logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
41m 19s

Queen Victoria's secret love affair

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode
Ever since the 1870s, rumours have swirled around Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown. Were the pair in love? Could they have got married? And might they even have had a secret child? Historian Fern Riddell investigates these claims in her book Victoria's Secret, and has made some dramatic discoveries that she believes cast the story in a new ... Show More
Up next
Today
What causes cultures to decline and fall?
The new BBC TV series Civilisations: Rise and Fall charts the decline of some of history's most famous cultures, from the Aztecs to the ancient Egyptians. Three of its experts – Islam Issa, Caroline Dodds Pennock and Luke Kemp – joined Matt Elton to explore some of the series' ma ... Show More
44m 5s
Yesterday
Christopher Marlowe: life of the week
From his possible espionage work for the Elizabethan state to his open flirtations with atheism and subversive sexual themes, the brief life of playwright Christopher Marlowe tells us much about the shadowy edges of 16th-century England. Stephen Greenblatt joins Elinor Evans to d ... Show More
42m 54s
Nov 24
Uprising: the Civil Wars untangled
On 30 January 1649, Charles I was led on to a freshly erected scaffold outside Whitehall’s Banqueting House in London. Thousands of spectators watched in shock and awe as the king of England, Scotland and Ireland was executed as a traitor. It was the climax of one of the most des ... Show More
37 m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Anne Boleyn | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
<p>How did Anne Boleyn go from being a commoner to being the Queen of England?</p><br><p>As soon as she arrived in the Tudor court she stood out from the other beautiful women who were throwing themselves at Henry VIII, but made him wait for seven years before they eventually got ... Show More
41m 17s
Dec 2024
Catherine Howard | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
<p>Henry VIII called her his 'rose without a thorn', but the teenage Catherine Howard was to fall out of favour less than 18 months after becoming Queen of England.</p><br><p>Out of all of Henry's wives it could be argued that the young queen, who was a cousin of Anne Boleyn, is ... Show More
37m 38s
Dec 2024
Kateryn Parr | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
<p>At the time, <em>surely</em> Kateryn Parr had her reservations about being Henry VIII's sixth wife?</p><br><p>Aside from being a tyrannical maniac who'd just beheaded his last wife, Catherine Howard, he was getting old, angry and his ulcerous leg was getting smelly.</p><br><p> ... Show More
37m 8s
Nov 2024
Jane Seymour | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
<p>Meek and mild, or smart and scheming? Have we all been underestimating the third wife of Henry VIII?</p><br><p>Was Jane Seymour the meek and mild lady she's often portrayed as, or was she more smart and scheming than we give her credit for?</p><br><p>Although her time as queen ... Show More
38m 43s
Nov 2024
Catherine of Aragon | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
<p>We know the fates of Henry VIII's wives, but what were these iconic women <em>really</em> like?</p><br><p>In the first episode of this limited series, <em>Secret Lives of the Six Wives</em>, we'll explore the ways that Catherine of Aragon was a formidable queen and leader, and ... Show More
36m 17s
Dec 2024
Anne of Cleves | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
<p>Anne of Cleves gets a pretty raw deal in the history books.</p><br><p>She's often accused of being ugly, after Henry VIII claimed the painting he had made of her was overly flattering.</p><br><p>While their marriage was short-lived, is it time we give Anne of Cleves, who haile ... Show More
39m 38s
Jul 2025
Royal Sex: Elizabeth I
Was Elizabeth I really a virgin? When we talk about queens being remembered for their sex lives, we absolutely have to mention the woman so often remembered for her lack of one.Kate is joined by Professor Anna Whitelock, author of ‘Elizabeth’s Bedfellows: An Intimate History of t ... Show More
47m 43s
Aug 2024
The Real Anne Boleyn: Sex, Scandal & Betrayal
<p>Anne Boleyn was smart, sophisticated and had SO much charisma.</p><br><p>She kept Henry VIII waiting for SEVEN YEARS before they finally got together, and even then it was on her terms.</p><br><p>So where did it all go wrong for Anne Boleyn? Were any of the wild accusations ma ... Show More
50m 56s
Sep 18
Anne Boleyn: Myths vs Reality
The life of Anne Boleyn has intrigued audiences for centuries. Everyone knows something about her time as Queen of England, and of course, her betrayal and execution. But her formative years in France remain a bit of a mystery.Joining us today is Estelle Paranque, an Associate Pr ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 3
The Scandalous Royal Mistress Who Ruled France
Is this strangest threesome in royal history?!We're endlessly fascinated with the lives of royal mistresses, and this has to be one of the most notorious.It takes place in 16th century France between Henry II, his wife Catherine de Medici and his much older mistress, Diane de Poi ... Show More
37m 45s