logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
36m 24s

Tiger Tamer | 3. would you let a tiger l...

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode
Tickling tigers one day, and cracking jokes to expectant crowds the next, Bob Carlisle was a circus showman, agent, clown and big cat tamer. In the third episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove speaks to historian John Woolf to consider Carlisle’s hair-raising life in the travelling circus, and how it ... Show More
Up next
Sep 1
Philip Augustus: the Plantagenets’ greatest rival
King Philip Augustus of France was the Plantagenets’ ultimate enemy. A ruler with an iron fist and sharp political instincts, he consistently exploited the squabbles of the English dynasty, all while transforming France into a dominant power in Western Europe. Speaking to Emily B ... Show More
50m 42s
Aug 31
Laura Ingalls Wilder: life of the week
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 'Little House' books have captivated generations with tales of family, hardship and survival on the American frontier. But how closely did Wilder’s fiction reflect her real childhood – and what should we make of its more controversial portrayals? In this ep ... Show More
46m 32s
Aug 30
How bullies shaped 19th-century America
America's Gilded Age is often remembered for rapid expansion and opportunity, but beneath the surface lay a brutal society in which it paid to be a bully. In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to historian Andrew Wender Cohen about his new book Gangster of New York: A Violent Life ... Show More
42m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
The Dark History of Bearded Ladies & the Victorian Freak Show
What would it have really been like to visit a Victorian freak show? Were "freak performers" exploited, or empowered in a world that would likely have otherwise rejected them? And has the Victorian freak show ever really gone away?Joining Kate today is John Woolf, author of The W ... Show More
39 m
Sep 2023
P.T. Barnum (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined by historian Prof Benjamin Reiss and comedian Desiree Burch in 19th-century America to meet the self-proclaimed showman, P.T. Barnum. He was a man famous for his museums and shows as well as "curiosities" such as General Tom Thumb, Bearded Ladies and The Fij ... Show More
28m 22s
Apr 2021
P.T. Barnum
Greg Jenner is joined by historian Professor Benjamin Reiss and comedian Desiree Burch in the 19th century to meet self proclaimed showman P T Barnum. A man famous for his museums and shows as well as ‘curiosities’ such as General Tom Thumb, Bearded Ladies, and The Fiji Mermaid. ... Show More
51m 36s
Nov 2024
Magic, illusion and tigers
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.For nearly 40 years, Siegfried and Roy wowed audiences in Las Vegas with death-defying tricks involving white lions and tigers. But in 2003, their magic show came to a dramatic end when a tiger attacked Roy ... Show More
51m 12s
Oct 2024
The Horrible Truth of the Big Cat and Animal World
James may be known as Lion Dad, but he has raised a whole assortment of wild animals. Wolves, Tigers, Dingos, you name it! Tiger King raised many questions about the conditions and well being of these types of animals in captivity, and James is more than welcome to shed some ligh ... Show More
1h 19m
Apr 2020
The Mughal Empire
Greg Jenner is joined by historian Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi and comedian Sindhu Vee to explore The Mughal Empire and its legacy in art and architecture. We learn why an Emperor always needed to be wary of his siblings and how a zebra came to cause disbelief in court, and we hear th ... Show More
54m 9s
Apr 2025
The Real Greatest Showman
PT Barnum may be better known as the loose subject of the movie The Greatest Showman, but his life was so much more than that work of fiction. A master of entertainment, an entrepreneur, and a genius of publicity, he built a career on feeding public curiosity with his grand illus ... Show More
1h 1m