{"podcast":{"title":"History's Heroes","slug":"history-s-heroes-6396729","podcast_index_feed_id":6396729,"rss_url":"https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/m001mcbp.rss","website_url":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mcbp","image_url":"http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0mq65jd.jpg","author":"BBC","episode_count":90,"summary":"History's Heroes: the BBC's breathtaking, high stakes, story-led history podcast feed that shines a light on extraordinary people from across history. Series include 'History's Heroes' with narration from Historian Alex von Tunzelmann, 'History's Toughest Heroes' with narration from Ray Winstone, 'History's Youngest Heroes' with narration from Nicola Coughlan and 'History's Secret Heroes' with narration from Helena Bonham Carter. In History's Heroes, Historian Alex von Tunzelmann (Radio 4's The History Podcast: The Lucan Obsession/writer of all the History's Heroes series) shines a light on the inspiring and unusual stories of courage, pioneering and people who used their voice to spark change. Heroes covered include groundbreaking surgeon Harold Gillies, composers Rodgers and Hammerstein and swimming champion Gertrude Ederle. Join Alex for stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone reveals wild, true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors. Heroes covered include arctic explorer Peter Freuchen, Hollywood stunt woman Kitty O'Neil and medieval knight William Marshal. Join Ray for tales of fearsome heroes…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T00:17:38.974873+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729"},"episode":{"title":"History's Toughest Heroes: Henry Johnson: Hellfighter","slug":"history-s-toughest-heroes-henry-johnson-hellfighter","published_at":"2025-11-18T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729/history-s-toughest-heroes-henry-johnson-hellfighter","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729","url":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002m03z","audio_url":"http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0mfbckg.mp3","summary":"A Black soldier from the American South makes headlines when he fights off an entire German party in World War One. But his fame comes at a price. In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone tells ten true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors who lived life on the edge. Growing up in as a Black man in North Carolina, where racism was enshrined in law and lynchings were horrifyingly common, Henry Johnson didn't have much hope for a bright future. He moved to Albany New York and when America joined the Great War he found himself on the front line in France, with the all-Black 369th infantry regiment. These men would come to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters and after one fateful night, in the pitch black of no-mans-land, Henry Johnson would be hailed a national hero thanks to his ferocity and extreme courage in the face of an enemy attack. A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Development Producer: Georgina Leslie Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Imogen Robertson Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts","meta_description":"A Black soldier from the American South makes headlines when he fights off an entire German party in World War One. But his fame comes at a price. In Hist…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1715,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-s-heroes-6396729/episodes/history-s-toughest-heroes-henry-johnson-hellfighter/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729/history-s-toughest-heroes-henry-johnson-hellfighter.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}