Podcast Episodes

Renaissance eugenics

Episode 1796

Whether it was creating super-fast thoroughbreds, or fashioning dogs small enough to fit in your sleeve, animal breeding was an obsession of the Renaissance era. And, as Mackenzie Cooley reveals, ani…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

The First Crusade | 2. On the road

Episode 1795

The Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos had asked the pope for a small crack team of western knights to aid him with his struggles in Asia Minor – a plea for help which had set crusading wheels into…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

1960s Britain: smashing the status quo?

Episode 1794

The early 1960s saw the British establishment face a challenging new landscape. It was an era of rapid change, but also of enduring conservatism. David Kynaston tells Spencer Mizen about Britain from…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Life of the week Trailer

Our new bonus series delves into the fascinating lives of some of history's most significant figures, from ancient pharaohs to 20th-century secret agents.

To access this new series and listen to all e…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Disney at 100

Episode 1792

October 2023 marks the centenary of the Walt Disney Company, which from its early days as one of the pioneers of animated films has grown to become a cultural behemoth. Speaking to Matt Elton, John W…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Weimar Germany: everything you wanted to know

Episode 1791

The decade and a half between the end of the First World War and the ascent of Nazism is one of the most debated and mythologised periods of German history. The democratic Weimar Republic was a perio…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Slave traders: the men who built a brutal empire

Episode 1790

The trans-Atlantic slave trade expanded greatly in the 18th century, growing from a relatively small enterprise to a global business that saw millions of African people clapped in irons, forced to un…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

The First Crusade | 1. The call to arms

Episode 1789

In episode one of our series on the First Crusade, we consider how a landmark papal bull lit a fire under the idea of crusading, triggering a military machine that saw tens of thousands make an unpre…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

The First Crusade Trailer

When we talk about the crusades today the mental images that spring to mind are as clear as they are striking – valiant crusader knights emblazoned with crosses and penniless pilgrims in search of sa…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Re-examining women in the Roman empire

Episode 1788

St Augustine of Hippo is one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the past 2,000 years – and his work also offers fresh insights into the lives of women in the late Roman empire. That’s the …

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago