How can a single weapon reshape history? In A Gun Through Time, acclaimed historian David Olusoga—known for his powerful BBC series A House Through Time and Black and British: A Forgotten History—takes audiences on a gripping journey into the hidden stories behind three firearms that changed the world.

Each gun carries a complex legacy, entwining conquest, survival, and social upheaval.

This show couldn’t be timelier. With Europe witnessing the return of mechanised warfare, the echoes of past conflicts feel all too present. Young Ukrainians are now fighting in trenches eerily like those from a century ago, and here in Britain, politicians discuss rearmament and a potential expansion of the military—history, it seems, may be poised to repeat itself.

David explains his fascination, “My first passions as a boy—when I first got into history—were the First and Second World Wars. But I was always much more interested in the experiences of ordinary people caught up in those great events than I was in the speeches and strategies of politicians and generals. So this is not a show about guns and how they work technically, nor is it about the tactics of battle. It’s about the cultures that emerged from the millions of people for whom these weapons became part of their lives.”

Why now? David continues: “I come from a generation that, unlike our ancestors, has had little contact with firearms. This makes us incredibly fortunate and unique, living in a rare era of peace. In the last century, two generations were conscripted into massive armies, with millions bearing arms in wars. Today, most of us have never even seen a gun, thanks to strict gun laws and a smaller military.

This show explores how guns were once integral to life, shaping our history and culture. Yet, as conflicts re-emerge, the peace we've known feels fragile, with echoes of the past returning to modern battlefields and a renewed call for defense readiness in Britain”.

David will bring three legendary firearms onto the stage, each with its own world-changing story: the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, which transformed from a WWI “wonder weapon” to the notorious “Tommy Gun” of Prohibition-era America; the Maxim Gun, used to subdue African territories and later causing unimaginable devastation on the Western Front—a weapon still seen on today’s battlefields in Ukraine; and the Lee-Enfield Rifle, the soldier’s companion in both World Wars and a legacy passed through two generations of British families.

In this powerful live experience, you’ll get to see these historic artifacts up close, understand their hidden social histories, and ask David your own questions about the stories behind them. Don't miss this chance to experience history like never before, one weapon, one story at a time.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 8 November here.