The first lesbian couple to get married and W...

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We hear how a speech by Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, in 1972, caused a break down in relations with the USA. Our guest is an expert in the historic relations between Swede ...  Show more

We begin with the trial of the former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor. It was claimed that he traded in arms and ammunition in return for so-called blood diamonds.Our guest, gemmologist James Evans discusses the creation of synthetic diamonds.Next we head to Syria where a gr ...  Show more

King James I was a man whose sexuality was known by people in France, let alone (the newly formed) Britain of the early 17th century.

So it may come as no surprise that men, such as the handsome George Villiers, might use their sexuality to their advantage and gain s ...

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈 Through most of history homosexuality and gender non-conformity were met with misunderstanding and intolerance. And while men in power had some modicum of freedom to pursue their own desires, women’s sexuality and identity was much more tightly controlled. Les ...  Show more

Long before same-sex marriage became legal in the USA in 2015, one gay couple in Minneapolis got married in 1971. Their names were Jack Baker and Mike McConnell. They'd been issued with a marriage licence and the man who held their wedding ceremony was Methodist pastor Roger Lynn ...  Show more

Throughout history, it's mostly been queer men who were persecuted under the historical sodomy laws, but the Tudor period saw a spike in women being tried under it.

Why was this? And why was it mostly happening in what is modern day Belgium and Netherlands?