Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchGeorge Orwell’s forgotten wife
Episode 1818
George Orwell – the author of classics like 1984 – is a household name. But have you heard of his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, who convinced her…
2 years, 10 months ago
Magic books: a global history
Episode 1816
What are the earliest forms of written magic? How do the stories of magic and religion intersect? And how will these stories’ continued presence in p…
2 years, 10 months ago
Norse myths: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1815
What myths did the Norse believe, and what influence did they exert on daily life? Was the trickster god Loki really that bad, and was Odin really th…
2 years, 10 months ago
Medieval Stalingrad: The siege of Calais
Episode 1814
Dan Jones chronicles the brutal siege of Calais, an overlooked campaign in the Hundred Years’ War, and the focus of his new novel
During the Hundred Y…
2 years, 10 months ago
The First Crusade | 5. The end or the beginning?
Episode 1813
In episode five of our new series on the First Crusade, we rejoin the crusaders for the last time as they reach their final goal, the holy city of Je…
2 years, 10 months ago
The Munich Putsch: Hitler’s bungled revolution
Episode 1812
Frank McDonough explores the infamous failed coup that shaped the early history of the Nazi party
On 8 November 1923, the Nazi Party launched a coup a…
2 years, 10 months ago
Women’s history: from 1066 to Margaret Thatcher
Episode 1810
Novelist Philippa Gregory reflects on 900 years of women’s history, from the huge upheavals of the Norman invasion to successfully securing the right…
2 years, 10 months ago
Ancient Egyptian pyramids: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1809
For millennia, Egypt’s mighty pyramids have acted as emblems of the vibrant ancient civilisation that once straddled the Nile Valley. From mysteries …
2 years, 10 months ago
Scotland’s last witch
Episode 1808
Nicknamed ‘Hellish Nell’ from childhood, spiritualist medium Helen Duncan made a living from claiming to communicate with the spirits of the dead at …
2 years, 10 months ago
The First Crusade | 4. Besieged
Episode 1807
In late AD 1097, a weary and wartorn band of crusaders arrived at the imposing walls of Antioch: a key strategic location on the long journey down th…
2 years, 10 months ago