If It Ain't Baroque...

Please welcome Dr Elizabeth Norton back on the show, and let's talk about the female monarchs of the ages. Did you know the last elected female head of state is still alive? Did you know there exists a Queendom? How have the folk felt about reigning queens throughout time? What is the cost of female power to her and to her Kingdom? Let's dig in... Please find Dr Elizabeth Norton's books : Women Wh...

In the run up to the US Premiere of the play Three Queens by Rosamund Gravelle we are chatting to the playwright as well as not one, but two Marian historians - Dr Johanna Strong and Dr Peter Stiffell.  Three Queens is about to open at Gamut Theatre in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. The play is set on the eve of Jane Grey's execution, and the three royal ladies (one past ex Queen, one Queen R...

Ever wanted to time travel? Ever wanted to meet someone from the French Revolution? Well now you can. Please welcome to the show Sofia Briccio, or rather, through her we meet the witness from the Reign of Terror, Marianne. See the Show: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revolution-stage-an-interactive-theatrical-experience-tickets-1514157890009 Find Marianne : https://www.instagram.com/marianne_revolut...

Please welcome to our 175th episode, which is also falls on our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! The playwright Liz Duffy Adams is on the podcast and today we’re talking about her play - Born with Teeth , currently at Wyndham's Theatre in London, starring Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel where they play Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.  What was the inspiration behind this fictional (?) encoun...

Please welcome Dan E Parkes back to the podcast, the author of  Titanic Legacy: The Captain, the Daughter and the Spy with Amberley Publishing. He also has a Youtube channel called Captain Titanic where he searches for the truth about this great ship. This is the second part of our Titanic myth-busting, please turn your searchlights for the first part by scrolling up. There's a lot of mention...

Please welcome historian Susan Abernethy to the show, and we’ll be talking about her fabulous new book - Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza, published by Pen & Sword. Who was Catherine of Braganza? Why was this Portuguese princess best suited to be the next Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland? What dowry did she bring and what was her legacy? Let’s spill the...

Today we have a very special episode: we have the writers and co-producer of the new musical The Queen is Mad about the rise and fall of Juana of Castile, the elder sister to Katharine of Aragon and daughter to Ferdinand and Isabella, the great Catholic monarchs. To make things even more special, we have acclaimed historian Heather R Darsie on the call as well to tell us what really happened back...

Today we're taking a peak behind the veil or behind the plank rather, of the new exhibition about Pirates at the National Maritime Museum in London. Let's find out what inspired this new display, and what is the journey the audience is about to embark upon...   Find Royal Museums Greenwich : https://www.rmg.co.uk/ Find Pirates: https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/pirates V...

Anne Boleyn: The Musical has just opened at Hever Castle, so let's talk to Rebecca Night, who wrote its book and co-wrote its lyrics. Why is it important to tell Anne's story in her childhood home? What challenges did the production face when adapting a 16th century story for 21st century audiences? Why are we still so obsessed with Anne Boleyn? Tune in and find out...   See the Musical: http...

Please welcome Dr Thomas W Smith and we’re going to talk about the epistolary culture in the middle ages and how can we relate to it today. Find Tom: https://thomaswsmith.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/medieval_tom/ https://linktr.ee/twsmith The Fifth Crusade : https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300283952/the-fifth-crusade/ Rewriting the First Crusade : https://boydellandbrewer.com/book/rewriting-...

Today we talk all things pirate history - please welcome Richard Blakemore , the author of ENEMIES OF ALL: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY , published by The History Press in the UK, Pegasus Books in the USA and Hollands Diep in the Netherlands. Let's de-bunk those pirate myths. Did they really have to walk the plank? Why do we picture pirates always having a pet parrot? What life wa...

Let's talk Regency Scandals , and one in particular.... Caroline of Brunswick, her relationship with Thomas Ash, the so-called 'nunnery' at Frogmore and Spencer Percival, the first ever assassinated British Prime Minister. How do they all fit into this story? Let's scratch the surface... James Travers , of the National Archives fame, is back on the podcast, and we'll be talking about his book The...

Today we’re talking to Helen Carr about her new book Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century. How did this 100 year period change England? Let's find out. Welcome, Helen! Get Sceptred Isle: https://www.hatchards.co.uk/book/sceptred-isle/helen-carr/9781529157345 (UK) https://www.amazon.com/Sceptred-Isle-Revolutionary-History-Fourteenth/dp/1529151651/ (USA) Get The Red Prince, John of...

Today we're talking to Jane Hayter-Hames and her wonderful book on the lesser known of the Stuart eras: the Puritan Rule under Oliver Cromwell, published by Amberley . Welcome, Jane! Get Puritan Rule Under Cromwell : https://www.amberley-books.com/puritan-rule-under-cromwell.html Find Jane: https://www.hayterhames.co.uk/ Get The Fall of Charles I: https://www.amberley-books.com/author-community-ma...

We continue our #MightyMargarets series! Today we present to you our chat with Linda Porter about her book The Thistle and The Rose published by Head of Zeus, which tells the story of Margaret Tudor, English Princess, sister of Henry VIII. Margaret went on to marry the Scottish king James IV, and thus became the grandmother to the future Mary Queen of Scots and great-grandmother to James VI &...

Dear listener, Today we present to you our chat with PETER JAMES BOWMAN, the author of The Real Persuasion: Portrait of a Real-Life Jane Austen Heroine , published with Amberley .  The book is a non-fiction account of a young woman named Catherine, whose own romance resembled that of Anne Elliot, in Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion . The peculiar thing about it all is the fact that Jane Austen...

Today we start a new series, dedicated to Blighty’s great historic locations - today we talk to the lovely Georgina who works at Hatfield House, a gorgeous historic manor found in Hertfordshire, famous for being the childhood home of Elizabeth I. Let’s find out more.   Visit Hatfield: https://hatfield-house.co.uk/ https://hatfield-house.co.uk/explore/the-old-palace/ https://www.greatbrit...

Today we sit down with illustrator, actor, playwright and producer Laura Crow to talk about her new project Vile, The Tudor Play. This delicious production looks at the story of Jane Parker, a.k.a. Jane Boleyn, from a new angle.   See Vile: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/53two/t-nopxgad Find Vile : https://www.tudorsociety.com/vile-the-radical-redemption/ https://www.instagram.com/vile_thetud...

Good news - The New York Times Best-selling author JOHN MATTHEWS is back on the show, this time we’ll be talking about The Book of Merlin: Magic, Legend and History , published by Amberley . Who was Merlin? Did he actually exist? What has Wales got to do with him? And what is the larger context of the Merlin and Arthurian myths? Let’s dig in… Happy #MerlinMonday !   The Book of Merlin : https...

Please welcome historian Anna Whitelock and we’ll be talking today about her fabulous new book - The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain , published by Bloomsbury (UK) & Viking Press (USA). This is a wonderful account of James VI and I’s working life. What was his connection to the colonies? How global was Britain’s presence during his reign? And is it true that he was once in...

Have you ever heard of Russian Jews seeking new life in Galveston, Texas, after the pogroms in Imperial Russia? Now you have. Today we talk to Rachel Cockerell, whose ancestor was responsible for this movement, and whose first book on this subject, told entirely with the voice of primary sources, was voted The Times and The Sunday Times Book of the year. Let’s find out more… Get Melting Point : ht...

We continue our #MightyMargarets series! Good news! Lauren Johnson is back on the podcast, this time we’re talking about the great Tudor matriarch - Margaret Beaufort, the subject of Lauren’s upcoming book. Did Margaret know how to have fun? What part did femininity play in her life? What was it like to have her as your boss? And what do swans have to do with Margaret Beaufort? Let's find out... P...

We chat with Dr Joanne Paul about her new book - Thomas More: Life and Death in Tudor England . (published by Penguin in UK and Simon and Schuster in USA). Please pour yourself a cup of Countess Grey and start a drinking game on how many times Joanne and I are going to say ‘More’... when talking about one of the greatest figures of the Tudor age - Sir Thomas More… Please watch/ binge/ indulge...

This year we’re celebrating 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen. Today we sit down with John Mullan about his book What Matters in Jane Austen? , which has just been re-released by Bloomsbury Publishing . What Matters in Jane Austen? https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/what-matters-in-jane-austen-9781526693945/ (UK) https://www.amazon.com/What-Matters-Jane-Austen-Crucial/dp/1620400421/ (USA) T...

Today is the anniversary of the First Battle of St Albans , which was fought in 1455, making it the first battle of the Wars of the Roses; and to talk about it today our guest is Jackson van Uden.  Welcome back, Jackson! Find Jackson: https://historywithjackson.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/historywithjackson/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxXh8pNeS7gdE377kgrNOIw Dictators by Jackson va...