Oh What A Time...

It’s week two of our summer break and thus it’s time for our third-ever best-of compilation. This week you’ll be treated to the following:From #32 Escapes we’ve got the crazy story of how Alice Tankerville almost escaped the clutches of the Tower of LondonFrom #47 Criminals the true story of Bonnie and ClydeAnd from #57 Health & Safety, Peter Duncan cleaning Big BenIf you'd like to drop us an emai...

As promised, we’re delighted to present all the 4th parts from subscriber specials.. ALL IN ONE MEGA EPISODE (A MEGASODE if you will *caps off*).In this episode you will find 4th parts from:20 The Coast21 The Great Depression22 Big Projects23 Christmas25 Calendars26 Blunders27 Beauty28 Nightlife29 Love30 Discoveries31 Myths32 Escapes33 Conflict34 Health and Fitness36 Presidents37 Prime Ministers38...

We’re taking a summer break for 3 weeks, so while we’re off sunning ourselves, please enjoy our second ever ‘Best of’ episode. This week you’ll be treated to the following:From #26 Blunders we’ve got: the demise of Frederick BarbarossaFrom #28 Nightlife: Boza (a lovely drink which isn’t custard)And from #39 Survival: the nightmarish story of Alexander SelkirkIf you'd like to drop us an email while...

We’ve got a bonus episode for you and once again, your correspondence has proven absolutely sensational. In this episode, Chris questions whether this is the golden age of hot drinks, Elis is hauled over the coals in corrections corner for several horrendous mistakes and we learn about the REAL museum of failure. PLUS Elis pitches his idea for a circus, someone helps us correct something previousl...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! This week we’re dwelling in the podcasting pits of utter humiliation. We’ll be finally looking at the specifics of the infamous stocks and pillory, shaved heads as a punishment, the dunces cap and the humiliating act of ‘white shirting’.Humiliation is of course the specialist subject of Tom Craine who once lost a kebab stained shirt to the...

This week we’re dwelling in the podcasting pits of utter humiliation. We’ll be finally looking at the specifics of the infamous stocks and pillory, shaved heads as a punishment, the dunces cap and the humiliating act of ‘white shirting’.Humiliation is of course the specialist subject of Tom Craine who once lost a kebab stained shirt to the roof of a cab. Do you have any humiliating stories to shar...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! Ready, set.. and go for this week’s episode which is on: The Olympics. We’ll be chatting about the ancient Olympics, McDonalds infamous mid-80s marketing campaign for the Los Angeles Olympics and a certain Welsh Olympian known as ‘the human torpedo’.And the world has a new BEST podcast feature: The Museum of Failure. What can we put in it...

Ready, set.. and go for this week’s episode which is on: The Olympics. We’ll be chatting about the ancient Olympics, McDonalds infamous mid-80s marketing campaign for the Los Angeles Olympics and a certain Welsh Olympian known as ‘the human torpedo’.And the world has a new BEST podcast feature: The Museum of Failure. What can we put in it alongside Woolworths, the zeppelin and betamax? Please pres...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! This week on the show we’ve got a selection of historical yarns to share; the great British supermarket baked bean war of the 90s, how Sweden swapped sides of the road in the 60s, and the many incredible instances where entertainers took percentages of profits instead of a one off payment (and the infamous occasions where they didn’t).And...

This week on the show we’ve got a selection of historical yarns to share; the great British supermarket baked bean war of the 90s, how Sweden swapped sides of the road in the 60s, and the many incredible instances where entertainers took percentages of profits instead of a one off payment (and the infamous occasions where they didn’t).And this week we’ve been mainly discussing the oft-repeated rum...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! This week on the show, it’s a veritable feast as we discuss some of the most infamous dinner parties from history. We’ve got the super-sweet suppers that the teenage Emperor Elagabulus loved to throw, the horrendous story of the Black Dinner at Edinburgh Castle in 1440 and finally, we’ll hear what spectators saw when they gathered round to...

This week on the show, it’s a veritable feast as we discuss some of the most infamous dinner parties from history. We’ve got the super-sweet suppers that the teenage Emperor Elagabulus loved to throw, the horrendous story of the Black Dinner at Edinburgh Castle in 1440 and finally, we’ll hear what spectators saw when they gathered round to watch Louis XIV eat his massive daily dinner. Lots of chat...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! On the show this week we’re discussing some of the most absolutely disastrous ideas that history has to offer; we’ve got airships, the infamous Sinclair C5 and various attempts at creating ’smell-o-vision’ (which sometimes involved a ‘smell-brain’).Plus, we’re still struggling to get over the concept of trifle, especially with the possible...

On the show this week we’re discussing some of the most absolutely disastrous ideas that history has to offer; we’ve got airships, the infamous Sinclair C5 and various attempts at creating ’smell-o-vision’ (which sometimes involved a ‘smell-brain’).Plus, we’re still struggling to get over the concept of trifle, especially with the possible inclusion of veal. If you’ve got any more of trifle, savou...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! On the show this week we’re going mad for health and safety. We’ll be discussing what health and safety looked like in Ancient Rome, the various procedures in place in medieval monasteries and also, we’ll be talking about Peter Duncan cleaning the clockface of Big Ben in 1980 armed with only a mop, a plank and a rope. Lots to discuss elsew...

On the show this week we’re going mad for health and safety. We’ll be discussing what health and safety looked like in Ancient Rome, the various procedures in place in medieval monasteries and also, we’ll be talking about Peter Duncan cleaning the clockface of Big Ben in 1980 armed with only a mop, a plank and a rope. Lots to discuss elsewhere this week too: does buying a single toilet seat mean y...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! This week we’re off the leash and talking about some of history’s most noteworthy animals. We’ll have Joséphine Bonaparte’s vertically challenged pet dog Fortune, Britain’s first zebra of note and the incredible story of the mayor of Texan town Lajitas (who just happens to be a goat called Clay Henry).Following on from our music episode, t...

This week we’re off the leash and talking about some of history’s most noteworthy animals. We’ll have Joséphine Bonaparte’s vertically challenged pet dog Fortune, Britain’s first zebra of note and the incredible story of the mayor of Texan town Lajitas (who just happens to be a goat called Clay Henry).Following on from our music episode, there’s lots of chat about our favourite non-lyrical aspects...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! Fire up the orchestra because this week you’ll be listening to us talk about: Music. We’ve got for you the ancient music of Antiquity, Richard the Lionheart and his banging tunes and the history of songs being sung on the terraces. Lots and lots of chat this week about what it would be like to be trapped in a prison made of trifle. If you’...

Fire up the orchestra because this week you’ll be listening to us talk about: Music. We’ve got for you the ancient music of Antiquity, Richard the Lionheart and his banging tunes and the history of songs being sung on the terraces. Lots and lots of chat this week about what it would be like to be trapped in a prison made of trifle. If you’ve got anything to add to the conversation, you can email u...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! Cut a couple of holes in your newspaper and have a butchers at this week’s episode which is: Spies. We’ll be checking out how sophisticated spies were in Britain during the 1600s, we’ll be peeping on the secret police in Ancient Rome and we’ll be trying to spy on the spies of the BBC.And we’ve got more listener blunders this week to make T...

Cut a couple of holes in your newspaper and have a butchers at this week’s episode which is: Spies. We’ll be checking out how sophisticated spies were in Britain during the 1600s, we’ll be peeping on the secret police in Ancient Rome and we’ll be trying to spy on the spies of the BBC.And we’ve got more listener blunders this week to make Tom feel better. Have you done something as silly as acciden...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! This week we’re darting around folk festivals from history to learn their strange traditions; we’ll be heading to Lincolnshire to learn about the Haxey Hood, to Gloucester for the Cheese Rolling and finally off to America to learn of the once enormously popular phenomenon of Horse Diving. And was telly better when it ended around midnight...

This week we’re darting around folk festivals from history to learn their strange traditions; we’ll be heading to Lincolnshire to learn about the Haxey Hood, to Gloucester for the Cheese Rolling and finally off to America to learn of the once enormously popular phenomenon of Horse Diving. And was telly better when it ended around midnight and signed off with the national anthem? The answer is yes,...

This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed from yesterday! This week on the show we’re discussing the magnificent inventions invented by early US Presidents! For you we have George Washington’s threshing barn (not a pub), Thomas Jefferson’s wheelie chair (as exciting as it sounds) and Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod (not as rude as it sounds).When exactly was the golden age of parking? We can’t...