Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Terror: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1984
Why did the French Revolution descend into a spiral of paranoia, finger-pointing and state violence? Were fears of treachery and counter-revolution justified? And how did the guillotine become a symb…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
The real Lady Whistledown & the golden age of gossip
Episode 1983
Smash-hit historical romance Bridgerton returns this week. One of the series' key characters is the elusive Lady Whistledown – a savvy wordsmith with a penchant for causing mayhem among the Regency e…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
Guadalcanal: WW2's greatest battles
Episode 1982
Why did a remote Pacific island become one of the most fiercely fought-over locations in the Second World War? In the fifth and final episode of our series on WW2's Greatest Battles, military histori…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
A surprising history of sex between men
Episode 1981
Until recently, the history of sex between men was a taboo topic. But by delving into the historical archive, historian Sir Noel Malcolm has uncovered a more complex story of same-sex relationships a…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
History Behind the Headlines: student protests down the centuries
Episode 1980
In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the past behind the present, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter chronicle the history of student protests, explore the story of a remarkable medieval as…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
Tudor ladies-in-waiting: the women who served Henry VIII's queens
Episode 1979
Every queen had ladies in waiting, but few of those royal companions witnessed such tumult as the women who served the six queens of Henry VIII. Speaking to Kev Lochun, Dr Nicola Clark discusses how …
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
Ancient Greek theatre: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1978
Was tragedy or comedy the crowd favourite of the ancient Greek stage? Were audiences raucous and rowdy, or quiet and civilised? And how much do modern theatrical productions draw on their ancient ant…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: is it ok to fictionalise the Holocaust?
Episode 1977
Is it ever appropriate to fictionalise the Holocaust? That's a question highlighted by the controversies surrounding The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a 2018 novel by Heather Morris, which sold millions ac…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
El Alamein: WW2's greatest battles
Episode 1976
In October 1942, Axis and Allied forces went head-to-head in the North African desert. Fighting over access to the Suez Canal and crucial oil fields, tanks and infantrymen slogged it out across sand …
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago
Shardlake: bringing the Tudor murder mystery to the screen
Episode 1975
Based on the bestselling novels of CJ Sansom, Disney+'s new Tudor drama Shardlake is a 16th-century whodunnit that takes place during the tumult of the dissolution of the monasteries. The show's hist…
Published on 1 year, 7 months ago