Episode 2: Matchmaking in Madrid

After a short mid-season break, Paul and Miranda return with a timely exploration of 17th-century diaries. This was the century in which the habit of keeping daily personal reflections became widespre...

31 Jan 202425min

After James II was deposed and replaced by the Protestant William and Mary in 1688, he began a military campaign in Ireland, from where he hoped to launch a bid to regain his crown. But the Jacobite a...

3 Jan 202429min

Paul and Miranda reflect on one the most remarkable episodes of 17th-century history - Oliver Cromwell's decision to overturn the 360-year-old exclusion of Jews from England.  Despite opposition from ...

13 Dec 202324min

Gareth Russell's latest book charts the 500-year history of Hampton Court Palace near London, best known for its place in the high melodrama of Henry VIII and his wives. Yet as Gareth reveals to Miran...

29 Nov 202342min

From Shakespeare's plays to courtly fashions after the Glorious Revolution, facial hair - or the lack of it - was a key cultural signifier in 17th-century Europe, and is now a topic attracting an impr...

7 Nov 202325min

Great storytelling meets historical rigour in Season Two of the podcast that brings the 17th century vividly to life.  The Levellers were among the most influential and misunderstood political movemen...

17 Okt 202352min

Miranda and Paul launch Season 2 with a myth-busting profile of King James VI and I, a fascinating and much-misunderstood monarch whose reign was packed with drama, intrigue and excess. Their guest is...

3 Okt 202345min

They're back! Paul Lay and Miranda Malins return with a second season of the podcast that captures the drama and complexity of a pivotal age in British, European and global history.  The 17th centur...

26 Sep 20232min