logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2025
1h 2m

609. Nelson: The Gathering Storm (Part 2...

Goalhanger
About this episode
After two years at sea, what happened when Horatio Nelson - now Britain’s most celebrated naval commander - finally returned home, to his wife and father? Following his involvement in the poisonous politics of Naples, his terrible treatment of the Jacobite rebels, and starting an affair with the notorious Lady Emma Hamilton, how was Nelson received? And, wit ... Show More
Up next
Today
655. The Ku Klux Klan: Terror in the South (Part 2)
How and why did the terrible violence of the Ku Klux Klan escalate? What was the political context in America for their rising popularity? And, how was this first iteration of the Klan finally brought down? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss American politics after the Civil Wa ... Show More
1h 10m
Mar 23
654. The Ku Klux Klan: The Rise of Evil (Part 1)
How did the three iterations of the Ku Klux Klan come into being in 1866, 1915, and the late 1940s? What was the impact of the American Civil War and the Abolition of slavery in 1863 on the rise of this terrifying institution? And, what was the condition of the former slaves in t ... Show More
1h 9m
Mar 19
653. London’s Golden Age: The Shadow of the Madhouse (Part 4)
Who did Samuel Johnson fall in love with towards the end of his life, and why did it break his heart? How did it enrage his old friend James Boswell? And, why did he fear imprisonment in an asylum…? Join Tom and Dominic as they reach the fascinating, but devastating conclusion of ... Show More
1h 7m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
33. Prince Albert’s Dying Wish: Stopping An American-British War (Ep 2)
Why did Britain and America nearly go to war over the capture of two Confederate officers from a British Ship? What did President Lincoln’s Emergency War Cabinet respond to Britain’s threatening ultimatum? How did Prince Albert keep the peace with the last letter he ever sent? Jo ... Show More
33m 22s
Feb 2025
233. Blood and Betrayal: Oliver Cromwell's Irish Invasion (Ep 1)
His statue may stand proudly outside the Houses of Parliament in London, but in Ireland, Oliver Cromwell is remembered as “the Devil from over the Sea” for the bloodshed he unleashed there from 1649 to 1653.  Rising to prominence as a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War ... Show More
40m 27s
Jul 2025
276. The Biggest Corruption Scandal in French History (Part 4)
How was George Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower involved in a huge corruption scandal associated with the Panama Canal? How many workers died during the French attempt to build the canal? And who was Bunau-Varilla and how did this smooth-talking moustache-wielding French engineer manag ... Show More
32m 1s
Nov 2024
Nelson: a life of heroism and scandal
Nelson is one of the most well-known historical figures from British history. His leadership of the British fleet to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and his death in the same battle, rendered him a national hero for generations. However, Nelson was also embroiled in a ... Show More
41m 29s
May 2025
50. The Man Who Tried To Kill The KGB: On the Run from Russia (Ep 2)
He risked everything to expose the KGB's darkest secrets, but Vasily Mitrokhin had two non-negotiable demands: his family's safety and his archive's publication. How did MI6 navigate these unprecedented requests? What secret deal was struck with the Americans to fund his resettle ... Show More
44m 46s
Sep 2025
81. The Man Who Saved The World: Abandoning Communism (Ep 2)
How did Oleg Gordievsky get recruited to work for MI6? What effect did living in Copenhagen have on his political views? And how did Britain nearly blow the recruitment of one of the most consequential spies in history? Listen as David and Gordon continue their series on Oleg Gor ... Show More
47m 37s
Mar 2025
235. The Viceroy, The Psychopath, and The Merchant: The Irish in Empire (Ep 3)
Ireland may have been England’s first colony but, by the 17th century, Irishmen were carving out their own imperial legacies in India. Gerald Aungier, an ambitious East India Company official, saw Bombay as a new frontier for plantation and trade. Drawing from his family’s planta ... Show More
51m 58s
Oct 2025
93. JFK vs the CIA: Bay of Pigs (Ep 4)
"We not only look like imperialists, we look like stupid ineffectual imperialists, which is worst of all." That was the assessment of one of Kennedy's aides following the swift collapse of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The landings fall apart almost immediately: the beaches are laced ... Show More
52m 39s
Jul 2025
274. Pirates of Panama: Francis Drake Strikes Spain's Empire (Part 2)
Who was Captain Morgan, and why is a spiced rum named after him? How did a Welsh buccaneer lead an attack on the heart of Spain’s empire in Panama? How did Elizabeth I fund Francis Drake’s first slaving voyage? William and Anita are joined once again by historian and archaeologis ... Show More
50m 6s
Mar 2025
234. Battle of the Boyne: Clash of Two Kings (Ep 2)
The Restoration reinstates the monarchy in England, Scotland & Ireland, and Irish Catholics believe that they will get their lands back for their loyalty to the king. And when the openly Catholic King James II succeeds his older brother, they are even more hopeful. But English Pr ... Show More
41m 12s