Single Malt History with Gareth Russell

Berengaria of Navarre was said to be the only queen of England who never set foot in the country. Explore the life of the princess who married Richard the Lionheart, travelled Europe with Eleanor of Aquitaine, and was held hostage in the Mediterranean. 

Hampton Court had a history before Henry VIII. Join us to discover his father Henry VII's visit to the estate on a crisp autumn evening in 1500.

Vienna, 1917: As snow storms pummel the city, spies and princes in disguise carry documents with secrets that could topple an empire. ACTOR/S Paul Storrs as Edward Lisle-Strutt

In 1534, what drove the best-dressed man in Ireland to parade through the streets of Dublin and denounce Henry VIII? This episode of Single Malt History with Gareth Russell covers the remarkable actions of 'Silken Thomas' Fitzgerald, an earl suspected of witchcraft, a countess who nursed her husband in prison, and how Tudor Ireland reveals what Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell thought of on...

I sit down with brand expert Bob Sheard to chat about what advice he'd give to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the royals in the 21st century. And I discuss what's gone wrong at previous coronations - from Anne Boleyn's re-think on the dress, Queen Adelaide's invocation of Marie-Antoinette, a burst appendix, chatty dukes, tripping barons, and how trophy hunter...

In 1066, England had three kings and, by the end of the year, a new queen. Pious and beautiful Matilda of Flanders followed her brutal husband's victory at the Battle of Hastings to become England's queen consort in the age of the Norman conquest.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's cousin Charles was involved in one of the forgotten - and harrowing - shipping disasters of the 20th century.

The remarkable and dramatic life of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.

‘Nine Tales from Victorian Belfast continues with a murder in east Belfast, unionist dinnerware, a Catholic sisterhood with a secret in the west, a party with the Titanic’s designer, and a servant’s life in the mansions of the south. 5. A Murder on Eliza Street 6. From Slob-Land to Snob-Land: A servant’s life on the Malone Road 7. The Duke of Abercorn gives a speech 8. The Sisterhood of Clonard 9....

A slightly unexpected ending to season 3 and what's ahead in season 4. So, a farewell and a thanks. 

I am joined by Dr. Valerie Schutte to discuss her fascinating research into the world of sixteenth-century books and her forthcoming cultural biography of Anne of Cleves, Queen of England (b. 1515, d. 1557).

When homosexuality was made a death penalty offence for the first time in English history by Henry VIII in 1533, it looked like the new laws might claim hundreds or even thousands of lives. But, sixty years later, a young poet was openly writing poems about his love for another man in a London ruled over by Henry's daughter. What was the reality for Tudor people who fell in love or lust with their...

Some exclusive anecdotes from the Queen Mother's life on the day my biography of her hits the shelves in Britain, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa.

From 1897 to 1939, floating palaces and luxury liners were surrogates for the feuds between the rival countries. In the latest episode of Single Malt History, I discuss the grandeur, absurdity, and tragedy of History's most luxurious cold war.  I’m joined by actors, bringing to life the eyewitness testimonies of some of those who were involved - from crew members to victims, socialites and sc...

Some reflections on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II (1926 - 2022) and the many royal figures who attended her funeral.

In a sleepy Irish seaside village in 1957, a priest called on a housewife for a cup of tea one rainy afternoon to chat about what school was best for her daughter. A few hours later, the woman backed out of her driveway in such a panic she smashed her car into the gatepost. She kept driving. Within days, a scandal had swept over everybody involved.

Wallis Simpson divided a nation and continues to divide opinion. I'm joined by Anne Sebba, author of the acclaimed Simpson biography "That Woman," who the real Wallis Simpson was - and Anne's new hit read, examining what really happened to the alleged American Communist spy, Ethel Rosenberg. Content warning: This episode contains brief discussions of domestic and sexual abuse, which some listeners...

The extraordinary stories of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr, their marriages to the notorious King Henry VIII, and how they ended up memorialised in the rhyme Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived . Content warning: This episode contains frequent discussions of miscarriages and fertility struggles, which some li...

Our interview with Professor James Walvin, author of the new book A World Transformed: Slavery in the Americas and the Origins of Global Power . Professor Walvin discusses working on the history of enslavement over the past four decades and his most recent work, in which he explores how the brutal enforced transportation and labour of millions of Africans continues to have significant consequences...

Jean Findlay, author of the new novel "The Queen's Lender," stops by Single Malt History to discuss what drew her to the dramatic world of 16th-century Scotland and its artistic Danish queen.

The brutal real-life history that inspired Agatha Christie's iconic 1934 detective novel. WARNING: Contains discussions of home invasion, suicide, and pregnancy loss, which some listeners may find distressing.

Dr Tim Ashby joins us today to discuss the thrilling life of Elizabethan spy, and fellow Ashby, William. And I catch-up on the books I've been reading, including Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (why I love the TV adaptation), Elizabeth Fremantle's The Poison Bed, and Jane Ridley's biography of King George V. An eclectic bag today!

Franz Ferdinand's death is one of the most famous in history. But who was this man killed on 28th June 1914 by 'the shot heard round the world'? And how did it lead to the First World War? WARNING: This episode contains discussions of suicide which some listeners may find distressing.

Single Malt History is back with a trip to the 11th century in the company of Don Hollway, author of THE LAST VIKING.

I am joined by my friend Kate McCaffrey to discuss her genuinely astonishing research into the sixteenth-century network whose secrets she discovered hidden in Anne Boleyn’s Books of Hours.