James Gillray: life of the week

Over the winter of 1641-2, England stood on the precipice of civil war. Historian and author Jonathan Healey charts how the relationship between the king and parliament disintegrated during those mont...

15 Jul 202541min

Like many families, the Mitfords emerged from the Second World War bearing scars. Yet as the world entered a new, uncertain era, the sisters' knack for making headlines showed no sign of abating. Rele...

14 Jul 202531min

Slavery was a grim but omnipresent reality across the Silk Road during the Middle Ages. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Claire Taylor unpacks the complex networks of enslavement that spanned from Ireland ...

13 Jul 202544min

Who was Nettie Honeyball? Why was the First World War a golden age for female factory teams? And why did the English Football Association move heaven and Earth to stamp them out? Speaking to Spencer M...

12 Jul 202544min

It may be hard to believe for those of you who can remember it, but this month marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic music extravaganza that was LiveAid. David Hepworth co-presented the BBC's cover...

10 Jul 202532min

You may be familiar with the name of Marco Polo – the 13th-century Venetian merchant who travelled along the Silk Road, journeyed through Asia and spent time at the court of Mongol emperor Kublai Khan...

8 Jul 202542min

For much of the 20th century, six sisters from Britain’s minor aristocracy had a knack for making headline after scandalous headline. They were Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah Mitford...

7 Jul 202547min

When you think of the First World War, what springs to mind? Is it trench warfare? The myth that troops would be home by Christmas? Or perhaps the idea that the whole thing began because of the assass...

6 Jul 202542min