Podcast Episodes

Stealing the Mona Lisa

Episode 2052

In August 1911, an Italian handyman walked out of Paris' Louvre museum with the Mona Lisa tucked under his arm. It was an audacious theft that shocked the art world, aroused the attention of the worl…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

The Great Exhibition: everything you wanted to know

Episode 2051

In 1851, a spectacular showcase of the world's best art, design and innovation opened in London. Housed in a magnificent 'Crystal Palace' constructed by Joseph Paxton in just five months, the Great E…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

Dismemberment & disgrace: the grisly fate of Simon de Montfort

Episode 2050

Simon de Montfort's body was horribly mutilated and dismembered after his defeat at 1265's fateful Battle of Evesham, during the Second Barons' War. The medieval rebel leader's head and testicles wer…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

Toilets through time | 2. Medieval privies

Episode 2049

Why were medieval monks so afraid of going to the loo? In the second episode of our mini-series Toilets Through Time, David Musgrove heads into the dark and dangerous world of medieval latrines on a …

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Has imperial history become too politicised?

Episode 2048

Controversies surrounding the history of the British empire have become particularly intense in recent years, with academics, politicians and commentators all offering differing views about how we sh…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Francis Drake: life of the week

Episode 2047

As Elizabethan England's most famous sea captain, Francis Drake saw his fair share of sea-faring adventures – from scuffles with the Spanish Armada, to circumnavigating the globe. But his story also …

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Our long obsession with the end of the world

Episode 2046

From asteroids, bacteria and comets to growing fears about artificial intelligence and climate change, human history has long been stalked by a terror of the end of days. But what do these fears tell…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The Grand Tour: everything you wanted to know

Episode 2045

In the 18th century, countless British travellers set off to continental Europe in search of art, architecture... and a good time. But what were the must-see locations on the Grand Tour? How did peop…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Black Death: everything you wanted to know

Earlier this week, new comedy drama The Decameron dropped on Netflix. Based on a set of 14th-century tales by Giovanni Boccaccio, it follows the raucous exploits of a group of medieval Italian nobles…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The Decameron: sex, plague, and a medieval Love Island

Episode 2044

What would you do if your home town was ravaged by plague? Would you lock your doors and hide? Run for the hills? Or accept that the end was nigh and party? Boccaccio's The Decameron - a medieval bes…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago