Experts analyse extraordinary wartime career of Winston Churchill in new podcast
Churchill: The Finest Half Hour covers the most momentous years in Churchill’s remarkable life, when the outbreak of war with Nazi Germany saw him recalled from the political wilderness
The extraordinary career of Winston Churchill and the events which led to him becoming Britain’s leader during World War Two are the focus of a fascinating new podcast.
Churchill: The Finest Half Hour brings together two leading international academic experts on the politician Professor Richard Toye and Dr Warren Dockter.
They analyse in detail Churchill’s dramatic rise to power and bring global audiences fascinating facts and fresh insights into the career of one of the most remarkable figures of 20th century history.
Churchill: The Finest Half Hour covers the most momentous years in Churchill’s remarkable life, when the outbreak of war with Nazi Germany saw him recalled from the political wilderness to take charge of the Royal Navy.
During a forensic look at events during 1939 and 1940, Dr Dockter and Professor Toye show why Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced to leave his position, and why Winston Churchill – so long in the political wilderness, replaced him.
Professor Toye, who is based at the University of Exeter, is an expert on the life, career, and reputation of Winston Churchill. He has written books on Churchill’s journalism and his media image, as well as his World War Two speeches, and how Churchill’s reputation has been exploited in the decades since his death, by Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, amongst others.
Dr Dockter is an expert on Churchill’s relationship with the Islamic world and his political career and journalism. He is the President and CEO of the East Tennesse Historical Society and an honorary lecturer at Aberystwyth University in International Relations.
In the first episode Professor Toye and Dr Dockter pick up events in September 1939, explaining why it was controversial that Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty after so long out of government.
They explain the global impact, particularly in the Commonwealth, of Churchill’s speeches and writings warning of the rise of Nazism. His views gained more prominence after the collapse of the Munich agreement.
Professor Toye and Dr Dockter detail the dramatic events within Parliament which led to Chamberlain resigning without any obvious successor, and how Churchill’s belief in his own abilities led to Chamberlain giving him more powers.
The podcast, which will be launched on 27 November, is the work of Mercury Productions, which made the acclaimed television documentary Churchill’s Bid to Abolish Britain.
