250. Victorian Narcos: Banished From Beijing (Ep 4)
How did the Macartney Mission fail so spectacularly? Where does the word ‘kowtow’ come from? Why were the diplomats banished from the Forbidden City? Listen as William and Anita continue the story ...
28 Apr 202534min
249. Victorian Narcos: Doomed Envoy to China (Ep 3)
Who led the first British envoy to China? What did Europeans think of China in the 1700s? Why did the diplomats bring a huge planetarium as a gift for the Chinese emperor? William and Anita continue...
23 Apr 202537min
248. Victorian Narcos: Sex, Drugs, & The Opium Agency (Ep 2)
How did Britain create a violent monopoly on opium production in India in the 1700s? What was the Opium Agency? Why did Chinese elites use opium during sex? Anita and William discuss how the East In...
21 Apr 202544min
247. Victorian Narcos: Tea Starts A Drug War (Ep 1)
How did the British taste for tea start a war over the right to sell drugs to China? When did tea become fashionable in Britain? How did the Dutch bring tea to India? William and Anita explore how t...
16 Apr 202537min
246. Ireland Transformed: From Banning Condoms to Exporting Viagra
How did Ireland go from a farming economy to the home of Big Tech and Big Pharma in Europe in a few decades? Why were women imprisoned in “Magdalene Laundries” in Ireland until 1996? How did Irish soc...
14 Apr 202554min
245. Inside The Good Friday Agreement with Alastair Campbell
What ended The Troubles? Why was 1998 the right moment for a peace treaty? Which issues caused the most heated debate? What was the food like in the negotiating room? Exactly 27 years on since the Goo...
9 Apr 202554min
244. The Troubles: IRA Secrets Exposed (Ep 4)
Who was responsible for the murder of Jean McConville? Which IRA secrets were revealed in the Belfast Project tapes? How did Gerry Adams move into politics and become a key figure in the signing of th...
7 Apr 202546min
243. The Troubles: London Bombings, Hunger Strikes, & The Graveside Grenade (Ep 3)
Who organised the bombing of The Old Bailey in Central London? Why was Jean McConville abducted in December 1972? Why did the British government choose not to intervene when hunger strikers like Bobby...
2 Apr 202554min
