David Olusoga tells extraordinary tales of guns in new stage show

Known for his powerful BBC series A House Through Time and Black and British: A Forgotten History, Olusoga is going on tour with his new show, called A Gun Through Time. It promises 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.

Olusoga said: “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.

“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 defence readiness in Britain”.

Olusoga will bring four legendary firearms onto the stage, each with its own world-changing story. One is the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, which transformed from a First World War “wonder weapon” to the notorious “Tommy Gun” of Prohibition-era America. Another is 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. Then there’s the Lee-Enfield Rifle, the soldier’s companion in both World Wars and a legacy passed through two generations of British families. And going back to the 18th and 19th Centuries the British Brown Bess flintlock musket – the weapon British soldiers took to Waterloo and that American rebels used to win independence for the United States.

Audiences will see these historic artifacts up close, understand their hidden histories and ask their own questions about the stories behind them.

Olusoga appeared on the recent series of Celebrity Traitors and recently interviewed Barack Obama on stage at The O2 in London.

He comes to the Royal & Derngate on Tuesday May 5. Visit royalandderngate.co.uk or call 01604 624811 to book.