He says he draws inspiration from the human heartbeat. Season 2 begins on 9 July 2022.
Jun 19, 2022 • 4min
Klaus Fuchs: Bonus: Introducing Rosa Ellis
"She was not just a spy - she was a spymaster". The family secret of Rosa Ellis, host of season 2 of The Bomb. Emily Strasser takes us behind the scenes of this espionage thriller, as Rosa talks about her great-aunt's double life. Season 2 begins on 9 July 2022.
Jun 12, 2022 • 4min
Klaus Fuchs: Introducing The Bomb season 2
The spy who changed history. And a great-aunt's double life. The Bomb is returning with season 2. Klaus Fuchs was a brilliant scientist, but he was also a dangerous spy, stealing atomic secrets and handing them over to the Soviet Union. In this special episode, Emily Strasser takes us behind the scenes. Producer Zak Brophy tells her all about the man who stole the bomb. Season 2 begins on 9 July 2022.
Sep 11, 2020 • 29min
Leo Szilard: 7. The doomsday clock
The world’s first nuclear bomb drops on the unsuspecting city of Hiroshima. On 7 August 1945, the world is changed forever.
In this final episode, featuring first-hand accounts of the attack that day, Emily Strasser asks how the bomb changed humanity. Have we really come to terms with it?
#thebomb
Sep 4, 2020 • 26min
Leo Szilard: 6. The first atomic bomb
Time is running out. As Manhattan Project scientists test the world’s first nuclear bomb, Leo Szilard knows it’s the last chance to stop the US government from dropping the bomb on Japanese civilians. Working with colleagues at Chicago’s Met Lab, Szilard does all he can to alert the US president. But will his message get there in time?
#thebomb
Aug 28, 2020 • 25min
Leo Szilard: 5. Enemy alien
The FBI pursues Leo Szilard as he loses control of the project to create a nuclear bomb. With his influence waning, the leaders of the Manhattan Project now threaten his liberty. But as the world’s first nuclear bomb comes within touching distance, Szilard fears it might soon be used on a city in Japan.
#thebomb
Aug 21, 2020 • 32min
Leo Szilard: 4. Pearl Harbour
An attack on Pearl Harbour changes everything. After a surprise Japanese attack destroys US ships, the US declares war on Japan, and intensifies its efforts to create the first nuclear bomb. Caught in the middle of it all, Leo Szilard starts to lose his grip on the project.
#thebomb
4 snips
Aug 14, 2020 • 21min
Leo Szilard: 3. The Einstein letter
A vital message must be delivered to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Fearing the Nazis are on the verge of creating the first nuclear bomb, Leo Szilard needs to convince the US Government to take the threat seriously. In his hour of need, he reaches out to an old friend, Albert Einstein.
#thebomb
