Saint Nicholas
It's that time of year when the beloved Santa Claus comes around once again. But the celebrated image of this prolific gift-giver is based on an even more fabled figure - that of Saint Nicholas, a 3rd...
19 Dec 202324min
Fighting Hitler's U-Boats
The Second World War is remembered for its colossal battles in the air, on land and at sea. But perhaps the most terrifying were those waged UNDER the ocean, against an unseen enemy. By the end of 194...
18 Dec 202342min
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16th, 1773, a band of American patriots quietly boarded three ships in Boston Harbour, under the cover of night. Armed with axes and hatchets, they pried open the crates on board and poure...
14 Dec 202356min
Sara Forbes Bonetta: Queen Victoria's African God-Daughter
By the age of just 7, Sara Forbes Bonetta had survived a West African war, lost her parents, been enslaved and finally, exchanged as a gift for a far-flung queen. When she arrived in the court of Quee...
12 Dec 202335min
King Herod
Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual behaviour which may not be suitable for children.Appointed by the Romans as king of Judaea, King Herod's reign was defined by great architec...
11 Dec 202340min
Mother Shipton: Tudor Prophetess of England's Doom
Did a Tudor prophetess correctly predict the English Civil War, the Crimean War, the sinking of the Titanic, World War One and the end of days? And what does she have to do with turning teddy bears in...
7 Dec 202336min
A Guide to Ancient Egypt
Egypt was a vast kingdom of the ancient world. Its rulers were considered gods and wielded tremendous power and wealth. Egyptian scholars, astrologists and thinkers pioneered in their fields. Lasting ...
6 Dec 202341min
Medieval Baghdad
Today we find ourselves in 9th-century Baghdad, the beating heart of the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate. This was a vast empire that stretched from North Africa through the Middle East, and all the way to ...
5 Dec 202324min
