Letters from the front line

With accusations of favouritism, poor spending and unrealistic international plans, resentment against Henry III simmered among his barons throughout the 1250s. This frustration came to a head in a co...

12 Mar 202543min

Pacifist. Humanitarian. Whistleblower. From humble roots growing up in Cornwall, Emily Hobhouse went on to challenge the societal issues of her day and expose the horrors of British concentration camp...

11 Mar 202540min

From green men and jolly horse skulls, to chasing cheese down hills and morris dancing, Britain has a rich tradition of folk customs. Some are strange, some downright silly. But, as Liz Williams tells...

10 Mar 202532min

What were your chances of surviving illness in ancient Rome? How did the Roman army deal with ailments and injuries on the go? And in what way were the medical practitioners of this ancient civilisati...

9 Mar 202548min

What is new research revealing about women's lives in the past? Does all women's history have to be feminist? And why do we need to be cautious about the 'girlbossification' of historical figures? To ...

7 Mar 202537min

On 11 June 1488, King James III of Scotland was hunted down and slain as he fled the field of battle. And more than 500 years later, the identity of his killer remains shrouded in uncertainty. Here, i...

5 Mar 202531min

From To The Lighthouse to Mrs Dalloway, the writing of Virginia Woolf shook up literary norms and challenged societal ideas about what it meant to be a woman. In this 'life of the week' episode, Franc...

4 Mar 202537min

How violent were towns and cities in the Middle Ages? And how did medieval citizens deal with cases of murder? Drawing on detailed coroner's reports, Professor Manuel Eisner has mapped out cases of mu...

3 Mar 202544min