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I don’t really have heroes. As a historian, I’m sceptical of putting people on pedestals.
Growing up I was fascinated by…
When I was a young boy in the 1980s, I was very interested in the Second World War – that was my entry point into history. It seemed to me that it was the biggest event ever involving the nation. Back then, it was only around 35 years after the war’s end, so the culture was saturated by it, from films on television – such as The Bridge on the River Kwai at Christmas – to Airfix models and action figurines in toyshops. I think it was typical of boys of my age to be absolutely fascinated by every aspect.
My favourite period or conflict…
The strongest passion I feel as a historian is for the First World War. I’ve made several television programmes about it and also wrote a book called The World’s War, describing how truly global the conflict was. And I think I’ve probably spent more time writing and thinking about the Western Front than any other period or event in history.
The figure I most admire…
I don’t really have heroes. As a historian, I’m sceptical of the idea of putting people on pedestals rather than trying to understand their actions and motivations. If there’s someone I’m really interested in, however, it is Hendrik Witbooi (1830-1905, pictured below). He was the chief of the Nama people and leader of a rebellion against the German genocide of the Nama and Herero people in German South-West Africa (now Namibia) in the early 20th century. As a commander of forces and a leader of people, he is a fascinating figure.
My dream dinner party…
I certainly wouldn’t want a dinner party with world leaders. I’d much rather speak to people who aren’t the great names of history, but who were at events that fascinate me. For instance, I’d like to speak to somebody who lived through the Spring Offensive on the Western Front in 1918, or a sailor in the Great Age of Sail. And I have been fortunate enough to do something similar many times before. One of the great privileges of my career was to interview dozens of then-very-elderly men who’d been in the First World War, and who were participants in events such as the Somme and the Second Battle of Ypres. I treasure those conversations enormously.
A novel I’d recommend…
A novel I love is The Lonely Londoners, which was written by the Trinidad-born novelist Sam Selvon back in 1956. It’s a beautiful, lyrical account of what it was to be a Caribbean migrant in the city of that era. I think this long-underrated book is finally being recognised as the classic that it is.
My favourite war film…
I think it might be 1917, which was directed by Sam Mendes. As a film-maker myself, I think it is a masterclass in how to use cameras to tell visually impactful stories. The film also made millions of people aware of a crucial event in the First World War – the German retreat to the Siegfried Line – that was otherwise largely unknown.
A museum to get lost in…
I’d recommend the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington DC. It is just an astonishing achievement, as well as being a beautiful building. Everyone who goes there comes out blown away by it.
Something I learned recently…
I’m currently writing a podcast about the Suez Canal and I’ve been learning about the role that its opening had on the great financial crisis of the early 1870s. I didn’t realise that the changes in shipping routes that occurred as a result contributed so much to the economic chaos of that decade.
My next project…
My upcoming show is A Gun through Time, which brings three iconic weapons from the 19th and 20th centuries to the stage. I talk about how these guns – the Thompson sub-machine gun, the Maxim gun, and the Lee–Enfield rifle (pictured below) – changed the world and became such a central part of the lives of our ancestors.
David Olusoga is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and an author, television presenter, and public speaker. His many documentaries include Black and British: a forgotten history, based on his book of the same name, which was awarded the PEN Hessell Tiltman Prize in 2017. He also presents the long-running BBC history series A House Through Time. Olusoga was awarded an OBE for his services to history and community integration in 2019. His new lecture series, A Gun through Time, runs across the country in November 2025. For more information visit www.fane.co.uk/david-olusoga.
Images: Karen Robinson/Wikimedia Commons
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