BBC Radio WM launches new podcast on Birmingham Pub Bombings

A new 12-part podcast series from BBC Radio WM and BBC Local has been created on the approach to the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham Pub Bombings.

The series explores the impact of the bombs on the countless people affected such as family members of victims, the Birmingham Six and their families, and the city itself.

It wraps 50 years of an evolving story together for the first time and positions the bombings in the wider context of the Troubles and the Good Friday Agreement.

Produced, researched and presented for BBC Sounds by journalist Ed Barlow, In Detail: The Pub Bombings tells the story of one of the worst terrorist attacks on British soil.

It also features never before heard footage of one of the men accused of the bombings and harrowing personal testimony, revealing how countless lives have been impacted.

There are also interviews with veteran BBC broadcaster Michael Buerk, who reported on the night of the attack and the trial of the Birmingham Six.

Ed says: “Many of a certain age will know elements of this case – or remember aspects of it – but there are many who simply won’t know anything about it at all – and that was one of the reasons for making this series. We wanted to make sure that people don’t forget the fact that 21 people died in the most awful circumstances and highlight the fact that there are still more questions than answers about what really happened that night in 1974. The ripple effects of those bombs are still being felt to this day, in all sorts of ways, by so many people.”

BBC Radio WM’s Executive Editor Chris Pegg, who commissioned the series, says: “This is such an important part of the history of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. This is the first time the whole story has been told in its entirety. Listeners will be taken from 1970s Birmingham to modern day Belfast thanks to some first-class storytelling.”

In Detail: The Pub Bombings will be available exclusively on BBC Sounds from Mon 4th November. Episodes will also be played on Sarah Julian at Breakfast on BBC Radio WM daily from Monday 4 November.