Roman slavery: a brutal life in the ancient empire
How many slaves were there in the Roman empire? Were they cruelly treated, or could they sometimes go on to win fame, fortune and freedom? And how often did they – like Spartacus –rebel? Here, in conv...
17 Okt 202428min
1066: the battle for England | 4. the long and violent Norman Conquest
William of Normandy’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066 was far from the end of the Norman Conquest of England. It took many years, and putting down no small amount of rebellion, for W...
16 Okt 202450min
Imperial spectacle: inside Britain's 1924 'Empire Exhibition'
A century ago, in 1924, the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley opened its doors, receiving as many as 27 million visits over two years. It was a grand declaration of an empire at its territorial hei...
15 Okt 202431min
John Milton: life of the week
Across the 65 years of his life, writer John Milton packed a lot in: poet, polemicist, political operator – engaging with ideas that often challenged the status quo. In today's Life of the Week episod...
14 Okt 202437min
Why did people kill for Hitler?
Why were so many Germans prepared to participate in the crimes of the Third Reich? It's a question that has exercised historians and the wider public for decades, and now, in his new book, Hitler's Pe...
13 Okt 202433min
The Cathars: everything you wanted to know
Denounced as heretics by the Catholic church, the Cathars were a offshoot Christian movement which emerged in southern Europe during the 12th century. But what was it about their beliefs that was so o...
12 Okt 202450min
Black British History: everything you wanted to know
October is Black History Month here in the UK. But how far back does the story of black people in Britain stretch - and what evidence do we have about their experiences? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman ...
11 Okt 202439min
Shopping and snacking: a social history of the high street
Daring department store stunts. Warming cups of cocoa. Argumentative bartering with butchers. What can revisiting high streets gone by reveal about British social history? Historian Annie Gray takes l...
10 Okt 202436min
