Had the authorities listened to Frank Whittle the Battle of Britain would have been over within days with countless lives saved. We know the tale of the Dam Busters’ bouncing bomb but less well-known is the extraordinary story of how a British innovator created one of the twentieth-century’s most important inventions, the jet engine. Duncan Campbell-Smith, author of a major new biography, is joined by Ian Whittle, son of Sir Frank Whittle and himself a pilot, to explore the intriguing life and extraordinary story of one of Britain’s greatest pioneers, marking the 80^th anniversary of the very first jet engine flight in Brockworth just outside Gloucester. Chaired by the BBC’s Vernon Harwood.

This is a pre-recorded event which will be available from 9am on 25 September to 9pm on 31 January 2022.