History between the Lines

In April 1975, a deadly plague struck the world- on British television. This was when the first series of Survivors was broadcast, a fictional drama about a pandemic which wipes out most of humanity. The survivors of this disaster now face a lawless world where they must learn the ways of self-reliance. A classic of British TV, Survivors also highlights many concerns of the British public of the m...

As England is racked by noble rebellions during the 1450s, a new faction emerges at court, led by the Duke of York, known as the Yorkists. Out of this group will emerge Prince Edward, the Duke's son, who will go on to claim the throne for himself... Next episode in the series on England's royal Edwards post-1066, I'm joined by Dr David Grummitt to talk about King Edward IV, the rule...

Historian and broadcaster Dr Simon Elliott joins me to talk about this deification of Roman Emperors. In 211 AD, Emperor Septimius Severus dies in Britain. He soon undergoes a strange and supernatural ceremony, one which has been central to imperial culture for decades. The dead Severus will be deified and made into a god to be worshipped in the Roman world. How did this deification ceremony come...

Final episode of mini-series on late 1950s British military history. We explore the legacies of the operations Brian and Gerry were involved in and answer the ultimate question of why these veterans should be remembered more in public memory. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses", by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.

Part 2 of the mini-series on 1950s British military. As Brian Carlile fights to retain the empire on Cyprus in 1957, RAF Leading Aircraftman Gerry Bowler is sent to Christmas Island in the Pacific to take part in a very different sort of operation. An operation fraught with danger. Through Gerry's story, told by his granddaughter, historian Dr Fiona Bowler, we discover that Britain, in order...

Episode 1 of a mini-series on the late 1950s British military. Episode 1 tells the story of Brian Carlile, who was drafted into the British Army in 1957 to perform National Service. As he goes through army training, he discovers where he is to be deployed to: the war-torn island of Cyprus. This series shows how Britain continued to fight across the globe well after 1945 and it asks the question, w...

Dr Andy King joins me one last time to talk about the life and reign of King Edward III. From coups in Westminster and Scottish raids to the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death, this is a rollercoaster of a royal reign. Cover artwork- "Comfort from a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay. 

By 1917, German U-boats are running amok amongst Allied shipping, threatening the war effort. The British Royal Navy decides to launch an attack against the German submarine base at Zeebrugge harbour to neutralize these U-boats, an operation guaranteed to be one of the most dangerous of the First World War. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and...

Continuation of the Edwards of English royal history. With the demise of Edward I in 1307, his son comes to the throne. And so begins decades of war, intrigue, favourites, rebellions, treachery and the final battle to force a king off his throne... Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pi...

Chris Hick joins me to review Nuremberg, the film which came out earlier this year which explores the 1945-1946 Nuremberg war crimes trials of the remaining leaders of Nazi Germany, notably Hermann Goring, played by Russell Crowe. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Part 1 of a series on all the King Edwards of English royal history post-1066. I'm joined by Dr Andy King to talk about Edward I. Hailed as a warrior ruler by the English who brought stability back to England and conquered Wales and Scotland and cursed as an evil tyrant by others who killed William Wallace, Edward I has gone down in history as one of England's most controversial kings. I...

As the Second World War breaks out in Europe in September 1939, Berlin is slowly transformed into a city of war. From rationing and bombing to forced labourers and the Holocaust, the city enters its darkest chapter, being brought to the brink of destruction by the Nazis. Chris Hick joins me for the final episode of this series about the Nazis and Berlin. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Ro...

Part 2 of the series on the relationship between the Nazis and Berlin. Chris Hick joins me again to talk about what the Nazis did to Berlin once they were in charge. From employment programmes, creating the "people's community" to planning the architectural makeover of the capital, the Nazis hoped to change Berlin fundamentally and even planned to rename it to World Capital Germania...

Chris Hick joins me for part one of a three part episode about the relationship between the Nazis and the city of Berlin. In this first part, we explore the Berlin of the Weimar Republic and its corruption and eventual destruction by the Nazis on their way to seizing power in 1933. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses", by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Ar...

As the SS seize control of Nazi Germany's security apparatus during the 1930s, they have ambitions to be the elite of the Third Reich and form a military branch to expand their influence and empire into the army. This unit, known as the Military or Waffen-SS, soon forms into a brutal fighting force of fanaticism and they will go down in history as some of the worst war criminals society has e...

As the Great Depression hit the United States in 1929, it unleashed a resurgence of the "Wild West" outlaw environment of the 19th century. Into this vacuum of banditry and media stardom came Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd. Professor Joseph Spillane joins me to talk about these latter-day American outlaws of the 1920s and 1930s and how and why they reached the leve...

Dr Erik Mathisen returns to the podcast to talk about a crucial aspect of the history of slavery in the United States, namely the acts of resistance and open revolts carried out by enslaved people against the slavery system during the 19th century. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pi...

Louisiana, 1928. It's election time and a young, intelligent, flamboyant candidate for the state governorship has emerged, promising to help the forgotten and smash the establishment in true populist style. His name: Huey Long. And he's on a quest to change America. Professor Jerald Podair joins me to talk about Huey Long. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gil...

On 14th January 1930, Horst Wessel, a brutal Nazi stormtrooper, was shot and killed by Red Front Fighter League street fighters. Wessel had lived by the sword and died by it. Such people are often soon forgotten by history. But Wessel has lived on, through the creation of his personality cult by chief Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, as the perfect Nazi martyr. How and why did Wessel achieve thi...

Gary Arndt, the host of the Everything Everywhere Daily Podcast joins me to talk about all things history, from Emperor Claudius and calendars to Churchill and the Boer War. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Toby Hadoke, comedian, actor, writer, and all-round science fiction guru, joins me to talk about Doctor Who, the BBC sci-fi programme created in 1963 which went on to become the greatest TV show ever. Enjoy! Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

From Monitor ironclads and rusty mines to burning fortresses and blockade runners, how did the American Civil War spill out into naval warfare? Dr Howard Fuller joins me to talk about the war at sea during the American Civil War (1861-1865). We also discuss Dr Fuller's ongoing project to discover the shipwreck of the HMS Captain, which sank in 1870. Link to the project website below. https://...

The Congo, 1890s: Two competing empires are gearing up for war to decide who will control the vast swathe of territory in the heart of Africa known as the Congo, the Congo Free State forces from the west under the control of Belgian king Leopold and the slave and ivory traders from the east, known as the Arabs by the Belgians. Dr Mario Draper returns to the show to talk about this little-known con...

Professor John Wills joins me to talk about the Red Dead Redemption video game series. Set during the American West in a virtual world in which players can rob a stagecoach or go fishing, how true are the Red Dead games to what life was like on the frontier and how do they fit into the culture of the "Wild West"? To learn more about Red Dead's relationship with the American West, pl...

When it was launched in 1861, HMS Warrior was the most powerful warship in the world and the pride of the Royal Navy. Why and how did this vessel come to be built? HMS Warrior remains in existence today and can be visited at the brilliant Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by...