Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchInside the Luftwaffe during the battle of Britain
Episode 104
When the Battle of Britain erupted, many Luftwaffe pilots anticipated a swift victory. Yet soon that confidence had been replaced by chronic fatigue …
1 year, 1 month ago
Spiked drinks, counterfeit coins and the lodgers from hell
Episode 103
Drugging, fraud, even murder – women couldn’t really commit such heinous crimes, could they? Written by historian Rosalind Crone, this Long Read expl…
1 year, 2 months ago
The Ambassadors: painting on the precipice
Episode 102
Hans Holbein’s masterwork The Ambassadors is an exquisite portrait of two 16th-century diplomats. But, as well as being artistically impressive, the …
1 year, 2 months ago
The women who shaped Malcolm X
Episode 101
Malcolm X became one of the most influential leaders in the US civil rights movement – thanks largely, explains this Long Read written by historian A…
1 year, 2 months ago
Spartacus: Rome's worst nightmare
Episode 100
When the Spartacus revolt erupted in 73 BC, it exposed a terrifying truth: that the cocksure Roman Republic was nowhere near as invincible as it like…
1 year, 2 months ago
Scotland's season of the witch
Episode 99
In 16th and 17th-century Scotland, many hundreds of ‘witches’ were put to death – 10 times the proportion executed in England. This Long Read written…
1 year, 3 months ago
Why the Great Famine devastated Ireland
Episode 98
When blight began devastating potato crops across Ireland in 1845, British officials immediately recognised the dangers. And yet, within six years, t…
1 year, 3 months ago
Why the ancient Egyptians worshipped wine
Episode 97
For the ancient Egyptians, wine played a pivotal part in mythology, ritual and the natural processes that enabled their survival. This Long Read writ…
1 year, 3 months ago
Matchless monsters: female murderers in early modern Britain
Episode 96
Men committed the majority of violent crimes in Tudor and Stuart England. But when women murdered, the press had a field day. This Long Read, written…
1 year, 3 months ago
Richard III's remains: how science identified the king in the car park
Episode 95
When the remains of Richard III were rediscovered under a car park, Turi King led the verification team that worked on the skeleton – proving with 99…
1 year, 3 months ago