Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchBritain and the looted African gold
Episode 2500
In the 1870s, British troops invaded the African kingdom of Asante, razed its capital, prowled its palace and plundered its exquisite golden treasure…
4 months ago
The devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire
Episode 2499
It was under the rule of the infamous emperor Nero that the Great Revolt, the first of the Jewish-Roman wars, began, sparking many decades of continu…
4 months ago
Culture and conflict: a historical tour of Dublin
Episode 2498
Ireland's capital may be famous today for its nightlife and literature, but it has experienced more than its fair share of conflict and oppression al…
4 months ago
How Rasputin helped doom the Romanovs
Episode 2497
The life of Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian peasant healer who wielded influence over the family of Russia’s last tsar, has fascinated the world for m…
4 months ago
Elizabeth I: a woman in a man’s world
Episode 2496
By 1559, Elizabeth I had secured the crown – but holding on to power would prove far more challenging. In this second episode of our four-part Sunday…
4 months, 1 week ago
Life on the mean streets of 19th-century London
Episode 2495
What can Charlie Chaplin's life tell us about the experiences of poor working-class people in 19th- and early 20th-century London? Quite a lot, it tu…
4 months, 1 week ago
Trailblazers and troublemakers: women who made French history
Episode 2494
Have women been relegated to the footnotes of French history? Katherine Pangonis – whose latest book is A History of France in 21 Women – tells Charl…
4 months, 1 week ago
Vladimir Lenin: life of the week
Episode 2493
Few people had as much impact on the course of the 20th century as Vladimir Lenin – from his years as an émigré across the capitals of western Europe…
4 months, 1 week ago
Why Britons rejected fascism in the 1930s
Episode 2492
The 1920s and 30s were golden decades for extremism. Across Europe, dictators including Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini goose-stepped their way into pow…
4 months, 1 week ago
Young Elizabeth I: the making of a queen
Episode 2491
Elizabeth I is one of history's most iconic monarchs, but her path to the throne was anything but secure. In this first episode of our four-part Sund…
4 months, 2 weeks ago