Media careers, centenarians, assassination, disasters all feature in my Bandwidth podcast

My conversation with Katie Brewer of Bandwidth is now available. 

We talk about getting into Oxford from an ordinary Manchester primary school, getting into the media and working in radio and television.

Then there are my books: we discuss the secrets of living to 100 and whether, in spite of increased life expectancy and determined scientific research, there remains a limit to human lifespan. There's the history of assassination, and the role of love in the murder of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand which helped to spark the First World War, plus the continuing mysteries surrounding JFK's death. 

We talked about how disasters happen and how mercilessly they can expose organisational shortcomings.

The podcast is entitled: 'Surviving the Storm: John Withington on Catastrophe, Longevity and the Human Spirit.' You can find it here on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/68HQDGsIC4vKBG6Xsw9up9?si=cefbc5dfc9354602&nd=1&dlsi=29cbb59e41194b1f

And I'm told also on @bandwidthconversations on Instagram & @podcastbwc on Twitter

Thank you Wootton + Trump assassination attempt + history of fireworks podcast

Thank you, Wootton, near Woodstock for inviting me to talk about the history of assassination on Valentine's Day! I loved the Village Hall venue - looked like a full house, with chairs packed tightly together, delivering a great atmosphere. 

Good questions too. Did I think the Trump assassination attempt was faked? Though I consider Trump a thoroughly disgraceful character, I said I did not, because even if you could procure a sniper of Eddie Redmayne calibre, it would be too risky to fire a shot designed to graze or very narrowly miss Trump. The suggestion that Trump was injured by shrapnel from the teleprompter screen rather than by a bullet does not change my view. But maybe I'm missing something? It was certainly very convenient for him, but that does not mean it was fake.

Btw my podcast with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb on the history of fireworks from their mysterious origins to the present day (based on my book A History of Fireworks published by Reaktion) is available here - https://podcasts.apple.com/ai/podcast/fireworks-from-the-tudors-to-guy-fawkes/id1564113869?i=1000674896970

The 5 most fascinating assassinations in history - my podcast

Dr James Rogers has just issued a challenge to me on his fascinating Warfare podcast - 'talk about the 5 most interesting assassinations in history'. Apparently it's the most popular episode this month.

We discuss methods, motives, causes, consequences, strange coincidences and weird twists of fate, drawing on my book 'Assassins' Deeds. A history of assassination from ancient Egypt to the present day.' (Reaktion Books).

Who did I pick? Do you know who was the only British prime minister to be assassinated? Which assassin did John Wilkes Booth quote when he shot Abraham Lincoln? And what role did love play in the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

The answers are here. See what you think of my choice:

https://podfollow.com/the-world-wars/episode/bb75567eb5c5c89aad148a90bb15da032ba16f30/view

How assassins work and does assassination work? My podcast now available

 

What motivates assassins? What are their favourite methods? What was the first assassination in history? What was the strangest? What was the first terrorist group? And does assassination work?

These are some of the questions Matt Lewis asked me in a wide-ranging podcast interview about assassinations over more than four thousand years from ancient Egypt to the present day, drawing on my book Assassins’ Deeds (Reaktion). 

Follow the link to access the podcast – mine is episode 7. The series is inspired by the popular video game Assassin's Creed.

https://pod.link/1615075257

Assassins' Deeds - my podcast interview with BBC History Magazine

Very interesting to be interviewed about my latest book Assassins' Deeds. A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day (Reaktion Books) by Rachel Dinning of BBC History Magazine for their podcast.

We ranged over: 

what was history's first assassination?

when and where were the powerful and famous most at risk of assassination? 

how negligent were targets about their own safety?

do assassinations work, and what unintended consequences have they had?

what are assassins' favourite methods?

how many victims were not the assassin's first target?

what kind of people become assassins? 

what are history's strangest assassinations?

who was the world champion at surviving assassination attempts?

what were the ethical arguments put forward in favour of assassination and who advanced them?

the murder of Wat Tyler, of Mary, Queen of Scots' husband, Lord Darnley, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the assassin who nearly killed Hitler, women assassins

You can hear the podcast here https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-history/assassinations-from-the-ancient-world-to-jfk/