Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchJames Garfield: life of the week
Episode 2413
US president James Garfield's life is often overshadowed by his untimely death in 1881, as the second president to be assassinated in office. However, his story is now once again in the limelight, th…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
A new history of multicultural Britain
Episode 2412
As Britain's influence on the world around it grew throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, so too did the world influence Britain – and a key part of that influence was the arrival of people from oth…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
What should we do with the Nazis? The road to the Nuremberg Trials
Episode 2411
At the end of the Second World War, the victorious Allies had to decide the fates of the surviving leaders of a regime that had initiated the bloodiest conflict in history, and perpetuated the Holoca…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
Who stole the Tudor crown?
Episode 2410
On her deathbed Elizabeth I named the Scottish James VI as her successor, ensuring a smooth transition from the Tudor to Stuart monarchies. That, at least, is what we've long believed. But an explosi…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
The librarian who stole KGB secrets
Episode 2409
When an elderly man with a battered suitcase walked into the British embassy in Vilnius in 1992, few could have guessed what he was about to hand over. Gordon Corera tells the story of Vasili Mitrokh…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Nellie Bly: life of the week
Episode 2408
In the late 19th century, when female reporters were largely confined to newspapers' society pages, Nellie Bly's daring investigations and headline-grabbing exploits made her a household name. From h…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
The improbable alliance that defeated Hitler
Episode 2407
To what extent does the course of history turn on the force of individual personalities? It’s a question that looms large when examining the unlikely alliance forged between Britain, the United State…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Remember, remember: The legacy of the Gunpowder Plot
Episode 2406
'Remember, remember the fifth of November…'. For more than 400 years, the Gunpowder Plot has been etched into Britain’s memory. In the final episode of our series on the plot, Danny Bird speaks to Jo…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Five partitions that shaped South Asia
Episode 2405
If you were to look down at South Asia from space at night, you would see a bright scar stretching more than 2,000 miles. This is the border between India and Pakistan – a division established within…
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Crystal balls & contacting angels: predicting the future in early modern England
Episode 2404
Eating the palpitating heart of a mole. Sleeping with a wolf's tooth under your pillow. Communicating with angels through a crystal ball. In the 16th and 17th centuries, people had many cunning metho…
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago