Long History

How major was Major? Find out about John Major, prime minister in the 1990s and the PM to have gained the most election-winning votes in a single general election ever.

Theresa May was the second female prime minister who entered office after the Brexit referendum. How did she deal with the impossible fallout from that momentous event in UK politics?

The Marquess of Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, was the last prime minister of the Victorian era. How was he the epitome of a conservative prime minister?

Tony Blair was prime minister for an impressive ten years. His premiership can be divided into two: before and after a certain date in 2001. Here, we look at how Blair's reputation has been affected by the decisions he made after that date.

He was prime minister for just under a year in the early 1960s, yet he harked back to prime ministers from a different era. How did Douglas-Home shine a light on the attitude of UK voters towards its prime ministers?

The third longest-serving prime minister was in office at the time of the Battle of Waterloo and the Peterloo Massacre. How did this PM hold back the tide of change?

He was the longest serving Conservative Party leader, and became prime minister three times in the 1850s and 1860s, yet Edward Smith-Stanley's time in the top job barely added up to four years in total. Why were all his premierships so brief?

The only Canadian ever to be UK prime minister, Andrew Bonar Law was in the top job for only seven months. However, he was central to politics in the early 20th century.

What happened to John Smith while he was captive amongst the local people? How does Pocahontas save his life?

How did Harold Wilson respond to the swinging 60s? The prime minister during the late 1960s and mid 1970s headed a government responsible for significant reform and economic muddle.

What happens to Captain John Smith when he is captured by the local people in Virginia?

(1/20) How did the first permanent colony on the US by the English begin?

Is this the longest serving 18th century prime minister you've never heard of? Pelham: the most important prime ministerial name to have been forgotten by history? Find out why he was in office for over a decade, and why, despite the length of his tenure, he isn't one of the more celebrated premiers.

(12 of 12) What did Christopher Columbus have to say about Amerigo Vespucci?

This episode contains two of the remaining documents about Amerigo Vespucci. What is the evidence that Vespucci was given Castilian citizenship?

The prime minister before Margaret Thatcher was a popular man who waited too long to hold a general election. Find out about the prime minister during the 'winter of discontent'.

(10 of 12) What does Amerigo Vespucci tell us about his fourth journey?

(9 or 12) In his third voyage, starting in 1503, how does Amerigo Vespucci describe the stars in the southern hemisphere?

During his premiership, John Stuart was one of the most unpopular prime ministers ever. Why?

(8 of 12) How was the coast of Brazil described by the earliest European explorers?

(7 of 12) Setting off in March 1501, how does Amerigo Vespucci's third voyage begin?

As the Whigs were becoming the Liberals, John Russell was prime minister. His career spanned the whole of the first half of Victoria's reign, from the 1830s to the 1860s. 

(6 of 12) How does Amerigo Vespucci describe the northern coast of South America in 1499-1500?

(5 of 12) On Amerigo Vespucci's 1499 journey to the Americas, what is the strange herb that the local people chew?

One of the most famous and most superlative of the early prime ministers, why was Pitt the Younger such a successful premier?