“Stand and deliver! Your money or your life!”. It’s the 1730s, the era of the Highwayman. These words haunt the dreams of every rider and coachman who travels the roads of England. The cloaked bandit, face covered, looming out of the darkness - moonlight glinting off the barrel of a flintlock pistol. Noble robbers, folk heroes, or sadistic cutthroats? The my ... Show More
Jul 2022
Dick Turpin Part 3: To Die Game
The age of the highwayman is drawing to a close and the road is running out for its most famous son. After killing an amateur bounty hunter in Epping Forest, Dick Turpin takes flight again, slipping the net, and very nearly slipping from the pages of history. That is, until he po ... Show More
47m 41s
Apr 2022
The Notorious Dick Turpin
Highwayman Dick Turpin was executed at York on 7th April, 1739, for stealing horses. He was 34.
But, whilst the date and manner of his death are accurately recalled, almost everything else about Turpin has been distorted in the public imagination. Far from being a dashing charac ... Show More
11m 55s
Apr 2021
221-Chinese/Scottish folklore: The Great Beyond
<p>This week, there are two stories about death and what comes next, from China and Scotland. On the first, a lonely fisherman meets an odd man down by the river with a strange plan for his life. On the second, a stablehand helps out two strangers who stop by his tavern for the n ... Show More
35m 45s
Aug 2023
The Hunt is On & Britain's Most Infamous King Takes the Throne... Season 3 of This is History: A Dynasty to Die For
Power, greed, religion and sex: historian Dan Jones brings the drama of mediaeval history alivethrough compelling stories, larger-than-life characters and vivid scenes. The third season tells the incredible story of England’s most diabolical ruler. King John makes enemies whereve ... Show More
2m 29s
Dec 2023
Herod the Great Part 2: Murders in the Family
Herod leaves Rome to wrest Judea from the Parthians. He will marry a princess, commission extraordinary building works, and even murder his in-laws as he tries to win over his people. But how will that desperate quest shape his subjects’ lives, and his own legacy? And what of Her ... Show More
53m 7s
Oct 2023
The Murders of Alexander the Great
<p><em>This episode contains strong language, and references to sexual assault.</em></p><br><p>Alexander the Great - conqueror, legend, <em>murderer</em>. After ascending to the throne at aged 20 in 336BCE, his rule started with mass executions and political assassinations - them ... Show More
43 m