The History Hour

Pakistani popstars, and the hippo and the tortoise


Listen Later

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week’s Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.

We hear from Zoheb Hassen, one half of a sibling duo from Pakistan who topped the charts in countries all over the world with their dancefloor filler, Disco Deewane.

Our guest is BBC radio presenter and Pakistani music fan Raess Khan. He talks about how Pakistani pop music evolved from Zoheb’s success.

Entertainment star Debbie McGee, who is best known for being the assistant and wife of British magician Paul Daniels talks about escaping from Iran at the start of the revolution in 1978.

In 2004 a supermarket fire in Paraguay killed more than 300 people. It was the country’s biggest peacetime disaster. One of the survivors, Tatiana Gabaglio tells her story.

Plus, how one of Bosnia's most famous landmarks, the historic bridge in Mostar, was destroyed by Croat guns during the Bosnian war in 1993

Finally, the unlikely friendship of a hippo and a tortoise following the tsunami in 2004.

Contributors:

Zoheb Hassen – former popstar
Raess Khan – BBC presenter and Pakistani pop fan
Debbie McGee – British celebrity
Tatiana Gabaglio – supermarket fire survivor in Paraguay
Mirsad Behram – journalist
Eldin Palata – cameraman
Dr Paula Kahumbu – wildlife conservationist

(Photo: Nazia and Zoheb Hassen in 1982. Credit: BBC)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The History HourBy BBC World Service

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

554 ratings


More shows like The History Hour

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,458 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

368 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,813 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,695 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,216 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

502 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,801 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,103 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

963 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

610 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

956 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,947 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,061 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,885 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

844 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

355 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

433 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

745 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,770 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle

4,197 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

737 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,156 Listeners

History's Heroes by BBC Radio 4

History's Heroes

503 Listeners