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The On the Record show notes blog launched in August 2025. If you are looking for information about an old episode, it can be found at https://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk or on your preferred podcast app.

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On the Record Podcast

Join our experts and special guests as we dig deep into the people behind the paper and bring fascinating stories from more than 11 million records to life. Find tales of forbidden love, spies, protest and the everyday people of the past. Listen here or find the podcast on your preferred service.

On the Record: The Putney Debates

text reads, 'On The Record' with woodcut illustration of man speaking to a crowd

New

Published: 26 March 2026

On this episode of On the Record, we step inside St Mary’s Church, Putney in 1647, where many wrestled with bold, world shaping ideas.

Most recent posts

Trailer – On the Record: The Putney Debates

New

Published

24 March 2026

In our next episode of On the Record, we step inside St Mary’s Church, Putney in 1647, where many wrestled with bold, world shaping ideas.
On the Record: Magna Carta

Published

5 March 2026

In this first instalment of our miniseries People and Power, we find out more about the document from 1215 that became known as Magna Carta, or ‘great charter'.
Trailer – On the Record: Magna Carta

Published

3 March 2026

In our next episode of On the Record, the first in our People and Power miniseries, we explore two medieval documents that reshaped ideas of power in society.
On the Record: Love Letters

Published

29 January 2026

This episode looks at the extraordinary collection of love letters, spanning centuries, that you might not expect to find in a government archive.
Trailer – On the Record: Love Letters

Published

27 January 2026

In our next episode of On the Record, we explore 500 years of devotion, longing and forbidden love from our new Love Letters exhibition.
On the Record: People of the Railways

Published

11 September 2025

In this episode, we uncover the personal stories behind Britain’s railway history—from tragedy and resilience to the everyday journeys that shaped a nation.
Trailer – On the Record: People of the Railways

Published

8 September 2025

In our next episode of On the Record, we mark 200 years of rail travel through The National Archives’ records.
On the Record: 700 years of the Thames

Published

10 July 2025

From frozen festivals to royal polar bears, from wartime recovery to medieval merchants this episode of our podcast explores extraordinary stories of the river.
Trailer – On the Record: 700 years of the Thames

Published

7 July 2025

In our next episode of our podcast, we explore three very different stories – each revealing how central the River Thames has been to London’s history.
On the Record: Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)

Published

8 May 2025

In this episode of On the Record we explore what VE Day was like, from the soldiers and medics at the frontline, to the folks at home hoping for peace.
Trailer – On the Record: Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)

Published

5 May 2025

Coming soon... In the next episode of our podcast, we explore Victory in Europe Day (or VE Day).
On the Record: MI5: Official Secrets

Published

17 April 2025

In celebration of our new exhibition featuring these secret files and spy gadgets, this episode of our podcast delves into the real world of espionage.