History between the Lines

Professor Mark Connelly of Connelly Contours joins me to talk about the Christmas Truce of 1914, which took place on the Western Front during the First World War. A beloved story in British popular memory of how British and German soldiers came together in no man's land on 25th December 1914 and briefly held a ceasefire and exchanged friendly words, cigarettes and had a football match. But ho...

Dr Aurelie Basha joins me to talk about the foreign policy highs and lows of Jimmy Carter, who served as U.S. President from 1977 to 1981, in response to his death a few weeks ago at the age of 100. From the Iranian hostage crisis and the Camp David accords, to Afghanistan and the end of détente, what is Carter's foreign policy legacy? Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by J...

Alex Pitts, weapons handler at the Combined Military Services Museum, returns to the show for another weapons episode, this time on the globally famous Kalashnikov assault rifle from 1947. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed or Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

In the winter of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armee are retreating from Moscow until they come upon the River Berezina blocking their path. With the Russian Army hot on their heels, can Napoleon's engineers build a bridge across the Berezina quickly enough before the French task force's foes catch up with it and bring about its total destruction? Cover artwork: "Comfort o...

In this brilliant, rollercoaster episode, Robert recounts the story of his father, William Jones, during the Second World War and his role as a British military policeman in the Special Investigation Branch (S.I.B.) in Europe after D-Day. From interrogating SS officers and arresting black marketeers to gathering military intelligence and going undercover in an Allied POW camp, William's story...

November, 1957 On Christmas Island and Malden Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a British Valiant jet bomber flies overhead. It is about to drop a single bomb just off the coast. This is Operation Grapple, Britain's efforts to acquire the hydrogen bomb. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by...

Dr Ambrogio Caiani returns to the show to discuss the reign of King Louis XVI of France, 250 years after he ascended to the throne in 1774. 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.

Ireland has always been a rural country and as such, who owns land has always been a thorny issue and has spawned protests, murders, wars and eventually a social revolution. Myles Dungan, author and broadcaster of Irish TV and radio, joins me to talk about his new book which explores the changes and conflicts surrounding Irish land ownership. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by...

Part 2 of this episode about the 80th anniversary of D-Day, where I'm joined by Angus Wallace of the WW2 Podcast to talk about the operation in Normandy itself and its wider legacy, especially in cinema. 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.

In Part 1 of this episode, I'm joined by Angus Wallace, creator and host of the WW2 Podcast to talk about D-Day and its legacy 80 years on since 6th June 1944. 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.

Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones take a whistle stop tour through British prime ministerial politics from the 1700s to the present day and pick out one PM from each century that ranks as the worst. But who will be the ultimate loser? 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.

Emboldened by the July-August 1943 raids on Hamburg, Bomber Command sets its sights on Nazi Germany's capital city. But Berlin is an altogether different target... 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.

Dr Mark Lawrence returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, "Anglo-Hispania", which details the relationship between Britain and Spain across the centuries, from the Spanish Armada to the Peninsular War and from Franco to Brexit. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from...

Series Finale: Jonathan Brown and Dr Ambrogio Caiani review "Napoleon", the latest film by Ridley Scott and discuss how it fits into other cinematic portrayals of Napoleon Bonaparte. 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.

Jonathan Brown and Dr Ambrogio Caiani discuss "Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World", Dr Caiani's latest book about the history of the Catholic Church from 1700-1903. 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.

May, 1945. Nazi Germany lies smashed and defeated at the mercy of the Allies. The country is carved up into four zones of occupation, with the British being given control over the zone in the north-west. They face problems of near-famine, housing shortages, refugees and the trauma of the post-war world. How did they deal with these crises? Dr Daniel Cowling joins me to talk about his new book, &qu...

As Germany goes to war in 1914, it has put itself on a path to destruction, a path that will end in the rise of the Nazis. Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones talk about the state of Germany from 1914 to 1923, which became the background to the Beer Hall Putsch, the attempted Nazi coup in Munich, which is now a century old. Cover artwork: "Comfort of Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy...

Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones talk about the Beer Hall Putsch. On 8th-9th November 1923, a group of ex-soldiers, anti-Semites and thugs gathered in beer halls in the city of Munich and attempted to seize power in a coup. It became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The putschists: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. With this event now being 100 years old, it's important to talk about this putsch...

Jonathan Brown and Professor John Wills talk about "Threads", a BBC TV film first broadcast in 1984, which depicts a fictitious nuclear attack on Sheffield. (Spoilers for "Threads" follow). 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 the formation of militia units and regiments from New York to Louisiana in 1861 to the conditions in POW camps to the blood-soaked Battle of Fredericksburg, Irish American soldiers were everywhere throughout the American Civil War. Jonathan Brown and Dr Catherine Bateson talk about this involvement of Irish Americans on both sides in the Civil War. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Ros...

Jonathan Brown reviews "Oppenheimer", Christopher Nolan's biopic of the father of the atomic bomb, currently in cinemas and seeing how well it compares to the history of the bomb. 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.

Jonathan Brown is joined by John Hardman to talk about his latest book, a biography of the French revolutionary Antoine Barnave. France, 1791. With King Louis XVI and the French revolutionaries arguing over the new constitution, one man steps up to try to solve the situation: Antoine Barnave, who makes a deal with the queen, Marie Antoinette, to govern France jointly. But will their plans survive...

On 7th September 1978, Georgi Markov, an anti-communist Bulgarian defector, was walking to his job at the BBC in London. Crossing Waterloo Bridge, he suddenly felt a sharp sting and saw a man near him fumbling with an umbrella. Incredibly, this was the start of an assassination attempt. Jonathan Brown and Eleanor Brown talk about this most infamous of Cold War assassinations. Cover artwork: "...

Jonathan Brown and Julie Miller talk about the witchcraft trials that took place in Maldon, Essex, during the 16th century. England in the 16th century is being transformed by the Reformation from top to bottom. But one element of medieval religious belief remains: the crime of witchcraft. In the river town of Maldon in Essex, a series of witch trials sweep the town at this time, covering Maldon i...

In the summer of 1944, the people of Britain believe that the worst of the Second World War is now behind them but the Nazis have one more sting in their tail: on the 13th June 1944, they launch their vengeance weapons at Britain, the V-1 "doodlebug" and the V-2 rocket. But the Allies are determined to fight back. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, cou...