Italo disco
Witness History18 Juli 2025

Italo disco

In the late 1970s, disco died in America and a new wave of Italian producers took advantage of the advances in electronic instruments to craft their own dancefloor fillers.

The result was Italo disco – a genre of music recognisable for its synthesiser beats, heavily accented English lyrics and catchy melodies.

One of the biggest hits was Dolce Vita.

Singer Ryan Paris – real name Fabio Roscioli – tells Vicky Farncombe how it felt to be part of that moment.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Ryan Paris. Credit: Getty Images)

Avsnitt(2000)

Iraq War: US security guards killed my son

Iraq War: US security guards killed my son

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.On 16 September 2007, private security guards employed by the American firm Blackwater opened fire on civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square. Seventeen Iraqis were killed, and another 20 injured. The Blackwater guards, who were escorting a convoy from the American embassy, claimed that they had come under attack from insurgents, but eye-witnesses and Iraqi officials quickly dismissed that version of events.Mohammed Kinani's nine year old son, Ali, was one of the victims.In this programme, first broadcast in 2020, Mohammed shares his story with Mike Lanchin.(Photo: An Iraqi looks at a burnt car on the site where Blackwater guards opened fire on civilians in Baghdad. Credit: Ali Yussef/AFP via Getty Images)

17 Mars 202310min

Iraq War: The capture of Saddam Hussein

Iraq War: The capture of Saddam Hussein

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.On 13 December 2003 the deposed president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was captured by US forces.Muwafaq al Rubaie was asked to help to identify the former dictator, face-to-face.In this programme, first broadcast in 2012, he shares his memories of that time with Louise Hidalgo. (Picture: Saddam Hussein shortly after being captured. Credit: Getty Images)

16 Mars 202310min

Iraq War: 'Most wanted' playing cards

Iraq War: 'Most wanted' playing cards

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.In April 2003, the US military unveiled a set of playing cards to help troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's government.The cards were first revealed to the world by Brigadier General Vincent K Brooks at a press conference on 11 April 2003. He has been sharing his memories of that time with Matt Pintus.(Picture: Vincent K Brooks holds up the 'most wanted' playing cards. Credit: Getty Images)

15 Mars 202310min

Iraq War: Refugees escaping

Iraq War: Refugees escaping

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.Millions of citizens attempted to flee the country after America and its allies invaded in March 2003.One of those people was Baghdad resident, Yasir Dhannoon. He has been sharing his story with Matt Pintus. (Photo: Refugees fleeing from the fighting zone around Baghdad in 2003. Credit: Getty Images)

14 Mars 202310min

Iraq War: The beginning

Iraq War: The beginning

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War. In March 2003, the United States launched its invasion, dropping bombs on Iraq's capital Baghdad.For Iraqis it marked the beginning of three weeks of helplessness as the US and its allies overwhelmed Saddam Hussein's forces. In this programme, first broadcast in 2012, Robin Lustig speaks to Lubna Naji who was a schoolgirl in Baghdad when the war broke out.(Photo: Bombs fall on Baghdad. Credit: Getty Images)

13 Mars 202310min

From a goddess to a graduate

From a goddess to a graduate

In 2000, when Chanira Bajrycharya was just five years old, she was chosen to be a Kumari - a child goddess in Nepal. For the next 10 years, she remained inside her Kumari house, receiving worshippers and giving blessings. She tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty about being a living deity, and how her life changed after losing her status as a goddess aged 15. Chanira now works for a mortgage broker in Kathmandu.

10 Mars 20238min

Monica McWilliams’ role in the Northern Ireland peace process

Monica McWilliams’ role in the Northern Ireland peace process

Monica McWilliams played one of the most pivotal roles in the Northern Ireland peace process. She spent two years at the negotiating table which finally resulted in the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998. That made her a joint signatory to an international peace accord – something that very few women in the world manage to be. She speaks to Alys Harte about the representation of women in the historic retelling of Northern Ireland’s peace process and why women are so often written out of the history they make.(Picture: Monica McWilliams. Credit: Getty Images)

9 Mars 202310min

First all-women peacekeeping unit

First all-women peacekeeping unit

In 2007, the UN deployed its first all-female contingent of peacekeepers in Liberia in West Africa. The country was still recovering from its long civil war when the Indian policewomen arrived.In this programme first broadcast in 2019, Jill McGivering hears from Seema Dhundia of India’s Central Reserve Police Force who led the unit.(Photo: Seema Dhundia. Credit: Getty Images)

8 Mars 20238min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

podme-dokumentar
svenska-fall
p3-dokumentar
mardromsgasten
en-mork-historia
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
skaringer-nessvold
nemo-moter-en-van
killradet
rattsfallen
aftonbladet-krim
spar
hor-har
p3-historia
badfluence
p1-dokumentar
sanna-berattelser
flashback-forever
rss-brottsutredarna
rss-sanning-konsekvens