Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is the home of British codebreaking and a birthplace of modern information technology. It played a major role in World War Two, producing secret intelligence which had a direct and profound influence on the outcome of the conflict. The site is now a museum and heritage attraction, open daily. The Bletchley Park Podcast brings you fascinating stories from Veterans, staff and volunteers on the significance and continued relevance of this site today.
Episodes
June 29, 2025 • 60 mins
June 2025
In May 1945 the Royal Navy fought its last surface action against the Japanese fleet, sinking the cruiser Haguro in the Mallaca Strait, off the coast of Malaya.
The successful location of the enemy ship was the result of signals intelligence. It was also a product of the sophisticated network built up by Britain, the USA and Australia after 1943 to intercept, decipher and distribute intelligence aro...
In May 1945 the Royal Navy fought its last surface action against the Japanese fleet, sinking the cruiser Haguro in the Mallaca Strait, off the coast of Malaya.
The successful location of the enemy ship was the result of signals intelligence. It was also a product of the sophisticated network built up by Britain, the USA and Australia after 1943 to intercept, decipher and distribute intelligence aro...
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May 29, 2025 • 59 mins
May 2025
During World War Two, Bletchley Park collaborated with several external engineering institutions in developing the famous codebreaking machines, such as the Bombes and Colossus.
One such institution was the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill in London. In 2022, the previously secret war diary of the Research Station were released online to the public by BT, the successor to GPO Telecommunica...
During World War Two, Bletchley Park collaborated with several external engineering institutions in developing the famous codebreaking machines, such as the Bombes and Colossus.
One such institution was the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill in London. In 2022, the previously secret war diary of the Research Station were released online to the public by BT, the successor to GPO Telecommunica...
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April 29, 2025 • 58 mins
April 2025
To mark 80 years since the end of the war in Europe, this episode takes a closer look at four intriguing items from Bletchley Park’s collections. The team digs deeper into the stories that lie behind a mysterious message, a misunderstood photograph, a moving memo and audio of a Veteran’s memories of VE Day.
Head of Content Erica Munro meets up with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon, Research Offic...
To mark 80 years since the end of the war in Europe, this episode takes a closer look at four intriguing items from Bletchley Park’s collections. The team digs deeper into the stories that lie behind a mysterious message, a misunderstood photograph, a moving memo and audio of a Veteran’s memories of VE Day.
Head of Content Erica Munro meets up with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon, Research Offic...
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March 20, 2025 • 60 mins
March 2025
In 1943 there seemed to be few mysteries left unsolved for Bletchley Park. But by the middle of that year, whispers would be heard of new threats: the V-1 ‘flying bomb’ and V-2 rocket.
What began with hints of secret trials on the Baltic would grow into an investigation which would strain Allied scientific intelligence to the utmost, as well as revealing serious flaws in the operation at Bletchley ...
In 1943 there seemed to be few mysteries left unsolved for Bletchley Park. But by the middle of that year, whispers would be heard of new threats: the V-1 ‘flying bomb’ and V-2 rocket.
What began with hints of secret trials on the Baltic would grow into an investigation which would strain Allied scientific intelligence to the utmost, as well as revealing serious flaws in the operation at Bletchley ...
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February 20, 2025 • 56 mins
February 2025
Here at Bletchley Park - one of the birthplaces of modern computing – our latest temporary exhibition ‘The Age of AI’ has just opened. This new gallery explores the power and potential of AI in our everyday lives. From the 1930s origins of what we now call ‘artificial intelligence’, to the incredible (or alarming?) potential it might bring, the exhibition explores the benefits and risks of AI in our worl...
Here at Bletchley Park - one of the birthplaces of modern computing – our latest temporary exhibition ‘The Age of AI’ has just opened. This new gallery explores the power and potential of AI in our everyday lives. From the 1930s origins of what we now call ‘artificial intelligence’, to the incredible (or alarming?) potential it might bring, the exhibition explores the benefits and risks of AI in our worl...
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January 26, 2025 • 59 mins
January 2025
The 27th of January 2025 is the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau - an event marked annually by Holocaust Memorial Day.
In order to perpetrate the mass killings and other crimes of the Holocaust, the Nazi regime needed to coordinate and communicate about its activities. This included wireless communications which were intercepted and decoded a...
The 27th of January 2025 is the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau - an event marked annually by Holocaust Memorial Day.
In order to perpetrate the mass killings and other crimes of the Holocaust, the Nazi regime needed to coordinate and communicate about its activities. This included wireless communications which were intercepted and decoded a...
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December 19, 2024 • 59 mins
December 2024
For this year’s festive episode, we once again put the word out to our listeners: what baffles you about Bletchley Park, and what myths and misconceptions would you like our resident Historians to investigate and interrogate?
Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, is asking the questions, with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham fielding queries on ...
For this year’s festive episode, we once again put the word out to our listeners: what baffles you about Bletchley Park, and what myths and misconceptions would you like our resident Historians to investigate and interrogate?
Bletchley Park’s Head of Content, Erica Munro, is asking the questions, with Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Research Officer Dr Thomas Cheetham fielding queries on ...
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December 5, 2024 • 39 mins
December 2024
On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.
Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill chr...
On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.
Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill chr...
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November 21, 2024 • 44 mins
November 2024
On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.
Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill chr...
On the 12th of November 1944 Germany’s largest battleship – Tirpitz – was sunk by British RAF Lancaster bombers off Tromso in Norway.
Ever since its deployment to the region back in January 1942, the battleship had posed a threat to Arctic convoy operations. A large part of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet as well as US vessels were tied up protecting convoys from this ship that Winston Churchill chr...
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November 7, 2024 • 40 mins
November 2024
The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.
Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communicati...
The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.
Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communicati...
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October 24, 2024 • 45 mins
October 2024
The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.
Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communication...
The crews of RAF Bomber Command had one of the most hazardous jobs of the war. Flying by night to their targets in occupied Europe, they were alone and vulnerable to the prowling German night-fighters.
Helping them reach their targets was one of the least-known, but most significant achievements of the signals intelligence operation at Bletchley Park. Analysis of the night-fighters’ communication...
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September 19, 2024 • 63 mins
September 2024
The Government Code and Cypher School employed thousands of people during the war. These varied from Cambridge dons who had broken codes in World War One to machine workers with very specific skills, to female conscripts from the three armed services.
How did all these people know what to do? As usual at BP, the answer is a complex one: a mix of training courses (some well organised, others les...
The Government Code and Cypher School employed thousands of people during the war. These varied from Cambridge dons who had broken codes in World War One to machine workers with very specific skills, to female conscripts from the three armed services.
How did all these people know what to do? As usual at BP, the answer is a complex one: a mix of training courses (some well organised, others les...
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August 28, 2024 • 88 mins
August 2024
Hut 6 was the section at Bletchley Park which broke the German army and air force Enigma ciphers. Historical accounts usually focus on the early part of the war, when a small and inexperienced team was established in a newly-built wooden hut.
But by 1944 Hut 6 looked very different. It was a hardened unit of several hundred people, supported by cutting-edge technology. Hut 6 personnel had honed th...
Hut 6 was the section at Bletchley Park which broke the German army and air force Enigma ciphers. Historical accounts usually focus on the early part of the war, when a small and inexperienced team was established in a newly-built wooden hut.
But by 1944 Hut 6 looked very different. It was a hardened unit of several hundred people, supported by cutting-edge technology. Hut 6 personnel had honed th...
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July 30, 2024 • 95 mins
July 2024
In early 1942 one of the most disastrous defeats of the war saw British forces pushed out of Burma, now known as Myanmar. Two years later, the multi-national Fourteenth Army, the ‘Forgotten Army’, had learned to fight and beat the Japanese, inflicting their largest defeat of the war at Imphal and Kohima, and was poised to begin the reconquest of Burma.
This turnaround had much to do with bitter exp...
In early 1942 one of the most disastrous defeats of the war saw British forces pushed out of Burma, now known as Myanmar. Two years later, the multi-national Fourteenth Army, the ‘Forgotten Army’, had learned to fight and beat the Japanese, inflicting their largest defeat of the war at Imphal and Kohima, and was poised to begin the reconquest of Burma.
This turnaround had much to do with bitter exp...
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June 20, 2024 • 84 mins
June 2024
To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we are releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This third part is a brand new episode looking beyond the beaches.
Bletchley Park made a vital contribution to the planning and preparation of D-Day, but the landings were only the beginning. There would be another three months of hard fighting in Normandy before the German ...
To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we are releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This third part is a brand new episode looking beyond the beaches.
Bletchley Park made a vital contribution to the planning and preparation of D-Day, but the landings were only the beginning. There would be another three months of hard fighting in Normandy before the German ...
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June 5, 2024 • 67 mins
June 2024
To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This second part is a complete remastering of our original Overlord episode with the addition of much new content.
80 years ago today, more than 150,000 Allied troops were boarding planes, gliders and landing craft as they prepared to invade Fortress Europe in Operation ...
To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This second part is a complete remastering of our original Overlord episode with the addition of much new content.
80 years ago today, more than 150,000 Allied troops were boarding planes, gliders and landing craft as they prepared to invade Fortress Europe in Operation ...
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May 23, 2024 • 79 mins
May 2024
Over the next 6 weeks, to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This first part is a complete remastering of our original Tide of Victory episode with the addition of much new content.
This first episode takes us to the south coast of Britain which, in May 1944, resembled one huge army camp as over 2 million men...
Over the next 6 weeks, to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we will be releasing 3 special episodes to tell the full story of The Longest Day. This first part is a complete remastering of our original Tide of Victory episode with the addition of much new content.
This first episode takes us to the south coast of Britain which, in May 1944, resembled one huge army camp as over 2 million men...
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April 25, 2024 • 88 mins
April 2024
Women were the backbone of Bletchley Park during World War Two. At its peak in January 1945, the workforce was 75% female, but even at the start of the war, women comprised a significant portion of GC&CS’s numbers. Women were recruited in a variety of ways, but a significant quantity of them, particularly early in the war, were selected direct from prominent universities such as Oxford, St Andrews and C...
Women were the backbone of Bletchley Park during World War Two. At its peak in January 1945, the workforce was 75% female, but even at the start of the war, women comprised a significant portion of GC&CS’s numbers. Women were recruited in a variety of ways, but a significant quantity of them, particularly early in the war, were selected direct from prominent universities such as Oxford, St Andrews and C...
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March 23, 2024 • 56 mins
March 2024
Bletchley Park is famous as the home of World War 2 codebreaking. But what was there before the Government Code and Cypher School moved in? Who built Bletchley Park, and what remains of the pre-war country estate?
In this episode, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Head of Content Erica Munro examine the people who made Bletchley Park their home prior to World War 2. Sir Herbert Leon and his fa...
Bletchley Park is famous as the home of World War 2 codebreaking. But what was there before the Government Code and Cypher School moved in? Who built Bletchley Park, and what remains of the pre-war country estate?
In this episode, Research Historian Dr David Kenyon and Head of Content Erica Munro examine the people who made Bletchley Park their home prior to World War 2. Sir Herbert Leon and his fa...
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February 22, 2024 • 48 mins
February 2024
In 2023, Bletchley Park Trust completed its biggest refurbishment project to date – a £13 million, three-phase project, to open up wartime buildings at the heart of the site for the very first time.
The final phase saw Block E, once the wartime Communications hub of Bletchley Park, transformed into two new resources – the Block E Learning Centre – which includes eight learning spaces able to acc...
In 2023, Bletchley Park Trust completed its biggest refurbishment project to date – a £13 million, three-phase project, to open up wartime buildings at the heart of the site for the very first time.
The final phase saw Block E, once the wartime Communications hub of Bletchley Park, transformed into two new resources – the Block E Learning Centre – which includes eight learning spaces able to acc...
Mark as Played
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