In addition to being the Queen of the United Kingdom and the vast British Empire, Victoria might also be lauded as the Queen of Christmas. She and her beloved husband Prince Albert popularized many of the quintessential holiday traditions that we still enjoy today including the Christmas tree, Christmas cards and Christmas Crackers. Their 9 children enjoyed ... Show More
Sep 17
Bonus! Spilling the Tea (on Tea), with You’re Dead To Me!
This week, we're bringing you a special teaser of You're Dead To Me, the BBC's hit comedy podcast that takes history seriously – on a topic close to our hearts, Tea! In this episode, host Greg Jenner is joined by historian Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Hugh Dennis to trace ... Show More
7m 53s
Sep 15
Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, & Ireland
Queen Mary II was 1/2 of England’s only joint monarchy, and half of a pair of powerful sister Queens. She betrayed her father and took his throne with the support of her Dutch husband, William of Orange. She preferred to take a back seat but ended up doing most of the governing w ... Show More
24m 19s
Sep 8
Royals who Died of Bubonic Plague
As the great pestilence burned across central Asia, north Africa and Europe, roughly 100 million people lost their lives in the worst pandemic in human history. More than half of the populations of Florence, Paris and London fell victim. We will never know the names of most of th ... Show More
30m 9s
Dec 2023
Life of the week: Queen Victoria
What picture comes to mind when you think of Queen Victoria? For many, it will be a grieving woman in her mourning gown, or perhaps a monarch cooly stating "we are not amused". From her marriage to Prince Albert to founding many of the royal traditions we know today, Tracy Borman ... Show More
34m 49s
Dec 2021
Christmas feasts: Medieval & Tudor revelry
From brawn to plum pottage, Annie Gray takes us back to the raucous world of festive feasting in the medieval and Tudor eras. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, for the first episode in our new mini-series on Christmas food through history, she also touches on subversive merrymaking, s ... Show More
30m 27s