Santa Claus vs Father Christmas
The true identity of the white-bearded, red-robed figure who fills children’s stockings at Christmas has long been debated. This Long Read written by Thomas Ruys Smith sizes up the merry contenders. ...
22 Des 202519min
WW2's U-boat war: a theatre of hate?
Did German U-boats conduct a ‘clean’ campaign during the Second World War? Or were they guilty of routinely murdering survivors in the water? In this Long Read, written by Roger Moorhouse, we weigh up...
15 Des 202520min
Doctor, doctor: remarkable medieval medical cures
What did medieval physicians prescribe for stomach ache? Could weasels’ testicles really help you conceive? In this Long Read. written by James Freeman, we delve into the sources to find eight curious...
8 Des 202519min
Spectral beasts and hounds from hell
From infernal black dogs attacking churches to ravening, red-eyed brutes on remote roads, Britain has long been haunted by fearsome canine phantoms. This Long Read, written by Karen R Jones, explores ...
1 Des 202518min
The slippery truth of the Dreyfus Affair
The wrongful conviction for treason of a Jewish army captain in France in the late 19th century exposed antisemitism and virulent nationalism – and also, as this Long Read written by Mike Rapport reve...
24 Nov 202523min
1066: who was the rightful king?
Which of four main contenders for the English throne in 1066 had the strongest claim? Was it the Anglo-Saxon strongman, the Norman duke, the ‘Thunderbolt of the North’ or a callow teenager? This Long ...
17 Nov 202522min
Carthage: the making of Rome's monster
In the second century BC, Roman troops razed the city of Carthage and obliterated its civilisation. So why, asks this Long Read written by Eve MacDonald, did the victors remain obsessed by their conqu...
10 Nov 202520min
Treachery, deceit and the death of the Tudor dynasty
Did James I 'steal' Elizabeth I's crown? This Long Read, written by Tracy Borman, considers evidence that the transition from Tudor to Stuart dynasties may not have been quite as seamless as we've bee...
3 Nov 202520min
