About this episode

The episode discusses the Windscale accident and the political and scientific implications of Britain's nuclear program in the 1950s.

Windscale is supposed to be Britain's big leap into the nuclear age, bringing science fiction to life in 1950s Northern England. But in the race to catch up with America's nuclear program, scientists are tinkering with forces they don't fully understand. When the reactor catches fire, no-one knows how bad it could be, or how to put it out. As the reactor workers scramble to save lives, other eyes on Windscale are much more concerned with containing the political fallout and burying the truth.   See the show notes at timharford.com . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Tim Harford

Topics covered

• nuclear energy
• history
• political fallout
• science
• accidents

Keywords

• Windscale
• nuclear accident
• 1950s
• political fallout
• science fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Cautionary Tales

Places: Britain, Northern England

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