Episodes
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Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Scotland by Dr Iain MacInnes and comedian Marjolein Robertson to learn all about Scottish independence hero and king Robert Bruce.
Robert grew up in a time of political turmoil, with multiple noblemen competing to be king of Scots – including his own grandfather. But after Edward I of England declared himself overlord of Scotland, Robert began a fight not just to be king, but to overthrow English control too.
This episode charts the twists and turns of Robert’s life, taking in his adventures in Ireland, his quarrels with the papacy, his unlikely alliance with the English crown, and his epic military victories.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Anna McCully StewartWritten by: Anna McCully Stewart, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Greg Jenner is joined in Bronze Age Crete by Dr Stephen Kershaw and comedian Josie Long to learn all about the ancient Minoan civilisation.
Many of us know the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur: King Minos of Crete feeds young men and women to the half-human beast in the labyrinth under his palace until the brave Theseus kills the monster. At the end of the 19th century, a Cretan archaeologist discovered a palace that many believed had belonged to Minos himself. Not only that, but experts soon found traces of an entire Bronze Age civilisation on the island. But what was this Minoan society really like?
From the palaces of the mighty, through the daily lives of ordinary people and their religious beliefs, this episode explores the Minoans and the archaeological work that has uncovered the truth behind the myths.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Anna McCully StewartWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Missing episodes?
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Greg Jenner is joined in 20th-century Germany by Dr Bodie Ashton and comedian Jordan Gray to learn all about LGBTQ life and culture during the Weimar Republic.
After the failure of the First World War and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, German politics underwent something of a revolution. With the end of the old imperial order came the questioning of its conservative social values, and feminist and socialist campaigners sought to rethink old assumptions about gender roles, family life and sexuality. Part of this included a flourishing of LGBTQ life and culture in the 1920s and early 1930s.
In this episode, Greg and his guests explore the political and economic circumstances of Weimar Germany, queer club culture, magazines and filmmaking; alongside research into sexuality and campaigns for transgender and gay liberation, to discover why Weimar Germany was such a focal point for LGBTQ life in this period.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Jon Norman MasonWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in nineteenth-century England by Dr Michael Taylor and comedian Sara Pascoe to learn all about pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning.
Born to a cabinet-maker father who collected and sold fossils to make extra money, Anning went fossil hunting from a young age. Over the course of her life, she discovered complete ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and pterosaur skeletons, and made great contributions to the emerging discipline of palaeontology. But she was also shut out by the largely male scientific establishment. This episode charts her extraordinary life story, exploring the significance of her discoveries against the background of nineteenth-century debates about religion and science and controversies around the age of the earth.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Annabel StorrWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in 15th-Century England by Dr Lydia Zeldenrust and comedian Robin Ince to learn all about the early history of book printing.
2024 marks the 550th anniversary of the first book printed in English: a history of Troy, produced in 1474 by William Caxton. In the decades that followed, numerous printing shops would be set up across the country, and a huge variety of texts printed, including those that carried potentially dangerous ideas.
Starting with the origins of printing in East Asia, this episode explores the first century of printing in England, looking at how books were produced and by whom, what sorts of texts were being printed, who was reading them, and how the state reacted to this new industry.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Jon Norman MasonWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Greg Jenner is joined by special guests Prof Emily Bernard and comedian Toussaint Douglass in 19th-Century America to meet Frederick Douglass. Born into an enslaved family, Frederick fought against all odds to secure his freedom and went on to become a famed abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Research by Anna-Nadine Pike and Jess WhiteWritten by Emma Nagouse, Anna-Nadine Pike and Greg JennerProduced by Emma Nagouse and Greg JennerAssistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-GoodfellowProject Management: Isla MatthewsAudio Producer: Steve Hankey
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Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Shushma Malik and comedian Thanyia Moore to learn about Cleopatra.
Cleopatra – the seventh Ancient Egyptian Queen to bear that name – was born around 69 BCE and she’s seen by many historians as the final ruler of dynastic Egypt; a lineage that stretched back 3,000 years.
From marrying and murdering her siblings to liaisons of love and political pragmatism with top Romans Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, Cleopatra led a very turbulent life. But when we strip back the modern myths and ancient interpretations, who was the real Cleopatra?
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Research by Aimee Hinds ScottWritten by Emma Nagouse, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerProduced by Emma Nagouse and Greg JennerAssistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-GoodfellowProject Management: Isla MatthewsAudio Producer: Steve Hankey
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Greg Jenner is joined in 20th-Century New York by Dr Hannah Thuraisingam Robbins and comedian Desiree Burch to learn about the history of Broadway. Most of us are familiar with at least one Broadway musical, from classics like My Fair Lady and the Sound of Music to new favourites Hamilton and Wicked. In the last couple of decades, high-profile film adaptations of shows like Chicago, Cats and Les Misérables have brought musical theatre to a bigger audience than ever before. But whether or not you know your Rodgers & Hammerstein from your Lloyd Webber, the history of Broadway is perhaps more of a mystery. This episode explores all aspects of musical theatre, from its origins in the early years of the 20th Century, to the ‘Golden Age’ in the 50s and the rise of the megamusical in the 80s. Along the way, Greg and his guests learn about the racial and class dynamics of Broadway, uncover musical flops and triumphs, and find out exactly what ‘cheating out’ is.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Hannah Campbell Hewson, Annabel Storr and Anna McCully StewartWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Greg Jenner is joined in the eleventh century by Dr Eleanor Barraclough and actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe to learn about legendary Viking explorer Leif Erikson. Leif was possibly the first European to reach the Americas, nearly half a millennium before Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean. According to the stories told about him, he was a lucky explorer with a murderer for a father and a fearsome warrior for a sister, who travelled in his longship across the Atlantic to the coast of North America. But we only know about him from two Norse sagas, written in the centuries after his death – so did he exist at all? This episode explores the saga narrative before delving into the archaeological evidence for a Viking presence in Canada, to discover what we can know for sure about this legendary adventurer.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Jon Norman MasonWritten by: Jon Norman Mason, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Greg Jenner is joined in the Palaeolithic era by Dr Isobel Wisher and comedian Seán Burke to learn about cave art. Tens of thousands of years ago, human ancestors all over the world began drawing and painting on cave walls, carving figurines, and even decorating their own bodies. Although archaeologists have known about Palaeolithic art since the late 19th Century, cutting-edge scientific techniques are only now helping to uncover the secrets of these paintings and the artists who created them. From a warty pig painted on a cave wall in Indonesia, to a comic strip-like depiction of lions chasing bison in France, this episode explores the global phenomenon of cave art, and asks why humans have always felt the need to express their creative side.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.
Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Jon Norman MasonWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Greg Jenner is joined in 17th-Century Italy by Professor Michelle Sauer and comedian Sophie Duker to learn about notorious nun Benedetta Carlini. From the moment of her birth in 1590, Benedetta – whose name literally means ‘blessed’ – was dedicated to God’s service by her father. As a young girl, she joined a community of religious women, where in her twenties she began experiencing mystical visions. These culminated in a number of miraculous signs and occurrences, including the appearance of the stigmata on her body. But following a papal investigation, shocking secrets were revealed, including her sexual relationship with another nun. This episode charts her life, from the miracles that occurred during her childhood, through her time as a devout nun, and to her ultimate downfall at the hands of the papal investigator. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Hannah Campbell HewsonWritten by: Hannah Campbell Hewson, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in the nineteenth century by Dr Annie Gray and comedian Ed Gamble to learn all about French celebrity chef Alexis Soyer. Despite being well-known during his lifetime, Soyer is virtually unknown today. His primary legacy was a portable stove, used by the British army until the Falklands War. But Soyer was a prototypical celebrity chef: he opened the Reform Club kitchen to the public so that they could watch him cook, wrote popular cookbooks, sold kitchen gadgets and branded sauces, and even took part in high-profile charity campaigns. From his birth in France to the success he found in London, via a soup kitchen in Dublin and a hospital during the Crimean War, this episode explores Alexis Soyer’s extraordinary life and culinary innovations. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Hannah Campbell HewsonWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in seventeenth-century Japan by Dr Satona Suzuki and comedian Ahir Shah to learn all about the Edo period and the Tokugawa shogunate. When he came to power in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu became the first shogun to rule over all Japan. He made Edo – later renamed Tokyo – his power base, and over the 250 years of Tokugawa rule, this small town became one of the largest cities in the world. This episode charts the rise and fall of the shogunate, and explores what life was like for people living in Japan at this time. From politics to theatre, and taking in foreign relations, the class system, art and literature, Greg and his guests get to grips with all aspects of life in the Edo period. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Annabel StorrWritten by: Annabel Storr, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Scotland by Dr Iain MacInnes and comedian Marjolein Robertson to learn all about Scottish independence hero and king Robert Bruce. Robert grew up in a time of political turmoil, with multiple noblemen competing to be king of Scots – including his own grandfather. But after Edward I of England declared himself overlord of Scotland, Robert began a fight not just to be king, but to overthrow English control too. This episode charts the twists and turns of Robert’s life, taking in his adventures in Ireland, his quarrels with the papacy, his unlikely alliance with the English crown, and his epic military victories. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Anna McCully StewartWritten by: Anna McCully Stewart, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in Bronze Age Crete by Dr Stephen Kershaw and comedian Josie Long to learn all about the ancient Minoan civilisation. Many of us know the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur: King Minos of Crete feeds young men and women to the half-human beast in the labyrinth under his palace until the brave Theseus kills the monster. At the end of the 19th Century, a Cretan archaeologist discovered a palace that many believed had belonged to Minos himself. Not only that, but experts soon found traces of an entire Bronze Age civilisation on the island. But what was this Minoan society really like? From the palaces of the mighty, through the daily lives of ordinary people and their religious beliefs, this episode explores the Minoans and the archaeological work that has uncovered the truth behind the myths. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Anna McCully StewartWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in twentieth-century Germany by Dr Bodie Ashton and comedian Jordan Gray to learn all about LGBTQ life and culture during the Weimar Republic. After the failure of the First World War and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, German politics underwent something of a revolution. With the end of the old imperial order came the questioning of its conservative social values, and feminist and socialist campaigners sought to rethink old assumptions about gender roles, family life and sexuality. Part of this included a flourishing of LGBTQ life and culture in the 1920s and early 1930s. In this episode, Greg and his guests explore the political and economic circumstances of Weimar Germany, queer club culture, magazines and filmmaking; alongside research into sexuality and campaigns for transgender and gay liberation, to discover why Weimar Germany was such a focal point for LGBTQ life in this period. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Jon Norman MasonWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in nineteenth-century England by Dr Michael Taylor and comedian Sara Pascoe to learn all about pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning. Born to a cabinet-maker father who collected and sold fossils to make extra money, Anning went fossil hunting from a young age. Over the course of her life, she discovered complete ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and pterosaur skeletons, and made great contributions to the emerging discipline of palaeontology. But she was also shut out by the largely male scientific establishment. This episode charts her extraordinary life story, exploring the significance of her discoveries against the background of nineteenth-century debates about religion and science and controversies around the age of the earth. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Annabel StorrWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in 15th-Century England by Dr Lydia Zeldenrust and comedian Robin Ince to learn all about the early history of book printing. 2024 marks the 550th anniversary of the first book printed in English: a history of Troy, produced in 1474 by William Caxton. In the decades that followed, numerous printing shops would be set up across the country, and a huge variety of texts printed, including those that carried potentially dangerous ideas. Starting with the origins of printing in East Asia, this episode explores the first century of printing in England, looking at how books were produced and by whom, what sorts of texts were being printed, who was reading them, and how the state reacted to this new industry. Hosted by: Greg JennerResearch by: Jon Norman MasonWritten by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Ben HollandsSenior Producer: Emma NagouseExecutive Editor: James Cook
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Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Elizabeth Tyler and comedian Jen Brister in early medieval England to learn all about Queen Emma of Normandy. Emma was wife to two English kings – Aethelred and Cnut – and mother to two more, Harthacnut and Edward the Confessor. She was a key player in the complex politics of 11th-Century England, and symbolised the overlapping English, Norman and Scandinavian identities at play in England even before the Norman conquest of 1066. This episode traces Emma’s life from her childhood in Normandy, through her marriages to the English Aethelred and Danish Cnut, and into her final years as mother to the king. Along the way, it explores Emma’s political savvy, and the messy family relationships that shaped early medieval English history.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Research by: Josh RiceWritten by: Josh Rice, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeySenior Producer: Emma Nagouse
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Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Bill Sillar and comedian Sue Perkins to learn all about the South American Inca empire. At their height, the Inca controlled a vast territory from their base in Peru, one that stretched down the mountainous west coast of the continent, from Ecuador all the way down to Argentina. But the empire barely lasted for a century. Beginning in the mid-15th Century, it fell in the 1530s with the arrival of Spanish conquistadores, led by Pizarro. This episode goes beyond famous sites like Machu Picchu and explores all aspects of Incan life, death – and taxes! Along the way, it takes in social and family structures, food and drink, religious practices, art and architecture.[The podcast version of this episode has been edited slightly to amend an incorrect reference to the weight of the stones carried from Cuzco to Ecuador]
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Research by: Andrew HimmelbergWritten by: Andrew Himmelberg, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg JennerProduced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg JennerAudio Producer: Steve HankeyProduction Coordinator: Caitlin HobbsSenior Producer: Emma Nagouse
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