Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchSarah Biffin: extraordinary artist
Episode 75
One of the most famous British painters of the first half of the 19th century was a woman born without arms or legs. This Long Read, written by Alice…
1 year, 8 months ago
Lord Lucan: what really happened to the missing earl?
Episode 74
Fifty years ago, the notorious peer Lord Lucan vanished following the murder of his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett. This Long Read, written by Laura…
1 year, 8 months ago
Gladiators: tales from the Roman arena
Episode 73
How did gladiators supercharge the rise of Julius Caesar? And why were they seen as sex symbols? As the new film directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator …
1 year, 9 months ago
Audacious lady swindlers, con-women and hustlers
Episode 72
New BBC series Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley tells the stories of female criminals from the 18th to 20th centuries. Their chicanery often earned t…
1 year, 9 months ago
Edward of Warwick: the other prince in the tower
Episode 71
The 1499 execution of Edward of Warwick snuffed out the final embers of the Wars of the Roses. In this Long Read written by Sarah Norton, we introduc…
1 year, 9 months ago
Mysterious mummification myths
Episode 70
Booby-trapped tombs, eviscerated corpses and terrifying curses – countless ‘facts’ swirl around the burial practices of ancient Egyptians. But which …
1 year, 9 months ago
Henry V's brutal youth
Episode 69
Dan Jones reveals how Henry V's youth helped shape him into the pious warrior king we know today
Held hostage at 12, deciding the fate of captives at …
1 year, 10 months ago
Pigs in the medieval city
Episode 68
Dolly Jørgensen considers why the pig was so vital to urban life in the Middle Ages
They killed children, exhumed dead bodies and caused an almighty s…
1 year, 10 months ago
How we found our bearings: the origins of the four compass points
Episode 67
Jerry Brotton explores the origins of the four points of the compass
Why did the ancient Chinese associate north with power? And what led early Muslim…
1 year, 10 months ago
Reading the runes: uncovering the everyday lives of the Vikings
Episode 66
Eleanor Barraclough reads the runes to find out more about day-to-day life during the age of the Vikings
Mysterious characters inscribed on stone, woo…
1 year, 10 months ago