Has imperial history become too politicised?
Controversies surrounding the history of the British empire have become particularly intense in recent years, with academics, politicians and commentators all offering differing views about how we sho...
30 Juli 202442min
Francis Drake: life of the week
As Elizabethan England's most famous sea captain, Francis Drake saw his fair share of sea-faring adventures – from scuffles with the Spanish Armada, to circumnavigating the globe. But his story also c...
29 Juli 202443min
Our long obsession with the end of the world
From asteroids, bacteria and comets to growing fears about artificial intelligence and climate change, human history has long been stalked by a terror of the end of days. But what do these fears tell ...
28 Juli 202440min
The Grand Tour: everything you wanted to know
In the 18th century, countless British travellers set off to continental Europe in search of art, architecture... and a good time. But what were the must-see locations on the Grand Tour? How did peopl...
27 Juli 202443min
Black Death: everything you wanted to know
Earlier this week, new comedy drama The Decameron dropped on Netflix. Based on a set of 14th-century tales by Giovanni Boccaccio, it follows the raucous exploits of a group of medieval Italian nobles,...
26 Juli 202443min
The Decameron: sex, plague, and a medieval Love Island
What would you do if your home town was ravaged by plague? Would you lock your doors and hide? Run for the hills? Or accept that the end was nigh and party? Boccaccio's The Decameron - a medieval best...
25 Juli 202445min
Toilets through time | 1. Roman latrines
What was it like to do your business in a Roman communal toilet? In the first episode of our new mini-series, Toilets Through Time, David Musgrove begins his journey through the bathrooms of British h...
24 Juli 202435min
Assassinations that shaped US history
Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump earlier in July, historian Adam Smith speak to Matt Elton about previous attempts to kill political leaders in the United States – and how these e...
23 Juli 202433min
