Podcasts

Iron Age Ireland

How much of Iron Age Ireland is myth, and how much is archaeological reality? At the monumental Hill of Tara, sacred kings ruled over a landscape...

Quest for an Heir: Henry VIII, Aragon and Boleyn

In the 1520s, a dynastic crisis loomed behind the brilliance of Henry VIII's court. Desperate for a male heir after Catherine of Aragon's string...

When Medieval Peasants Attacked London

In 1381, thousands of ordinary people rose up against the Crown, marched on London, and came close to bringing England’s political establishment...

How to Read Runes

**Contains very strong language/Tavern talk**

Were runes really magical symbols used by Viking sorcerers? Or were they the everyday...

Mary Queen of Scots & Her Sh*thead Husband

Mary Queen of Scots has gone down in history for her power struggle with her cousin, Elizabeth I. But this was just one of the challenges she...

America's Worst President

What makes a bad President? Who was the worst of all time? In this episode from the archive, Don is joined by Professor Jeremi Suri, author of The...

The Battle of New York Explained

Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hudson, the East River - today, these are the very heart and soul of New York City. But in 1776, they were the...

Henry VIII: From Cradle to Crown

How did a dazzling young Tudor prince become one of history's most notorious kings? How much of Henry VIII’s later tyranny was shaped by the...

Georgian London's Celebrity Criminal

What is it about a ‘bad boy’ that we love? That’s as true today as it was in the 18th century. In this episode of After Dark, Anthony and...

Human Origins: Did We Begin in Africa?

The story of human origins is often imagined as a simple journey from Africa, but is the truth actually much messier? Tristan Hughes and leading...

Battle of Grunwald: Defeat of the Teutonic Knights

In July 1410, the formidable Teutonic Knights, rapacious crusaders clad in heavy plate armour, faced a massive Polish-Lithuanian alliance. After...

How Many Penises Are There On The Bayeux Tapestry?

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most famous works of medieval art in the world, but what do we actually know about it? Who made it? Where? Why?...