Secret Oxfordshire

Explore fascinating stories from Oxfordshire. To share ideas with the team, please email SecretOxfordshire@bbc.co.uk

Radio Oxford,26 episodes

Episodes

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Plots, Films and Fiennes at Broughton
Sophie Rumsby explores the behind the walls at Broughton Castle.
20 Feb 2026,7 mins
When Oxford University won the FA Cup
How Oxford University won the FA Cup and shaped the way football is played today.
13 Feb 2026,10 mins
The fallout bunker hidden beneath Banbury
Jordan Brooks heads to Banbury to find out what’s lurking under the Town Hall.
30 Jan 2026,3 mins
His Dark inspiration
How fiction mirrored reality in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.
30 Jan 2026,7 mins
The many characters of Witney
Who will Dan Facey and Sophie Rumsby discover on blue plaques around Witney?
23 Jan 2026,7 mins
Was there a 'real' Miss Trunchbull?
Was Roald Dahl’s infamous character based on an inspirational gardener from Waterperry?
21 Jan 2026,8 mins
Purging to personal care: the Warneford at 200
How mental health care has changed since Oxford’s Warneford Hospital opened in 1826.
19 Jan 2026,11 mins,
Old names of Abingdon
Many characters are celebrated in the town of Abingdon.
02 Jan 2026,6 mins
Trees among the spires
How do you keep track of thousands of trees in University Parks? Jordan Brooks finds out.
19 Dec 2025,7 mins
Being sent down
Carla Buckingham explores the prison tunnel underneath Oxford Castle and County Hall.
12 Dec 2025,6 mins
A Christmas of revels and riots
Revels, riots, and drama - the 17th-century tale of The Christmas Prince.
05 Dec 2025,5 mins
They came before in Banbury
A whistlestop tour of the town and the characters it remembers.
28 Nov 2025,6 mins
Highwaymen of Oxfordshire
Jordan Brookes explores tales of when highwaymen ruled the roads of Oxfordshire.
14 Nov 2025,3 mins
All aboard the Corpus Christi Barge
It's a floating piece of Oxford's history.
4 mins
The hidden tale of Johnny Smythe
Hear the story of Thame's unknown war hero, as told by his son Eddy.
07 Nov 2025,5 mins
Buried behind the curtain
Take your seats, the behind-the-scenes tour of the New Theatre Oxford is about to begin.
29 Oct 2025,11 mins
Ghost hunting in Oxford Castle
It's after closing, after dark and you're locked in Oxford Castle.
16 Oct 2025,11 mins
Forgotten in an Oxford woodland
A walk in the woods leads to an unexpected discovery for a local resident.
08 Aug 2025,8 mins
The lasting impact of a Banbury institution
The coffee factory's influence on a North Oxfordshire town will never be forgotten.
4 mins
The Oxford Dodo
Unravelling the secrets behind the Oxford dodo.
20 Jun 2025,6 mins
The Charlbury anti-vax riots
How did a riot in rural Oxfordshire lead to the end of compulsory vaccination in the UK?
06 Jun 2025,8 mins
Serving Oxford's coffee since the Civil War
Grab a drink at Queen's Lane Coffee House, the oldest established coffee house in Europe.
21 May 2025,6 mins
The great Banbury deception
One man's efforts to outwit the Luftwaffe.
08 May 2025,7 mins
The mystery of the Wheatley pyramid
On Church Road in Wheatley a stone structure looms over a nearby playground.
01 Apr 2025,4 mins
Don’t rain on my parade theory
Why are these two streets the ‘wrong way round’?
04 Dec 2024,3 mins
The war memorial hidden in the woods
Uncovering the secrets of a hidden memorial in Youlbury Wood.
08 Nov 2024,9 mins