Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchHow Orkney became the centre of Viking Age violence
Episode 2547
For much of the Viking Age, the Orkney archipelago served as a vibrant hub of Norse activity. But these islands were also plagued by violence, not le…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Young Cleopatra: the making of a queen
Episode 2546
Thousands of years ago, a woman emerged on to the world stage whose name would echo down through the centuries: Cleopatra. But what we do we know abo…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
A history of Christian sacrifice
Episode 2545
What's the role that sacrifice has played in the history of Christianity? It's a history that might be more complex, and more surprising, than we thi…
1 month, 4 weeks ago
Redefining historical mothers
Episode 2544
Motherhood has long been considered as something expected, rather than extraordinary. Yet from midwives questioning the status quo to pregnant women …
2 months ago
Lady Jane Grey: life of the week
Episode 2543
Think of Lady Jane Grey, and your mind probably goes straight to her legacy as the Nine Days’ Queen. But what do we really know about her life? She m…
2 months ago
The peacemakers of WW2
Episode 2542
Politicians and generals today talk a lot about the need for exit plans to be established if conflict erupts between nations. In the middle of the ho…
2 months ago
The long shadow of the Black Death
Episode 2541
When the first wave of the Black Death finally subsided, what sort of world did it leave behind? How did societies adapt in the decades that followed…
2 months ago
The secret plot to end Scottish independence
Episode 2540
How did the union of England and Scotland come to fruition? From failed Scottish colonies to anti-independence espionage, Marc Mierowsky's book A Spy…
2 months ago
How did communism conquer China?
Episode 2539
How did a tiny band of guerrillas come to rule a quarter of humanity? And was the outcome of the Chinese Civil War really the ‘heroic’ popular uprisi…
2 months, 1 week ago
Olaf Tryggvason: life of the week
Episode 2538
From thrall to king; from pagan to Christian: Olaf Tryggvason was one of the titanic figures of the Viking Age, whose story straddles the line betwee…
2 months, 1 week ago