Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchForging first editions: a 1930s crime caper
Episode 2004
Thomas James Wise was well-respected among the rare book fanatics of 1930s London as a consummate collector. But when he began to uncover a surprising amount of valuable first editions in mint condit…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
The pilgrim fathers: everything you wanted to know
Episode 2003
How bad were conditions aboard the Mayflower? How did the colonists survive that first harsh winter? And why have they attained such an iconic status in the American consciousness? In conversation wi…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
Beastly Victorians: preventing animal cruelty in the 19th century
Episode 2002
The first piece of legislation preventing animal cruelty was passed in Britain during the 1820s – but that's not to say the British have always lived up to the cherished idea of being a nation of ani…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
D-Day: was Churchill really against the operation?
Episode 2001
Today, 6 June, marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, one of the key episodes in the Second World War. But what did Winston Churchill make of the plans for the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France? …
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
D-Day: Land
Episode 2000
The Allied invasion of Normandy saw troops coming ashore across five landing beaches and dropping behind enemy lines by parachute and glider. But what happened to the men after they had arrived in Fr…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
A 17th-century scandal & a writer's secret life
Episode 1999
To poet, playwright and writer Aphra Behn, the tale of a runaway aristocrat's daughter Lady Henrietta Berkeley, her scandalous affair and equally dramatic subsequent trial was rich material for some …
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
Plato: life of the week
Episode 1998
Ancient Greece produced some of the most celebrated philosophers in history. Yet in terms of fame and enduring influence, none rival Plato. This Athenian's theories on everything from the nature of t…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
Breastfeeding in the Middle Ages
Episode 1997
Breastfeeding has been part of raising children since the dawn of time. However, studying its history also highlights stories of grief, community support and enforced labour. Speaking to Emily Briffe…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
Death and mourning in Britain: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1996
Why did people start cremating bodies? When did black become the colour of mourning? And who are the 'invisible dead'? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, historian Douglas Davies answers your top questio…
Published on 1 year, 6 months ago
Julian: the Roman emperor who (almost) changed the world
Episode 1995
It's one of the great what-ifs of ancient history. After Constantine the Great had converted Rome to Christianity it seemed that the faith's progress was inevitable, but just a few decades later a ne…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago