Real Dictators

Introducing: Real Vikings - Episode 1

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a brand-new show from the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Silo), Real Vikings takes you on a deep d...

Jean-Bédel Bokassa Part 3: A Coronation for the Ages

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The new emperor of the Central African Republic is introduced to the world in a totally surreal manner - with white horses from Belgium, finery from F...

Jean-Bédel Bokassa Part 2: The Power Grab, the Châteaux and the Missing Daughter

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A new year brings new beginnings in the Central African Republic. President Bokassa attempts to modernise. But at the same time, the mass incarceratio...

Jean-Bédel Bokassa Part 1: The Butcher of Bangui

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The former soldier in the French army who seized power in his African homeland. The leader of the Central African Republic who proclaimed himself empe...

Introducing: Charles Dickens Ghost Stories - A Christmas Carol

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a brand-new audiobook from the Noiser Podcast Network. Join Sir David Suchet as he reads a selection of Charles Dickens’s most ...

Fidel Castro Part 10: Emergency on an Airplane

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The end arrives. Embarrassed at a baseball game, the Maximum Leader responds with arrests and intimidation. We hear first-hand testimony from a Cuban ...

Fidel Castro Part 9: Down With Fidel!

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a tragedy in the Florida Straits, a dramatic tug of war takes place between Castro and America - all centred on a five-year-old boy. A new leade...

Fidel Castro Part 8: Miami Vice

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When a bomb goes off on a south Florida street, it bears all the hallmarks of a Cuban expert. Castroland is going international. As exiles flock to Mi...

Fidel Castro Part 7: Che Guevara in the Jungle

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Castro sets out to create a breed of “new people” - turning Cuba into an island of mini-Fidels. A particular dairy cow becomes a national treasure...

Fidel Castro Part 6: The Cuban Missile Crisis

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first man in space arrives in Cuba for a special visit. A passenger liner from the Soviet Union docks in Havana. But it’s not carrying tourists....

Fidel Castro Part 5: The Bay of Pigs

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A man who was right there tells us the tale of one of history’s most notorious military failures. Castro’s former lover is given a handful of pois...

Fidel Castro Part 4: Havana’s TV Star

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Castro goes on a victory parade, eventually arriving in Havana on top of a tank. Vengeance is wrought on the old dictator’s supporters, as the new l...

Fidel Castro Part 3: The Mountain Guerrillas

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While Batista tries to convince the world that Castro is dead, Fidel regroups in the mountains. The world’s press descends on Cuba, hoping to meet t...

Fidel Castro Part 2: Shipwrecked in the Swamps

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Castro wrestles with Marxism and begins another affair. Attempting to reignite the revolution, he swims naked across the US border. At a get-together ...

Fidel Castro Part 1: Rise of ‘The Crazy One’

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fidel Castro - a revolutionary turned strongman dictator, beloved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies. The bête noire of the United States ...

Introducing: Titanic: Ship of Dreams - Episode 1

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a taster episode of a brand-new podcast from the Noiser podcast network. Join host Paul McGann as he explores life and death on the most famou...

Benito Mussolini Part 7: Break for the Border…

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Italy switches sides, Hitler hatches a plan to rescue his pal. But with the Axis collapsing on all fronts, Mussolini makes for Switzerland - stowed...

Benito Mussolini Part 6: The Road to Perdition

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It all starts to go horribly wrong… After the disastrous invasion of Greece, Mussolini sends troops to Russia. Benito’s Blitz prompts bemusement i...

Benito Mussolini Part 5: The Pact of Steel

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the Munich Conference, Mussolini postures as a peacemaker. With Hitler in the ascendancy, the Rome-Berlin Axis is upgraded to a military alliance. ...

Benito Mussolini Part 4: A Fine Bromance

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Il Duce uses propaganda to become a folk hero - part saint, part Father Christmas. He bans journalists from mentioning his birthday or the fact he’s...

Benito Mussolini Part 3: Murder in Broad Daylight

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

World leaders line up to hail the new Italian strongman. But the fascists are already silencing dissenting voices. An epochal discovery in Egypt’s V...

Benito Mussolini Part 2: The March on Rome

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wounded at the Front, Mussolini’s war ends early. A playboy aristocrat forms his own private army, offering inspiration to Il Duce. As Italian work...

Introducing: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A brand-new release from the Noiser Network. Join Hugh Bonneville on a thrilling journey through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated Holmes mys...

Benito Mussolini Part 1: Italy’s Fascist Godfather

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We begin at the end… in 1945, with a pile of bodies dumped in Milan then strung up for all to see. Among them, the most powerful man in Italy. One o...

General Videla Part 4: Dictator in the Courtroom

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Falklands War casts a long shadow over Argentina as the junta teeters on the verge of collapse. The country slowly returns to democracy. But that ...

General Videla Part 3: God, Football, the Falklands

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 1978 FIFA World Cup rolls into Argentina. A surreal fortnight ensues. Fans flock to revamped stadia, while just metres away prisoners cower - hidd...

General Videla Part 2: Mr Clean’s Dirty War

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Videla’s dirty war begins. ‘Subversives’ are rooted out, with torture centres established across the land - including one known as the ‘Argent...

General Videla Part 1: The Skinny One and the Witch

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Argentina. The story of a gaunt, hawkish man who earned the nickname “the Hitler of the Pampa”. A man whose awkward bearing belied his capacity fo...

BONUS: Dictators’ Books

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Almost every dictator, at one time or another, has put pen to paper. Some have wrestled with ideas, with philosophy. Many have merely vented - spewing...

Pinochet Part 3: Searching for the Disappeared

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pinochet consolidates control, creating a terrifying new secret police force. The dictator’s war on communism extends abroad, as Chile joins Operati...

Pinochet Part 2: The Caravan of Death

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

September 11th, 1973. The touchpaper is lit. President Allende realises he’s been double-crossed. Pinochet keeps his cards close to his chest. A loy...

Pinochet Part 1: An Arrest in London

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We travel to South America. In September 1973, Augusto Pinochet seizes power in Chile following a coup d’état. The aim is to topple the country’s...

Introducing: D-Day: The Tide Turns - Episode 1

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a taster episode of a brand-new podcast from the Noiser network. Host Paul McGann follows the real people involved in the D-Day landings. It’...

Oliver Cromwell Part 4: The Conquest of Ireland

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the final part of the Cromwell story, outrage at the King’s execution leads Ironsides to wage war on Scotland and, notoriously, Ireland. Insurgen...

Oliver Cromwell Part 3: To Kill a King…

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With the King in captivity, both sides seek a settlement. But when Charles escapes, all trust is broken. For Cromwell there is only one course of acti...

Oliver Cromwell Part 2: Civil War Across the Realms

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

England is plunged into conflict. Oliver Cromwell, an obscure politician, soon proves himself an outstanding military commander. King Charles, meanwhi...

Oliver Cromwell Part 1: The Rise of Ironsides

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Say “Oliver Cromwell” today and certain things come to mind. He won the English Civil War and prompted the execution of Charles I. He purged the r...

Introducing: The Curious History of Your Home - Baths

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A brand-new podcast from the Noiser network. Join domestic historian Ruth Goodman as she explores the remarkable, often epic, tales behind everyday ob...

Enver Hoxha Part 2: Stalin’s Shadow, Europe’s North Korea

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a new premier takes charge in Moscow, Hoxha makes a new friend in China. The Albanian dictator tasks an entire media industry with maintaining his ...

Enver Hoxha Part 1: The Albanian School Teacher

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From 1944 to 1985, Enver Hoxha ran Albania as an extraordinarily repressive Stalinist dictatorship. But how did a middle class teacher from the provin...

Herod the Great Part 2: Murders in the Family

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Herod leaves Rome to wrest Judea from the Parthians. He will marry a princess, commission extraordinary building works, and even murder his in-laws as...

Herod the Great Part 1: Ruler of Galilee

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Herod - you may well know the name from the Nativity story. The cruel king who learns of a prophecy proclaiming a Messiah and orders the slaughter of ...

Saddam Hussein Part 5: The War on Terror

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of 9/11, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair send troops back into Iraq. In a highly symbolic moment, beamed around the world, a ...

Saddam Hussein Part 4: The First Gulf War

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, US forces are deployed to the region. For some Iraqis, it seems like the perfect time to rise up against their dict...

Saddam Hussein Part 3: Oil and the Ayatollah

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Saddam nationalises the Iraq Petroleum Company and clashes with the new leader of Iran. A man called ‘Chemical Ali’ commits one of the most heinou...

Saddam Hussein Part 2: Enforcer, Frontman, Mafia Godfather

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Saddam consolidates his own power base, appointing friends and relatives to key positions. We hear a remarkable account from a woman whose own family ...

Saddam Hussein Part 1: Son of the Alleyways

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the spring of 1937, a child dies and his brother is born. Translated from Arabic, the newborn’s name - Saddam - means ‘one who confronts’. As...

Macías Nguema Part 2: Hiding in the Jungle with all the Money

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With President Macías in power, educated Equatoguineans come under attack, as a bizarre vendetta is pursued against teachers, lawyers and doctors. Th...

Macías Nguema Part 1: The Dachau of Africa

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the extraordinary, blood-curdling story of a dictator you may never have heard of. From 1968-1979, the African nation of Equatorial Guinea was...

Hitler: The Bunker and the End (Part 25)

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We reach the dramatic conclusion of Hitler’s downfall. With the Battle of Berlin raging, the Führer makes his last stand. Underground, in a bunker ...

Hitler: Operation Valkyrie, Blowing up the Führer (Part 24)

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A delusional Hitler downplays the Normandy Landings. A group of generals, meanwhile, attempts an audacious military coup. And with Allied bombers poun...

Hitler: Mussolini’s Prison Break (Part 23)

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In Italy, Il Duce is overthrown. So Hitler stages a daring mission to rescue his fascist partner. With the Red Army rampant, another epochal battle se...

Hitler: The Battle of Stalingrad (Part 22)

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The myth of the Nazi war machine is blown apart in one of the pivotal battles of World War 2. Serious questions arise as to Hitler’s leadership, enc...

Adolf Hitler: The Final Solution (Part 21)

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is Part 21 of the Hitler Story. You can start listening here. Or, scroll down the Real Dictators feed for earlier episodes. We pick up the story ...

Introducing: Real Survival Stories - Glacier Escape

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Noiser presents a brand-new podcast. Real Survival Stories brings you astonishing tales of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary survival situatio...

Attila the Hun Part 2: The Scourge of God

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We track Attila’s progress as he rampages through Gaul. A family bust-up sparks an extraordinary alliance, as Attila gets engaged to the Roman Emper...

Attila the Hun Part 1: The Sword of Mars

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re in south-eastern Europe in the 400s AD. The once mighty Roman Empire is riven in two. And on the Great Hungarian Plain a fearsome enemy is ris...

Manuel Noriega Part 3: Bush Invades Panama

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Americans go all-in, deploying stealth bombers, helicopters and tens of thousands of troops to Panama. Meanwhile, agents attempt to penetrate the ...

Manuel Noriega Part 2: A Tale of Two Spy Chiefs

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shielded by a puppet president, Noriega takes power. But the spymaster struggles in his new role as dictator. The war on drugs escalates in dramatic f...

Manuel Noriega Part 1: The Narco Dictator

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For two decades, Manuel Noriega stamped his authority on Panama - first as the country’s brutal intelligence chief, and later, from 1983-89, as its ...

BONUS: Dictators’ Chefs

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this special bonus episode, Noiser writer Duncan Barrett sat down for a chat with Witold Szabłowski, author of How to Feed a Dictator: Saddam Hus...

Introducing: Detectives Don’t Sleep - The Nazi Art Mystery (Part 1 of 3)

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The makers of Real Dictators present a brand-new podcast: Detectives Don’t Sleep. Step beyond the police tape to shadow the real detectives who work...

Hitler: Attack on Russia, War with America… (Part 20)

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Führer’s deputy embarks on an astonishing secret mission. After baling out Mussolini in the Balkans, German troops finally march into the Sovie...

Adolf Hitler vs Winston Churchill (Part 19)

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Installed in Downing Street, Churchill arrives with a bang. The Battle of Britain rages in the skies, while the Nazis plot a seaborne invasion across ...

Hitler: A Brush With Death… (Part 18)

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

World War Two begins. After the invasion of Poland, Hitler sets his sights on Scandinavia. A devastating lightning war rolls over Western Europe, as t...

Hitler’s Birthday, Poland’s Doom (Part 17)

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hitler continues his Godfather act, ignoring the Munich settlement and gobbling up the rest of Czechoslovakia. As he turns 50, the Führer is showered...

Hitler: The Gathering Storm... (Part 16)

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hitler expands the Third Reich, annexing Austria and the Sudetenland. Britain and France seek a diplomatic solution at the Munich Conference. But how ...

Adolf Hitler: Unassailable Führer (Part 15)

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is Part 15 of the Hitler Story. You can start listening here. Or, scroll down the Real Dictators feed for episodes on Hitler’s early years and ...

Robert Mugabe Part 4: A Game of Thrones

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the age of 93, Mugabe’s days in office are numbered. But the succession crisis threatens to tear Zimbabwe apart. In South Africa, exiles hatch an...

Robert Mugabe Part 3: Zimbabwe’s Tsunami

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After two decades in office, Mugabe has already shown himself to be a tyrant. At the dawn of the 21st century, the outside world sits up and takes not...

Robert Mugabe Part 2: The Leopard’s True Spots…

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mugabe is now the leader of independent Zimbabwe. But behind the façade of democracy, he is already governing through fear. Emboldened, he unleashes ...

Robert Mugabe Part 1: The Young Scholar

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For almost four decades, Robert Mugabe held the reins of power in Zimbabwe with an iron grip. As a youthful idealist, he led a revolutionary movement ...

Robert Mugabe: Coming Soon on Real Dictators…

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Beginning Wednesday November 9th. We’re in Zimbabwe for the extraordinary story of Robert Mugabe. Early access to new episodes for Noiser+ subscribe...

Lenin Part 4: Ghost at the Kremlin

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With power finally in Bolshevik hands, state terror arrives in Russia. The Soviet Union is born. But, installed in Red Square, Lenin’s health is ail...

Lenin Part 3: First Russia, Then the World…

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Tsar is deposed as the people of the Russian Empire rise up. Marooned in Switzerland, Vladimir Lenin prepares for an extraordinary journey home, b...

Lenin Part 2: Underground, On the Run

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Lenin meets Joseph Stalin. Turning to crime to pay their way, the revolutionaries struggle to stay ahead of the authorities. As the First Wor...

Lenin Part 1: The Revolution is Born

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Lenin changed the course of history like very few ever have. He turned Russia upside down and created the first communist state. As the found...

Vladimir Lenin: Coming Soon on Real Dictators…

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Lenin - leader of the Russian Revolution, founder of the Soviet Union - begins Wednesday September 28th. Early access to new episodes for...

Napoleon Part 6: Showdown at Waterloo

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With Napoleon deposed and in exile, it appears to be game over. But even now he is planning a comeback. After the mother of all prison breaks, Napoleo...

Napoleon Part 5: Downfall in Russia

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon’s blockade of Britain begins. Amidst the fall-out, France launches an invasion of Spain. The Duke of Wellington arrives on the scene. After...

Napoleon Part 4: The Emperor Strikes Back

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bonaparte storms back into Italy, reconquering all that had been lost. Back home, in Notre-Dame Cathedral, thousands of dignitaries watch on as the un...

Napoleon Part 3: The Egyptian Adventure

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon sails for the Middle East. After the Battle of the Pyramids, a scientific mission makes remarkable findings, introducing the Western world to...

Napoleon Part 2: The Italian Job

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a quickie wedding, Napoleon Bonaparte dashes south to take command of the French Army in Italy. Here he announces himself with a devastating dis...

Napoleon Part 1: The Humble Corsican

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve heard the name Napoleon Bonaparte. But who was he, really? In 1769 a boy is born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. He will go on to bec...

Napoleon: Coming Soon on Real Dictators…

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Napoleon Bonaparte begins Wednesday August 3rd. Early access to new episodes for Noiser+ subscribers. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Pol Pot Part 4: The Killing Fields

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pol Pot constructs a secretive one-party state. Cambodia descends into hell as his twisted social experiment begins. Finally, the shifting sands of ge...

Pol Pot Part 3: Vietnam War, Cambodian Revolution

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Khmer Rouge launch their revolution against Sihanouk… until Sihanouk himself is stabbed in the back. America’s action in Vietnam escalates, sp...

Pol Pot Part 2: Welcome to the Jungle

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Saloth Sar, the young man who will become Pol Pot, arrives in France in 1949. In just a few short months, he will be transformed into a die-hard commu...

Pol Pot Part 1: Tyrant in the Shadows

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cambodia today is many people’s idea of heaven on earth. But in the 1970s it was a netherworld of death and despair. Under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rou...

Pol Pot: Coming Soon on Real Dictators…

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The story of the Cambodian dictator, Pol Pot, begins Wednesday June 22nd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing: Real Outlaws - Billy the Kid Part 1

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From Noiser, Real Outlaws is the new podcast that travels back in time to when rogues and bandits followed a code all of their own. In this taster epi...

Julius Caesar Part 3: Murder in the Senate

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Caesar departs Egypt with his lover, Cleopatra, secure on the throne. After crushing Pompey’s allies, he returns to Rome. His rule proves popular wi...

Julius Caesar Part 2: Rendezvous With Cleopatra

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Caesar’s campaign in Gaul begins. An invasion on an epic scale, it will also include two missions to the rain-lashed island of Britain. Back home, h...

Julius Caesar Part 1: The Roman Dictator

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Politician, writer, warrior, lover... Julius Caesar was the dictator-for-life who became the absolute ruler of Rome and its domains. His life was a se...

Julius Caesar: Coming Soon on Real Dictators...

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join us on a trip to Ancient Rome. The first of three episodes on the legendary Roman general drops Wednesday May 4th. Learn more about your ad choice...

Genghis Khan Part 2: Rise of the Mongols

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The leader brings reforms to his newly unified Mongol nation. The man formerly known as Temüjin will now conquer an empire bigger than any before in ...

Genghis Khan Part 1: Underdog to Emperor

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're in the Mongol lands of Central Asia in the late 1100s. This is a place of nomadic warriors, a region divided between tribes. But one man will em...

Hitler: Night of the Long Knives (Part 14)

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To ward off the Western Allies, Hitler takes a trip to Venice to visit Mussolini. At home, meanwhile, Hitler’s paramilitaries, the SA, are growing r...

Hitler: The Reichstag Fire (Part 13)

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Installed as Chancellor, Hitler briefs his army chiefs to prepare for war. But first, he must deal with enemies at home… After the German parliament...

Adolf Hitler Seizes Power (Part 12)

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Hitler-mania sweeps the land, the Nazis win an election landslide. But Hitler finds himself shut out by the Prussian elite, at least until he can g...