Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchMake Mercia Great Again
Episode 2307
The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia played an important role in the development of England. Although it was sandwiched between the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria and Wessex, unlike those two…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
The Merovingians: everything you wanted to know
Episode 2306
Professor James Palmer guides us through the 300-year reign of the Merovingians, the Frankish dynasty whose legacy helped birth the very idea of France. Speaking to Kev Lochun, he explores how they u…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
How the Allies won WW2
Episode 2305
This summer it's 80 years since the greatest conflict in human history came to an end. To mark the anniversary, the military historian, author and broadcaster James Holland has co-written a book that…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Ancient tips for health and happiness
Episode 2304
The science of health and wellbeing is a hot topic of modern life, and it was no different for the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome. From what you should eat, to how you should exercise, and …
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Thomas Aquinas: life of the week
Episode 2303
Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Dominican theologian whose groundbreaking ideas set medieval Europe aflame – and continue to resonate today. As 2025 marks the 800th anniversary of Aquinas's birth, …
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades
Episode 2302
Bogus sex parties, fake corpses, exploding tin cans and belligerent pigs. If you thought that James Bond's fictional escapades were outrageous, then the real-life experiences of his creator, Ian Flem…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Fatherhood: a short history
Episode 2301
What does it mean to be a father? When did people first start talking about men as 'father figures'? And how has the concept of fatherhood changed over the millennia? In conversation with David Musgr…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
CIA book smugglers of the Cold War
Episode 2300
During the Cold War, the CIA book programme was a covert campaign to smuggle books into the Eastern Bloc using everything from balloon drops to baked bean tins. But why was literature such a signific…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
The Renaissance: not such a golden age?
Episode 2299
From Michelangelo's David and Machiavelli's The Prince to the plays of Shakespeare, the Renaissance produced some of history's most astounding works of culture, art and innovation. But can focusing o…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Archimedes: life of the week
Episode 2298
He’s best known for his Eureka moment, but Archimedes was far more than a naked man in a bathtub. Speaking to Kev Lochun, Professor Michael Scott takes us through the wild imagination of this Ancient…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago