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The first Comic Con and making Oasis’ Wonderwall episode artwork

Aug 1, 2026 59 min

The first Comic Con and making Oasis’ Wonderwall

from The History Hour Hosted by BBC World Service

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. We hear how a comic book fan and his friends began the very first comic convention in New York in 1964. Our guest is comic book expert Dr Barbara Postema, from the University Groningen in the Netherlands. Next, we hear how Oasis 1995 hit Wonderwall was made with the man who was the sound engineer on the record. Plus, the memories of the cellist of Auschwitz in World War Two and the final use of a barbaric execution method in Franco’s Spain. Sporting Witness takes us back to Hearts of Midlothian’s heartbreaking season of 1986. And finally, we learn how Sweden gave its workers some of the longest paid holidays in the world in 1970. Contributors: Bernie Bubnis – organiser of the first Comic Con Dr Barbara Postema - lecturer in the English programme at the University of Groningen Nick Brine – sound engineer on Oasis’ song Wonderwall Anita Lasker-Wallfisch – the cellist of Auschwitz Carme Puig Antich – brother of Salvador Puig Antich Gary Mackay and striker John ‘Robbo’ Robertson – former Hearts players Inga Persson - beneficiary of Sweden’s long summers (Photo: Oasis performing in 1996. Credit: Bernd Mueller/ Redferns via Getty)

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The first Comic Con and making Oasis’ Wonderwall

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