The History Podcast - The Brighton Bomb: 5. 2:54am

The IRA’s Patrick Magee has left a bomb, under a bath, in room 629 of the Brighton’s Grand Hotel. It’s timed to go off in three weeks, three days, six hours and thirty-six minutes, at 2.54am on Friday 12 October. The day of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Brighton.

While Party colleagues socialise, or prepare for bed on the last night of conference, the Prime Minister settles down to write her big speech until the early hours.

Or until 2:54am, when the bomb goes off. It's the biggest direct assault on a British Government since the Gunpowder Plot.

Written and presented by Glenn Patterson

Series Producer: Owen McFadden
Story Consultant and Sound Design: Alan Hall
Producer: Lena Ferguson
Archive Producer: Fran Rowlatt McCormick
Production Co-Ordinator: Hollie Wallace
Composer: Mark McCambridge
Sound Engineer: Claire Marquess
Mixing Engineer: Mike Woolley
Patrick Magee archive courtesy of Peter Taylor and Whistledown Productions

Executive Producer: Rachel Hooper

A Walk on Air production in association with Keo Films for BBC Radio 4

Published on Monday, 7th October 2024.

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