Podcast Episodes

How warhorses transformed medieval England

Episode 2422

William the Conqueror used them to devastating effect in 1066. Robert the Bruce worked out how to neutralise them. And when Richard III was knocked from his, England would never be the same again. He…

Published on 4 weeks ago

Did the Nazis get a fair trial?

Episode 2421

In October 1946, after a trial lasting almost a year, the Nazi leaders on the dock in Nuremberg received their verdicts. But what did the judges decide? And how did the defendants, and the world outs…

Published on 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Forgotten female secret agents of WW2

Episode 2420

From sabotage operations to devastating betrayals, stories of the women of Special Operations Executive are some of the most incredible stories of the Second World War – but, says Kate Vigurs, many r…

Published on 1 month ago

What causes cultures to decline and fall?

Episode 2419

The new BBC TV series Civilisations: Rise and Fall charts the decline of some of history's most famous cultures, from the Aztecs to the ancient Egyptians. Three of its experts – Islam Issa, Caroline …

Published on 1 month ago

Christopher Marlowe: life of the week

Episode 2418

From his possible espionage work for the Elizabethan state to his open flirtations with atheism and subversive sexual themes, the brief life of playwright Christopher Marlowe tells us much about the …

Published on 1 month ago

Uprising: the Civil Wars untangled

Episode 2417

On 30 January 1649, Charles I was led on to a freshly erected scaffold outside Whitehall’s Banqueting House in London. Thousands of spectators watched in shock and awe as the king of England, Scotlan…

Published on 1 month ago

The Nazis’ crimes laid bare

Episode 2416

When the Nazi leaders went on trial in Nuremberg from November 1945, the true horrors of their regime were exposed to the world. In the second episode of our four-part series on the trials, the lawye…

Published on 1 month ago

What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us?

A recent documentary drawing conclusions from new analysis of Adolf Hitler’s DNA has sparked headlines around the world. But how did the programme’s researchers get hold of the key evidence? And what…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Mutilated corpses and undead mothers-in-law: vampire epidemics through history

Episode 2415

Fears of the undead rising from their graves to cause trouble have recurred in societies around the globe throughout the centuries. But why was your mother-in-law especially likely to become a vampir…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The problem with poo: a millennium of manure

Episode 2414

When did poo become a problem? Why was manure so important in the medieval economy? And why don't we have vacuum-powered sewers? All these questions – and more – are answered in this brief history of…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago