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The History Hour

The creation of Inspector Montalbano and Australia's first Big Thing

Jun 6, 2026 · 1h 1m

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About this episode

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Giuliana Pieri, an expert in Italian noir from Royal Holloway, University of London. We start with the author Andrea Camilleri on the creation of his fictional detective Inspector Montalbano in 1994, and his influence on Italian noir. Then we explore the tapes recorded in the 1950s with Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. We hear about the Chinese protests in 1989 that led up to the Tiananmen Square massacre. Plus, the launch of Ireland's first Irish language television channel in 1996. Next, when Diana Ross missed a penalty at the World Cup in 1994. Finally, we hear…