The Shetland Bus and toxic shock syndrome
From The History Hour by BBC World Service
February 21, 2026 · 1h 0m
About this episode
This episode features interviews about historical events including The Shetland Bus operation during World War Two and a public health crisis in America.
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Guri Hjeltnes, an author and World War Two historian. We start with Nazi Germany’s occupation of Norway during World War Two by hearing about a secret resistance operation known as “The Shetland Bus”. Then, we learn about a playboy spy who, during the 1940s, became one of wartime’s most successful double agents and the reported inspiration behind James Bond. We hear how a black and white photograph taken in 1982, of a mother and her young daughter raising their arms in protest, became a symbol of Argentina’s resistance. Plus, the public health crisis in America in 1980 that led to the setting up of the Tampon Task Force. In sport, we speak to the BMX rider known as "The Canadian Beast" who took part in the first Extreme Games in 1995. Finally, we hear from an Austrian mountaineer who spent seven years in Tibet and, in 1948, became friends with the country’s spriritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Contributors: Leif Larsen – Norwegian sailor and a skipper on “The Shetland Bus”. Dusko Popov – British double agent during World War Two. Adriana Lestido…
People in this episode
Host: Max Pearson
Guest: Guri Hjeltnes
Topics covered
- World War Two
- Resistance Operations
- Public Health Crisis
- Photography
- Sports
- Cultural History
Keywords
- Shetland Bus
- World War Two
- Toxic Shock Syndrome
- BMX
- Argentina
- Dalai Lama
- Resistance
- Double Agent
- Photography
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC World Service
Books & works: James Bond
Places: Norway, Argentina, Tibet
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