What does rock megastar Rod Stewart remember most about playing to 4 million people on Copacabana beach on New Year's Eve 1994? Well... it's not nice.Photo: Rod Stewart at the BBC.

The Beginning of Reality TV

Dec 30th, 2014 8m 57s

In December 1999 a young Dutch man, Bart Spring in't Veld, won the first ever Big Brother reality TV show. It was to be the start of a global television phenomenon. But for 22-year-old Bart the victory proved to be a mixed blessing.Photo: Big B

The Casa Pia Scandal in Portugal

Dec 29th, 2014 8m 56s

In 2004, some of the most high-profile people in Portugual went on trial on charges of sexuallly abusing boys from a children's home called Casa Pia. Six defendants were eventually found guilty, including a famous televison presenter. Simon Wat

The Battle of the Bulge

Dec 26th, 2014 9m

Fought during the winter months of 1944, it was the last major German attack on the Western Allies in World War II. Witness speaks to Keith Davis, an American survivor of the Battle of the Bulge. Photo: American tanks in Belgium in January 1945

Radio Caroline

Dec 25th, 2014 9m

In 1964 a 'pirate' radio station began broadcasting from a ship off the coast of England, in defiance of British law. Keith Skues was one of the first DJs on Radio Caroline. He tells Witness about the difficulties, and the fun, they had on boa

The Christmas Truce

Dec 24th, 2014 9m 19s

On Christmas Eve 1914 the guns fell quiet over the trenches of World War One. Soldiers from British and German regiments exchanged gifts and sang carols. Hear first hand accounts from the BBC archives.Photo: German and British troops in Belgiu

Two Years Living up a Tree

Dec 23rd, 2014 8m 58s

Julia Butterfly Hill lived in an ancient redwood tree in northern California for 738 days to protect it. Her bed was a tiny platform. She speaks to Witness about the challenges and the beauty she experienced during her remarkable solo protest.(

Nepal Peace Deal

Dec 22nd, 2014 9m 2s

In 2006 the Nepalese government and Maoists signed a peace accord ending 10 years of civil war. Witness has been speaking to the UN envoy to Nepal at the time and to one of the Maoists' lead negotiators.(Photo: Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Pr

The Disappearance of Glenn Miller

Dec 19th, 2014 8m 53s

In December 1944, American bandleader Glenn Miller went missing over the English Channel. Witness speaks to trombonist Nat Peck, who played in Miller's band.Photo: Nat Peck (left) with other members of the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band

The US Breaks Ties with Cuba

Dec 18th, 2014 8m 49s

It was in January 1961 that the USA first broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. Wayne Smith was one of the last diplomats to leave the US embassy in Havana.(Photo: An advert on the Miami waterfront after Fidel Castro came to power. Credit:

Goan Independence

Dec 17th, 2014 8m 52s

In December 1961, Goa became the last part of India to break free of colonial rule. The rest of India had become independent in 1947 when the British had left - but Goa had been a Portuguese colony, and Portugal did not want to give it up. Witn

The Timisoara Uprising

Dec 16th, 2014 9m 2s

Protests which led to the collapse of communism in Romania, and the death of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, began on 16 December 1989. Followers of an opposition Hungarian priest, Laszlo Tokes, had gathered to support him in the town of Timiso

Gone With The Wind

Dec 15th, 2014 9m 5s

The premiere of one of the most successful films ever made, was held in Atlanta on 15 December, 1939. A sprawling romantic epic it was set during the American Civil War. Years later some of the cast and crew spoke to veteran Hollywood reporte

Baboon Aids Experiment

Dec 12th, 2014 9m 2s

Aids patient Jeff Getty was given a bone marrow transplant, from a baboon, in December 1995. It was the first time a human being had been given baboon cells. Witness speaks to Dr Steven Deeks, the doctor who oversaw the transplant.Photo: Jeff G

The Kyoto Protocol

Dec 11th, 2014 9m

On 11 December 1997, delegates from 160 countries worked through the night in Kyoto, Japan, to agree the first international treaty to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Some countries present did not ratify it, notably the United States. But it was

Miles Davis and Kind of Blue

Dec 10th, 2014 9m 17s

Drummer Jimmy Cobb recalls playing with Miles Davis on the album that changed jazz for ever. Kind of Blue was recorded in just two sessions by Davis' sextet at the 30th St Studios in New York City in 1959.Photo: Miles Davis. Credit: Don Hunstei

The Hunt for BRCA2

Dec 9th, 2014 8m 59s

In 1995, a frantic search was under way for a crucial 'cancer gene' called BRCA2. Scientists knew it was linked to hereditary cases of breast cancer. Professor Sir Mike Stratton was one of those racing to identify the gene. Annmarie Blomfield w

The 'Execution' of Oliver Cromwell

Dec 8th, 2014 9m 6s

In 1661, following the restoration of the monarchy, the body of Oliver Cromwell was dug up for ritual execution. Cromwell had overthrown King Charles I and ruled Britain during its only period as a republic. We hear from civil war historian Cha

The Holiday Inn in Beirut

Dec 5th, 2014 9m 1s

During the Lebanese civil war the hotel district in Beirut was turned into a battlefield. Hear from two hotel workers who worked at the luxury Holiday Inn, and who lived through what came to be known as The Battle of the Hotels.Photo: The ruin

The Release of Terry Anderson

Dec 4th, 2014 9m

The American journalist Terry Anderson was freed after nearly seven years in captivity on 4 December, 1991. He had been kidnapped by Shia militants in Lebanon during the country's civil war. Terry talks about his time in captivity. (Photo: Terr

Britain's First Woman MP

Dec 3rd, 2014 9m 7s

In December 1919, the first woman took her seat in the British parliament. Her name was Lady Nancy Astor and she had been born in America. Witness History listens back through the BBC archives, and talks to her grandson David Astor about his me

The Berkeley Free Speech Movement

Dec 2nd, 2014 9m

California students staged a sit-in which became the model for student activism across the USA in the 1960s. It all started over who could, or could not, use a small strip of land outside Berkeley's front gates. Lynne Hollander Savio, who took

The Hong Kong Riots of 1967

Dec 1st, 2014 9m

Throughout much of 1967 striking workers and students filled the streets of the colony. They were inspired by the Cultural Revolution in China and wanted an end to British rule. Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, now the president of Hong Kong's Legislativ

The Destruction of the Bridge at Mostar, Bosnia

Nov 28th, 2014 9m 8s

In November 1993, one of Bosnia's most famous landmarks, the old Ottoman bridge in Mostar, was destroyed by Croat guns in the Bosnian war. Built by the Ottomans in the 16th Century, the bridge was a symbol of Bosnia's multicultural past. We tal

Australia's Rabbit Plague

Nov 27th, 2014 9m 25s

For decades, Australia's countryside was ravaged by billions of rabbits. So in the 1950s, the government released the disease myxomatosis to kill off the rabbit plague. We hear from farmer, Bill McDonald, who remembers Australia's battle agains