Public Service Broadcasting: The Last Flight (Archeology with Richard Pettigrew)

About this episode

A conversation exploring the intersection of art and archaeology through the investigation of Amelia Earhart's final flight.

A century-old vanishing act meets modern investigation in a conversation where art and archaeology follow the same pursuit. J. Willgoose, Esq.—founder of the British band Public Service Broadcasting—and archaeologist Dr. Rick Pettigrew, Executive Director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, go for a deep dive into one of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century: Amelia Earhart’s final flight. Willgoose unpacks the research and craft behind The Last Flight, PSB’s album built from primary sources, historical texts, and period-accurate voice performances engineered to sound convincingly 1930s. Pettigrew brings the scientific side of the story, explaining why the Nikumaroro hypothesis has persisted for decades—and why a newly analyzed “Taraia object” in the island’s lagoon could represent the long-missing Lockheed Electra. Together they explore the tangled intersection of history, sound, celebrity, navigation, and evidence, from radio failures and line-of-position logic to artifacts found on the island and the ethics of doing archaeology with care and diplomacy. The conversation also looks ahead to Pettigrew’s planned 2026 expedition—what it will take to test the…

People in this episode

Host: J. Willgoose, Esq.

Guest: Dr. Rick Pettigrew

Topics covered

• archaeology
• music
• history
• investigation
• mystery
• expedition

Keywords

• Amelia Earhart
• archaeology
• Public Service Broadcasting
• The Last Flight
• Nikumaroro
• expedition
• mystery
• historical investigation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Public Service Broadcasting, Archaeological Legacy Institute

Books & works: The Last Flight

Places: Nikumaroro, Amelia Earhart’s final flight

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