Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
Remembering Hilary Mantel
Episode 151
Dame Hilary Mantel died on 22 September 2022 at the age of 70. Her acclaimed Wolf Hall trilogy - which brought the life of Thomas Cromwell so vividly…
3 years, 11 months ago
The Sinking of the Mary Rose
Episode 150
Exactly forty years ago, in a groundbreaking and spectacular piece of marine conservation that captured the imagination of the world, the Mary Rose w…
3 years, 11 months ago
Slavery and the Royal African Company
Episode 149
The Royal African Company was set up in 1660 - by the ruling Stuart family and City of London merchants - to exploit gold fields up the Gambia River.…
3 years, 11 months ago
The Howard Women
Episode 148
We tend to associate the word ‘dynasty’ with men. But in sixteenth century England, women played a no less important role in these influential famili…
4 years ago
Magellan 500: The First Man to Sail the World
Episode 147
Exactly 500 years ago, a small band of sailors completed the first ever circumnavigation of the globe, launched by Ferdinand Magellan. From the arma…
4 years ago
Elizabeth II: The Making of The Queen
Queen Elizabeth II has died after 70 years on the British throne.
Born in April 1926, Elizabeth Windsor became heir apparent, aged 10, when her uncle …
4 years ago
Elizabethan England's Seafaring Musicians
Episode 146
Hardly anything has been written about the musicians who carried out many important tasks in England’s maritime ventures during the Elizabethan age. …
4 years ago
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing
Episode 145
*WARNING: This episode contains very strong language - including the F and C words - and derogatory terms for sex workers. So if you're likely to fee…
4 years ago
Shakespeare’s Henry V
Episode 144
This week marks 600 years since the death of King Henry V, perhaps best known for his military successes during the Hundred Years War against France …
4 years ago
A 16th Century Celebrity Executioner
Episode 143
The German executioner Meister Frantz Schmidt kept a fascinating journal of all the executions, torture and punishments he administered between 1573 …
4 years ago