Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchBig questions of the Crimean War: the build up
Episode 1699
The Crimean War of 1853 to 1856 saw an alliance led by Britain and France challenge Russian expansion. But why did the fighting break out, and can it really be described as the first 'modern war'? In…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
The Georgian Bank of England: a day in the life
Episode 1698
Just how rich were Georgian bankers? What did they eat for lunch? And could they be described as “virtuous”? Speaking with Rob Attar, Professor Anne Murphy answers these questions and more as she del…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
How germs shaped human history
Episode 1697
As recent history has shown us, human societies can prove surprisingly frail in the face of a tiny, yet powerful force: the microbes that cause infectious disease. Speaking with Matt Elton, Jonathan …
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
Salon Kitty: sex & spying in Nazi Germany
Episode 1696
Salon Kitty was the most notorious brothel in 1930s Berlin. Yet little did its clientele – foreign diplomats and high-ranking army officers among them – know that, while they were cavorting with sex …
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
The Luddites: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1695
The Luddites are best remembered for smashing up machinery during the Industrial Revolution. But what did these 19th-century activists actually want from their destructive actions? How did the govern…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
Women on the front line, from forgotten commanders to cross-dressing soldiers
Episode 1694
Military history is generally assumed to be a male domain. But according to Sarah Percy, author of Forgotten Warriors, this popular perception ignores hundreds of years of women on the front line. Sp…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
Before Windrush: Britain’s long relationship with the Caribbean
Episode 1693
Seventy-five years ago, on 22 June 1948, HMT Empire Windrush landed at Tilbury docks. The arrival of the ship is rightly remembered as a landmark moment in the story of Caribbean people in Britain. B…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
Cornwall: a brief history
Episode 1692
What makes Cornwall different from the rest of England? Is it history or geography that sets the area apart? And how have the industries of fishing, mining and tourism all transformed the face of the…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
Franco’s Spain: paranoia, conspiracy & antisemitism
Episode 1691
What are the consequences when conspiracy theories, lies, and paranoia are combined with military might? Speaking with Danny Bird, Paul Preston discusses how General Franco and six other men staged a…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago
The myth and memory of Waterloo
Episode 1690
Why is Waterloo still a fixture in the story Britain tells about its national history, more than two centuries on from the battle itself? Speaking to David Mugrove, Dr Luke Reynolds delves into the m…
Published on 2 years, 6 months ago