The Bomb

BBC World Service

The story of the atomic bomb. Told through the scientists and spies who changed history. Season 1 follows the scientist who discovers the destructive possibilities of harnessing nuclear power. It leads to the race to beat the Nazis to the first atomic bomb. Season 2 tells of a brilliant scientist who lives a double life, stealing atomic secrets for the Soviet Union. Season 3 is coming soon.

  • 38 minutes 23 seconds
    Kennedy and Khrushchev: 2. King of bombs

    The Berlin Wall rises, splitting the city from east to west. Then a stand-off between American and Soviet tanks at the crossing point, Checkpoint Charlie, brings the two superpowers to the brink of military confrontation. And fearing that they are falling far behind in the missile race, the Soviets prepare to test the biggest bomb ever exploded. As relations between the two sides deteriorate, we explore the importance of diplomatic back channels with hosts Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, relatives of the superpower leaders. We meet Max's father, Senator Robert F Kennedy, and his Soviet contact, Georgy Bolshakov.

    This is the personal and political history of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nina Khrushcheva is the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev and Max Kennedy is the nephew of President John F Kennedy, and the son of Robert F Kennedy.

    8 December 2025, 1:30 am
  • 37 minutes 44 seconds
    Kennedy and Khrushchev: 1. Opening moves

    As the USA and Soviet Union race for supremacy in the 1960s, Premier Khrushchev sizes up his rival, President John F Kennedy. Hosts Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the superpower leaders, explore their rise to power - one wealthy, smooth-talking and Harvard educated, the other a hardened Soviet war leader from a peasant family. As they prepare to meet for the first and only time as world leaders, the stakes couldn't be higher: they are fierce rivals in the race to build ever more devastating missiles. This is the personal and political history of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

    Nina Khrushcheva is the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev and Max Kennedy is the nephew of President John F Kennedy, and the son of Robert F Kennedy.

    1 December 2025, 1:30 am
  • 4 minutes 5 seconds
    Kennedy and Khrushchev: Trailer

    The world is on the brink of nuclear war. How can the Soviet Union and the USA prevent it? Hosts Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, relatives of the superpower leaders President John F Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, tell the personal and political history of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Together Nina and Max explore what drove JFK and Khrushchev during the darkest days of October 1962. And when the crisis moves beyond their control as a U-2 spy plane is shot down over Cuba, how do they avoid global catastrophe?

    Released from 1st December. Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode.

    6 November 2025, 10:15 am
  • 33 minutes 23 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 10. Fallout

    Jail awaits - Klaus Fuchs is going down. But will he take Ursula with him? British intelligence wants names. As Fuchs is forced to face his past, Ursula tries to run from hers. Presenter Rosa Ellis questions how their actions have shaped today's nuclear tensions. #thebomb

    9 September 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 30 minutes 57 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 9. Dead cat, live cat

    A double life implodes. Fuchs faces judge and jury, but will he confess? A future as an eminent physicist is slipping away. And the friends who took him in as a young scientist are blindsided - they want answers. But first he must face the court. #thebomb

    2 September 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 30 minutes 51 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 8. The uncertainty principle

    The spy catchers close in. Klaus Fuchs is caught in the crosshairs. Spymaster Ursula has outwitted the interrogators - but can he? As he settles down in England, British intelligence services are following him at every turn. He is caught in a web of surveillance - and his faith in the Soviets is faltering. How long can he run for? #thebomb

    26 August 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 29 minutes 59 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 7. Critical mass

    The interrogation of a spymaster. Ursula is questioned as Klaus Fuchs returns to England. Secrets threaten to be spilled and loyalties are tested. The war has ended, and the physicist could have a promising future. But will his past catch up with him? Could British intelligence services be on to him? #thebomb

    19 August 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 38 minutes 45 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 6. Camp Y

    Lives on the line. The Fuchs family is drawn into the espionage as the atomic bomb project takes a deadly turn. Klaus is at the covert Manhattan Project laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. In this desert terrain, he has lost contact with the Soviets. As the countdown to detonation begins, there's only one person who can be trusted. #thebomb

    12 August 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 28 minutes 55 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 5. An irreversible reaction

    A double life gets more dangerous. Fuchs joins America's bomb project and the race with Russia is on. But as the nuclear mission ramps up, security tightens too. Now at the heart of the mission, his skills in science and espionage are tested to the limit. #thebomb

    5 August 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 37 minutes 25 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 4. A stable bond

    The spy meets his spymaster - presenter Rosa Ellis' great-aunt Ursula. She's a housewife and mother living in the English countryside. And she also works for the Soviets. Fuchs and Ursula have a secret list of information that Russia urgently needs to win the nuclear race. Together, they could be the most dangerous spies on the planet. #thebomb

    29 July 2022, 11:15 pm
  • 31 minutes 24 seconds
    Klaus Fuchs: 3. Unstable elements

    The fate of the world is decided: Klaus Fuchs joins a top-secret atomic mission. The race to build the bomb is on. In Birmingham, England, Klaus Fuchs is working on “TUBE ALLOYS” – the codename for the British atomic bomb project. But at the same time, he’s slipping secrets to the Soviets. Host Rosa Ellis finds out how he did it. #thebomb

    22 July 2022, 11:15 pm
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