In 1995, Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was released to critical acclaim.

It premiered at the Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai. It's been screened there every day since then for the past 27 years, stopping only briefly because of the Covid pandemic, and has become the longest-running film in Indian cinema history.

Actress Kajol starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan; following its release, they became superstars overnight. Kajol, who played Simran in the film, spoke to Reena Stanton-Sharma about her memories of shooting the iconic movie.

(Photo: Kajol (r) in Hindi film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Credit: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images)

In June 1962 three prisoners escaped from the maximum security US jail on the island of Alcatraz.

They achieved this using a homemade raft, papier-mâché and... spoons.

In 2013, Ashley Byrne spoke to Jolene Babyak who was living on the island at the time.

A Made in Manchester production for the BBC World Service.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Picture: Alcatraz. Credit: Getty Images)

In 1974, legendary Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh found herself on a farm in Canada cleaning up after chicken.

She had narrowly escaped the fall of Saigon and a jail sentence in Singapore but Kieu was determined to get back to doing what she loved... making movies.

How would she do it?

Well, it involved Hollywood stars Burt Reynolds, William Holden and Tippi Hedren!

Kieu tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty of her cinematic survival.

(Picture: Kieu Chinh and Tippi Hedren. Credit: Getty Images)

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.

On 16 September 2007, private security guards employed by the American firm Blackwater opened fire on civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square. Seventeen Iraqis were killed, and another 20 injured.

The Blackwater guards, who were escorting a convoy from the American embassy, claimed that they had come under attack from insurgents, but eye-witnesses and Iraqi officials quickly dismissed that version of events.

Mohammed Kinani's nine year old son, Ali, was one of the victims.

In this programme, first broadcast in 2020, Mohammed shares his story with Mike Lanchin.

(Photo: An Iraqi looks at a burnt car on the site where Blackwater guards opened fire on civilians in Baghdad. Credit: Ali Yussef/AFP via Getty Images)

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.

On 13 December 2003 the deposed president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was captured by US forces.

Muwafaq al Rubaie was asked to help to identify the former dictator, face-to-face.

In this programme, first broadcast in 2012, he shares his memories of that time with Louise Hidalgo.

(Picture: Saddam Hussein shortly after being captured. Credit: Getty Images)

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.

In April 2003, the US military unveiled a set of playing cards to help troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's government.

The cards were first revealed to the world by Brigadier General Vincent K Brooks at a press conference on 11 April 2003.

He has been sharing his memories of that time with Matt Pintus.

(Picture: Vincent K Brooks holds up the 'most wanted' playing cards. Credit: Getty Images)

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.

Millions of citizens attempted to flee the country after America and its allies invaded in March 2003.

One of those people was Baghdad resident, Yasir Dhannoon.

He has been sharing his story with Matt Pintus.

(Photo: Refugees fleeing from the fighting zone around Baghdad in 2003. Credit: Getty Images)

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.

In March 2003, the United States launched its invasion, dropping bombs on Iraq's capital Baghdad.

For Iraqis it marked the beginning of three weeks of helplessness as the US and its allies overwhelmed Saddam Hussein's forces.

In this programme, first broadcast in 2012, Robin Lustig speaks to Lubna Naji who was a schoolgirl in Baghdad when the war broke out.

(Photo: Bombs fall on Baghdad. Credit: Getty Images)

In 2000, when Chanira Bajrycharya was just five years old, she was chosen to be a Kumari - a child goddess in Nepal. For the next 10 years, she remained inside her Kumari house, receiving worshippers and giving blessings. She tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty about being a living deity, and how her life changed after losing her status as a goddess aged 15. Chanira now works for a mortgage broker in Kathmandu.

Monica McWilliams played one of the most pivotal roles in the Northern Ireland peace process.

She spent two years at the negotiating table which finally resulted in the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998.

That made her a joint signatory to an international peace accord – something that very few women in the world manage to be.

She speaks to Alys Harte about the representation of women in the historic retelling of Northern Ireland’s peace process and why women are so often written out of the history they make.

(Picture: Monica McWilliams. Credit: Getty Images)