Podcasts

The Origins of Chicago

Chicago is the third most populous city in the United States. It's the windy city, the railroad capital, and home of countless film and tv...

Grace O'Malley, Ireland's Pirate Queen

She cut off her hair to sail the seas. She divorced her husband by locking him out of his own castle. And when her son was killed by the occupying...

Henry VIII's Descent into Darkness

He's known as one of history's most murderous kings, but was he always a monster? Or was he acting in ways expected of a king during his...

The Romans and China

How did Roman silver travel from Egypt to China across monsoon seas, pirate waters, and bustling ports?

Tristan Hughes is joined by...

The Knights Templar vs the Order of Assassins

During the crusades, there was a legendary rivalry between two extraordinary medieval orders: the Assassins and the Templars. Separating myth from...

The Betrayal of Thomas Becket

"Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?!"

These words supposedly uttered by a King over 800 years ago set in motion a chain of gruesome...

The Truth About the Little Mermaid

What is a mermaid? Do sirens, selkies and Aquaman fit into this category? And how far back in history do they go?

Kate is joined by Diane...

Nat Turner's Rebellion

In 1831, a rebellion erupted in Virginia that sent shockwaves across the United States, and challenged the brutal system of slavery in a way that...

Elizabethan Boy Actresses

Why were Shakespeare’s greatest heroines played by teenage boys? How did they learn their craft? On the Elizabethan stage, highly trained young...

The Commanders: The Best of the Rest

For the final episode in our 'Commanders' series, we've drawn on your suggestions to pay tribute to the commanders who didn’t make our main...

The Victorian Era's Wildest Murder

It was one of the most gruesome crimes of the Victorian era... and it ended up in David Attenborough's garden! Kate Webster, a servant, killed and...

Judas Iscariot

**Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence, including suicide**

What really happened to Judas Iscariot? From shifting...