James Gillray: life of the week

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain’s country houses enjoyed something of a renaissance. No longer were stately homes only seen as the preserve of stuffy landed gentry. Instead, the ari...

18 Nov 202437min

The 19th century witnessed a revolution in Britain's schools, as compulsory mass education was rolled out, and thousands more children learnt how to read and write. But what was it like to study in a ...

17 Nov 202452min

Who became a gladiator? Were they really the superstars of their day? And was giving a thumbs down for a death sentence a real thing? As Gladiator II hits cinemas, Emily Briffett speaks with historian...

16 Nov 202455min

Nelson is one of the most well-known historical figures from British history. His leadership of the British fleet to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and his death in the same battle, rende...

15 Nov 202441min

The medieval approach to sustainability was entirely different to ours today. In a world where the modern definition of 'waste' didn't even exist, the repair market boomed and building materials were ...

14 Nov 202426min

In the spring of 1540 Thomas Cromwell was at the height of his power, but just a few months later he found himself at the scaffold on Tower Hill preparing to be executed for treason and heresy. What h...

13 Nov 202437min

Joseph McCarthy's infamous crusade in the 1950s whipped up a frenzy of anti-communist sentiment across America – and wrecked the reputations of scores of people accused of harbouring sympathies for th...

12 Nov 202438min

How did gladiators supercharge the rise of Julius Caesar? What can we learn about arena fighters from the petrified remains at Pompeii? And why did gladiatorial bouts get banned there for a whole deca...

11 Nov 202437min