Trapped History, the podcast uncovering history’s overlooked heroes, is returning for season five.
Hosted by historian Oswin Baker and broadcast journalist Carla O’Shaughnessy, the show releases new episodes, around forty minutes long, twice a month.
The podcast challenges what people think they know about the past by spotlighting unsung changemakers.
Since launching in 2022, it has featured trailblazers from singers and scientists to soldiers and artists, often joined by well-known guests sharing personal insights.
Each guest also recommends a lesser-known figure they feel deserves more attention, which may become a future mini episode or social media spotlight.
Previous seasons heard from BBC presenter Mishal Husain, politician Jeremy Corbyn and writer Sathnam Sanghera.
Season Five kicks off with BBC presenter and author Nihal Arthanayake, who explores how Helen Bamber confronted horror after World War II.
Other episodes:
- Connie Converse: The Lost Singer-Songwriter (with jazz singer Sarah-Jane Morris)
- The Great Men of History: Replaying the Same Old Shtick (with The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis)
- Love in the Depths of Hell: Margarete, Milena and Ravensbruck (with author Gwen Strauss)
- Lisa Lyon: The Body is a Statement (with Jet from The Gladiators)
- Madame Phuong: Recasting the American War in Vietnam (with Madame Phuong herself)
- Halls of Fame: From the Pantheon to Trump’s Garden of Heroes (with London artist Habib Hajallie)
Oswin first launched Trapped History as an Instagram project in 2020 while working as a social researcher focused on overlooked communities. He then expanded it into a podcast with Carla two years later. The show is produced by a team of three who record together at a local youth centre’s studio.
Speaking about the show’s purpose, Oswin says: “If I never hear another history show about Winston Churchill it won’t be soon enough! He’s important but I realised I was bored hearing about the same old white male figures. So we made Trapped History to dig up the hidden stories that should inspire us today.”
With about 45,000 followers on Instagram and 6,000 email subscribers, Trapped History has carved built a dedicated fan base, placing it among the top twenty per cent of podcasts globally, according to Buzzsprout. Last year, it was also a finalist at the Independent Podcast Awards.
Season five launches today 1 July and runs until September, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, trappedhistory.com, Instagram and Facebook.
