Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchGreat Reputations: Emmeline Pankhurst
Episode 1777
In the latest in our series charting the reputations of key historical figures, June Purvis and Lyndsey Jenkins discuss the life and contested legacy of Emmeline Pankhurst – from whether her story ob…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Radio Times: a century of British broadcasting
Episode 1776
In 1923, a new periodical was launched to guide listeners through the BBC’s nascent radio offerings. Its name? The Radio Times. Across the coming decades, it not only featured radio and TV listings, …
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
How to live like a Roman emperor
Episode 1775
What did Roman emperors actually do all day? Were they really as bloodthirsty as legend would suggest? And why was food so important? Speaking to Matt Elton, popular historian, author and broadcaster…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
How has fear shaped history?
Episode 1774
With the climate crisis, war in Ukraine, a recent pandemic and the rise of AI, it can feel like there is more to be fearful of today than ever before. But according to historian Robert Peckham, human…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
The Battle of Britain: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1773
The Battle of Britain has gone down in history as an epic dogfight between the RAF and the Luftwaffe – one where Britain faced overwhelming odds and the threat of an almost inevitable invasion. Howev…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Rocket women: America’s first female astronauts
Episode 1772
In the late 1970s, NASA admitted women onto their space programme for the first time. Six women were chosen as the first cohort, and would endure unprecedented media attention alongside the agency’s …
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Great Reputations: Napoleon
Episode 1771
In the latest in our series charting the contested reputations of key historical figures, Laura O’Brien and David Andress discuss the life and afterlife of Napoleon Bonaparte, and explore why his sto…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Chaos & violence in country houses
Episode 1770
We think of English houses as idyllic locations for an afternoon out, but as Stephanie Barczewski reveals, many have a more turbulent and violent history than we might expect. From the wholesale dest…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
The shoemaker who helped slaves escape the South
Episode 1769
Thomas Smallwood, a formerly enslaved shoemaker, helped hundreds of people to flee from slavery in the American South in the 1840s. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Scott Shane shares Smallwood’s remarkable…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Scandals that shocked Georgian Britain
Episode 1768
From torrid affairs and messy duels to corrupt law-enforcers and vengeful ghosts, Georgian Britain loved a good scandal. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, historian and author Emily Brand dishes the dirt …
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago