Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe West's enduring fascination with Asia
Episode 1889
Asia has long enthralled people in the west, with voyages of discovery and military expeditions setting out in search of wealth, wisdom and the chance to explore a "strange new world". Historian and …
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1888
Did the hanging gardens of Babylon really exist? How was Egypt's Great Pyramid built? And could any one person have seen all seven ancient wonders? In our latest Everything you wanted to know episode…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Nicholas Winton: the 'British Schindler'
Episode 1887
Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, a British stockbroker worked tirelessly to rescue hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia by transporting them to new lives …
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Conspiracy | 2. Was Pearl Harbor an inside job?
Episode 1886
On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. It's one of the most notorious surprise attacks in history, but how much of a surprise was it? Did US President Franklin Roosevel…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Ireland's tangled relationship with empire
Episode 1885
Often described as England's first colony, Ireland has a long – and deeply complicated – relationship with empire. Rhiannon Davies speaks to historian Jane Ohlmeyer to learn more about this complex p…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Life of the Week: Harold Godwinson (Harold II)
Episode 1884
King Harold II is famous for getting an arrow to the eye at the battle of Hastings. But is that story even true? And what else should we know about this man whose main claim to fame is being defeated…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Britain's long love affair with sport
Episode 1883
Britons may not always be the best at playing sports. But, as David Horspool tells Spencer Mizen, when it comes to inventing, codifying and becoming utterly obsessed by them, they are bona fide world…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
The Silk Road: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1882
The Silk Road is one of the most famous trade routes in history, a vast interconnected network along which not only goods but ideas, knowledge and culture flowed. Sam Willis joins Rebecca Franks to d…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
The Renaissance: an explosion of creativity
Episode 1881
From the nightmarish creations of Hieronymus Bosch to the intricate flying machines of Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance was a time of experimentation and cultural exploration. Speaking to Charlotte…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago
Conspiracy | 1. Was Elizabeth I a man?
Episode 1880
In her most famous speech, delivered on 9 August 1588, Queen Elizabeth I declared that she had the "heart and stomach of a king". Was that just rhetoric? Or could England’s iconic Tudor queen actuall…
Published on 1 year, 11 months ago