Who was Lorenzo the Magnificent, the most glamorous, glittering, and blood-soaked of all the Medici, who became his family’s formidable but compulsive “Godfather” from the age of only twenty one? What was the Pazzi Conspiracy, in which he was almost murdered in a bloody plot to eliminate Medici supremacy in Florence, in the middle of a church mass? Were the ... Show More
Aug 20
593. The Fight of the Century
Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who ... Show More
57m 19s
Aug 13
591. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: Manhunt for the Killer (Part 2)
How was President Abraham Lincoln murdered on Good Friday 1865, at Ford’s Theatre, just five days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender? Who was John Wilkes Booth, the racist actor with southern sympathies, who assassinated him? How did he escape before the shocked eyes of the packed t ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2024
Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent
All this month, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is taking a deep dive into the complex and controversial House of Medici, which left an indelible mark on Western civilisation.
In this second episode, Suzannah talks to Dr. Alexander Lee about Lorenzo de’ Medici, the consummate Renaiss ... Show More
42m 27s
Nov 2024
The 500-Year Medici Mystery
Lorenzino de Medici killed his cousin, the Duke of Florence, 11 years ago. Still, he's constantly looking over his shoulder, worried that justice might come at any moment. Turns out, he was right: Lorenzino was finally assassinated. But the culprit behind the revenge-killing woul ... Show More
33m 50s
Dec 2024
Benito Mussolini Part 1: Italy’s Fascist Godfather
We begin at the end… in 1945, with a pile of bodies dumped in Milan then strung up for all to see. Among them, the most powerful man in Italy. One of the most significant figures in modern history. How did it come to this? In this episode, we scroll back to follow the start of Be ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2024
Leonardo da Vinci with Ken Burns
Leonardo da Vinci was a man like no other. A restless visionary and polymath, his paintings are some of the best known of all works of art.
To talk about Leonardo, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Ken Burns, the multi-award winning American filmmaker who has transformed t ... Show More
39m 26s
Jul 2024
Charles II's Most Infamous Mistress: Barbara Villiers
The tempestuous and passionate Barbara Villiers captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain, including King Charles II. But she had a dark side, humiliating her husband for decades, plotting the ruin of her enemies, and gambling away vast sums of money.
In this episode of N ... Show More
43m 31s