Podcasts
All Podcasts
12:51
Who was Qabiha?
27 November 2023The murder of al-Mutawakkil marked a drastic change in the politics of Baghdad and Samarra. In the emerging anarchy of the region, al-Qabiha was...
Listen Now
39:35
The Rise of Constantinople with Bettany Hughes
27 November 2023The city of Constantinople, founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 324 AD, was a glittering jewel in the eastern Mediterranean for more than...
Listen Now
34:34
The Real Origins of Witches
27 November 2023Have you ever wondered what the ancient origins of witchcraft is? How did the black-hat-broomstick stereotype emerge? And what causes the waves of...
Listen Now
49:03
The Vandals: Destroyers of Rome
26 November 2023Known for bringing about the fall of the Western Roman Empire - the Vandals have a reputation of violence, destruction, and conquering. Moving...
Listen Now
28:21
Saving Henry VIII's Lost Tapestry
26 November 2023For the Tudors, tapestries not only brought warmth and colour to a room, but they were magnificent demonstrations of artistic skill and of moral...
Listen Now
22:17
Rasputin
26 November 2023The legend of Rasputin's death goes that he survived poisoning, being shot in the head before being thrown through a hole in the ice in the Neva...
Listen Now
38:44
Section 28: The Anti-Gay Law That Sparked A Movement
24 November 2023The 1980s have a lot to answer for - spandex, for one.
It also saw the first new anti-gay law in Britain for over a century.
Against...
Listen Now
42:45
Napoleon in America
23 November 2023Napoleon Bonaparte. From military leader to revolutionary to Emperor of the French, his conquests and reforms have had a lasting impact across the...
Listen Now
27:03
Victorian Death Photography: Postmortem Posers
23 November 2023The Victorians created the unsettling art of death photography - posing their deceased love ones in family portraits as if they were alive. How...
Listen Now
41:08
Life on the Medieval Coast
23 November 2023The popular BBC television series Villages by the Sea explores coastal life through the centuries. Its presenter Ben Robinson is an archaeologist...
Listen Now
39:01
4. Napoleon: The Myth
23 November 2023Napoleon has become more than a man. His name is a concept, a way of being, a psychological term- the 'Napoleon' complex. Napoleon began working...
Listen Now
31:29
Mary I: What if She'd Lived?
22 November 2023On 17 November 1558, Queen Mary I died. But how would history have turned out differently if Mary had lived another 30 years? Where would her...
Listen Now