Going Viral Podcast
In this podcast series, Mark Honigsbaum and Hannah Mawdsley, the “Disease Detectives,” are on the trail of this deadly microbial killer: the 1918 Spanish flu. Part scientific detective story, part historical inquiry, Going Viral: The Mother of All Pandemics takes listeners to the scene of a viral crime and, in the process, recovers the experience of the most deadly pandemic in history.
In April 2020, Honigsbaum and his team revived Going Viral to examine the newly emerged novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in The Covid Files. This renewed series explores the various ways in which COVID-19 is impacting the lives of people today while providing a comparative historical analysis of the Spanish flu of 1918/1919.
The Covid Files 6: “Spanish Flu Redux“
Mark returns to a subject close to his heart: the Spanish flu of 1918/1919 and asks what can we learn from that pandemic of 100 years ago. With Wendy Moore and Hannah Mawdsley.
Episode 8: “Pandemics Past and Present” with Jeremy Farrar
The Disease Detectives talk pandemics, past and present, with Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust. How prepared are we for the next outbreak?
Episode 7: “The Pandemic Fear Industry“
The Disease Detectives investigate the persistent fear that another pandemic virus will emerge to threaten humanity, in the way that the Spanish flu did 100 years ago.
Episode 6: “Remembering the Forgotten Pandemic“
The Disease Detectives investigate Britain’s only memorial to the Spanish flu pandemic, which leads them to the diary of flu fighter Dr. Basil Hood – offering a rare insight into the experiences of the brave medics who served on the front line of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Episode 5: “Global Impact: Local Traces“
The Disease Detectives investigate the global ramifications of the Spanish flu pandemic and discover places far removed from the European theatre of war, where the Spanish flu has left its trace.
Episode 4: “Some New Kind of Plague“
The Disease Detectives investigate the theory that the Spanish flu originated in America and another theory that it first came from China: in both cases the flu was first identified as “plague.”
Episode 3: “The Blue Death“
The Disease Detectives investigate the theory that the Spanish flu originated in Étaples, in northern France, in 1916. With Professor John Oxford, Glyn Prysor, and Dr. Michael Worobey.
Episode 2: “Resurrecting the Killer“
The incredible story of how a team of scientists brought the deadly Spanish flu virus back to life.
Episode 1: “Bringing Up the Bodies“
How bodies emerging from the past inspired the search for the secrets of the Spanish flu. Mark and Hannah introduce the Spanish flu as a global disaster and an “overshadowed killer.”