logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
8m 51s

The king under the car park

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In 2012, archaeologists from the University of Leicester discovered the lost grave of King Richard III under a car park in Leicester in the English East Midlands.

Richard was the King of England more than 500 years ago and for centuries was portrayed as one of the great villains of English history.

He was killed in 1485 leading his army in battle against a rival claimant to the throne, Henry Tudor.

After the battle, King Richard III's corpse was stripped naked and paraded around before being hastily buried in a church within a friary in Leicester.

In 2020, Alex Last spoke to Dr Richard Buckley who led the archaeological team that dug up the remains.

(Photo: Remains of King Richard III. Credit: BBC)

Up next
Today
Washington DC’s Mount Pleasant riot
In May 1991, a female police officer shot and wounded a young immigrant from El Salvador in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood in Washington DC in the United States. It sparked several days of disturbances in the largely Hispanic area, as the population vented its frustrations at y ... Show More
9m 29s
Yesterday
Creating CAPTCHA
In 2000, as the internet expanded, websites faced a growing challenge to stop spam bots from flooding their systems.To separate humans from machines, researchers at the United States’ Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created the Completely Automated Public ... Show More
10m 7s
Aug 25
The creation of the International Criminal Court
In 1998, at a conference organised by the United Nations, a blueprint was devised for what would be the world's first permanent International Criminal Court.Judge Phillipe Kirsch chaired the Rome conference that led to the formation of the court. He tells Gill Kearsley about the ... Show More
10m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
The Resurrection of the Parking Lot King
After the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor became King Henry VII. But what happened to the king he replaced, King Richard III? Well, we weren't quite sure. Not until 2012, when a group of archeologists galvanized by an amateur named Philippa Langley made a momentous discover ... Show More
34m 51s
Feb 2024
415. The Murder of Richard II (Part 3)
“For within the hollow crown that rounds the hollow temple of a king...”Richard II, son of the dashing Black Prince and grandson of Edward III, became King of England at only ten years old. By the age of fifteen he had overcome one of the most terrifying threats to the English Cr ... Show More
55m 57s
Jun 2022
The Davidian Revolution
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact of David I of Scotland (c1084-1153) on his kingdom and on neighbouring lands. The youngest son of Malcolm III, he was raised in exile in the Anglo-Norman court and became Earl of Huntingdon and Prince of Cumbria before claiming the thron ... Show More
50m 16s
Jun 2022
The Davidian Revolution
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact of David I of Scotland (c1084-1153) on his kingdom and on neighbouring lands. The youngest son of Malcolm III, he was raised in exile in the Anglo-Norman court and became Earl of Huntingdon and Prince of Cumbria before claiming the thron ... Show More
50m 16s
May 2023
The 'Stone of Destiny' and a self-proclaimed Emperor
Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We hear about the Scottish students who removed the 'Stone of Destiny' from Westminster Abbey in London. Former King Simeon II of Bulgaria explains how he went from child King to ... Show More
51m 36s
Dec 2022
Richard III vs Henry VII
We all think we know the story of Richard III and Henry VII, or do we? Richard III is often portrayed as a child-murdering usurper whose reign was brought to a bloody end by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth. It was a grudge match to decide who would become King of England, but ... Show More
35m 43s
May 2021
The Second Barons' War
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the years of bloody conflict that saw Simon de Montfort (1205-65) become the most powerful man in England, with Henry III as his prisoner. With others, he had toppled Henry in 1258 in a secret, bloodless coup and established provisions for more par ... Show More
56m 32s
May 2021
The Second Barons' War
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the years of bloody conflict that saw Simon de Montfort (1205-65) become the most powerful man in England, with Henry III as his prisoner. With others, he had toppled Henry in 1258 in a secret, bloodless coup and established provisions for more par ... Show More
56m 32s
Oct 2021
The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great
In his lifetime King Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, forged one of the largest empires in ancient history. But it was what happened to Alexander following his demise – his ‘life after death’ - which resulted in one of the great archaeological myster ... Show More
55m 55s
Aug 2021
La desaparición de los príncipes en la Torre de Londres
En el siglo XV, los duques de York reivindicaron la Corona inglesa frente a la casa de Lancaster, lo que dio origen a la guerra de las Dos Rosas (1455-1485). A la muerte de Ricardo III ocupó el trono la dinastía Tudor (1485-1603). Tras la muerte de Eduardo IV, sus dos hijos fuero ... Show More
8m 26s