Subject to Change
73 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsA lot of history episodes and a lot of film episodes. A few other subjects in between!
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Episodes
The Sin Eater
March 01, 2024 20:00 - 48 minutes - 33 MBI am a huge fan of Mike Dash's books. We have talked about Batavia's Graveyard and Tulipomania in past episodes. But Mike also has a fascination for weird semi folkloric stories and in this episode he unearths the truth about that remarkable creature, the Sin Eater.
Ed West - From the Romans to Alfred the Great
February 08, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour - 45.6 MBMost people know Ed West for his journalism and in particular for his substack The Wrong Side of History. If you haven't found that yet then check it out - it is one of the best things of its kind out there. But Ed also writes book and in particular a series of short introductions to various periods of English history. If (like me) you sometimes find you need a good overview of something before diving into the detail these books are an absolute godsend. We talked about the period from when t...
John McWhorter and Scott Sumner - talking movies
January 21, 2024 18:00 - 1 hour - 43.8 MBI am a huge fan of John McWhorter and have come to have great respect for Scott Sumner's knowledge and judgement when it comes to movies. It was a real pleasure to get them together to chat about favourite movies, directors and genres.
Dikötter on Dictators
January 07, 2024 21:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBFrank Dikötter returns to the show to talk about dictators and in particular how they use the cult of personality to crush friends and enemies alike. HIs book on dictators is an elightening tour of some of the worst men of the 20th century - horribly enjoyable!
The Lives of East Germans - Katja Hoyer
December 09, 2023 22:00 - 1 hour - 53.9 MBIf, like me, your idea of East Germany is dominated by spy movies and and you think that perhaps it was nothing more than a open air prison with the Stasi round every corner then Katja Hoyer's remarkable book Beyond the Wall is an ideal corrective. Katja blends personal tales (some happy and some utterly tragic) with an analysis of the wider geopolitical scene. Above all it is fantastically readable and unsurprisingly is on pretty much every 'book of the year' list in the newspapers. She was...
Britons never will be slaves?
October 25, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour - 43 MBGiles Milton is one of my favourite authors producing narrative history today. The stories he tells are just jaw dropping. We talked about his book White Gold which tells the stories of Thomas Pellow who was seized and taken off into slavery in 1714. Looming large in the story is the remarkable Moulay Ismail, ruler of Morroco at the time. He makes his entrance on his chariot pulled by some of his eunuchs and some of his 500 wives. A brutal and cruel ruler but a fascinating character. The ti...
Italy, a ruin - Part 2 of the Adventure of Belisarius and Antonina
October 06, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 45.1 MBDavid Parnell and I wrap up the story of Belisarius and Antonina. We are now on to the liberation of Italy and by the end I felt the Romans there might have preferred to have been left alone. It is a huge subject and we couldn't do more than give an overview. If you want more David's book is terrific. We are very lucky with our sources for this period which allow us to know so much about this fascinating period of European history. David does the story full justice!
Italy, a ruin - part 2 of the Adventures of Belisarius and Antonina
October 06, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 45.2 MBDavid Parnell and I wrap up the story of Belisarius and Antonina. We are now on to the liberation of Italy and by the end I felt the Romans there might have preferred to have been left alone. It is a huge subject and we couldn't do more than give an overview. If you want more David's book is terrific. We are very lucky with our sources for this period which allow us to know so much about this fascinating period of European history. David does the story full justice!
Constantinople show its teeth - part 1 of the Adventures of Belisarius and Antonina
September 24, 2023 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBDavid Parnell has a wonderful new book out called Belisarius and Antonina. This is the story of a real husband and wife partnership. Belisarius was perhaps the greatest Roman general of the 6th century and his wife Antonina accompanied him and was intimately involved in his campaigns. I really enjoyed speaking to David about the twists and turns of the story. Hearing about the Nika riots was a particular (bloody) highlight. The podcast ran long as there was so much to discuss so I have div...
Mao's China with Frank Dikötter
August 27, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 46.6 MBFrank Dikötter is the author of a series of brilliant and harrowing books about communist China. He is not only a prize winning historian of post war China but a highly engaging speaker. He talked about China from the time of the communist takeover after WWII all the way up to and beyond the death of Mao. The regime was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions and Frank does a great service in helping to keep the story of one of the greatest tragedies in history at the forefront of peo...
Shipwreck, mutiny and murder
July 05, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBThis is the story of Anson's voyage around the world in the 1740's. In particular it is about the ship the Wager and the crew's incredible bravery, endurance and ingenuity in appalling conditions. And it is about shipwreck, murder and mutiny. David Grann's book tells the story brilliantly. You will never want to get on a boat again!
Sharp and Sumner: 6 Japanese movies
May 03, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBJasper Sharp is probably the UK's leading expert on Japanese film and he joined me on the show today with Scott Sumner. Scott has a famous economics blog that has a side line in movie reviews. The pair of them were on really good form discussing a list of six movies that Jasper came up with. I think that even people unfamiliar with Japanese film should have fun! The films we discussed were: Equinox Flower The Ballad of Narayama Hanagatami Branded to Kill Ghost in the Shell 2 Giants and Toys
McWhorter and Holland - On dinosaurs
April 29, 2023 19:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBJohn McWhorter and Tom Holland are a perfect pairing. They are absolutely delightful company both with a dry sense of humour. I was keen to bring them together because I learned they share a love a dinosaurs. Absolute fanatics it turns out. I got the sense they really enjoyed chatting to each other and I hope you will enjoy listening. An interest in dinosaurs helps but is not required!
Acre 1291 - the final showdown
March 19, 2023 20:00 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBRoger Crowley is one on the best (if not the best) narrative historians of the Middle Ages. Here is on great form talking about the Siege of Acre in 1291. The Crusaders have been pushed back and back with Acre the last meaningful holdout. They are up against the formidable Mamluks led by Sultan Khalil. Can they hold out? Roger's book The Accursed Tower (like all his books to be honest!) is a both rigorously researched and a fantastically exciting read. He covers the disastrous (for the Crusa...
The Salem Witch trials with Stacy Schiff
February 17, 2023 21:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBStacy Schiff is one of America's most acclaimed historians and biographers. Her book The Witches is a detailed, almost forensic, history of the Salem witch trials on 1692. She very kindly came on the podcast to talk about it and she is every bit as good a storyteller in person as you would imagine from reading the book. I found her book and our conversation really quite troubling in what it says about our ability to tell lies from fiction. In particular even the accused seemed confused about...
Suleiman the Magnificent with Christopher de Bellaigue
February 11, 2023 23:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBChristopher de Bellaigue's book The Lion House is a brilliant history of the first part of Suleiman the Magnificent's reign. I love history and I can't remember loving a history book more that this one. As I say in the podcast, I think it is an unabashed masterpiece and such a pleasure to read. Christopher tells the story in particular of two men at the court of Suleiman and their struggle to rise and prosper in extraordinarily difficult times. And it is the story also of Suleiman's love for...
Slavery in the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages
January 27, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 49.4 MBProfessor David Abulafia's wonderful book The Great Sea covers so many topics. Today we talked about slavery. Until recently I hadn't been aware of the sheer scale of the enterprise. Slavers from the Barbary ports raided as far north as the coasts of England and Ireland. In the east the Mongols brought slaves to the Black Sea ports where they were taken by Italian merchants past Constantinople and on to Egypt. Or to Europe. The fates of the enslaved was incredibly varied - positions of respe...
Talking movies with Scott Sumner
December 05, 2022 23:00 - 1 hour - 42.5 MBScott Sumner is an economist with a well known and much quoted blog. But it is the bit of the blog that he devotes to movies that interests me. He watches a ton of films and then does a thumbnail review and rating. For example: For example here is his review of The Bad Sleep Well: The first time I’d seen this Kurosawa film, and I’d say it’s his most underrated effort. Loosely based on Hamlet, but you’ll be disappointed if you expect another Throne of Blood. Rather than Shakespeare, expect...
The war against Antony and Cleopatra
November 29, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 47.6 MBI have always found the war Octavian fought against Antony and Cleopatra hard to understand. How did Antony find himself losing without even fighting a proper battle given all his experience as a general and commanding an army equal to or stronger than his opponent's? Barry Strauss explains the campaign brilliantly. You can find his book The War that made the Roman Empire here. Highly recommended.
Anna Keay on the Restless Republic (Britain after the death of Charles I)
November 06, 2022 19:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MBAnna Keay's book The Restless Republic is just brilliant. It covers the period following the execution of Charles I when Britain became a republic. It is fascinating to see how the period (and the characters) mix revolutionary ideas with deep traditionalism. Anna approaches the subject by telling the stories of a number of people - men, women, powerful and powerless - who illuminate the times. And she is brilliant at using these stories to tell the history of the Republic itself as it strugg...
The Death of Alexander pt 2 (Perdicass and the crocodiles)
October 17, 2022 13:00 - 47 minutes - 32.4 MBFollowing on from last week in this episode things reach boiling point. Marriage alliances are discarded, invasions undertaken D day style, brutal battles are fought as Perdicass marches to destroy Ptolemy. All this and possibly one of the most audacious and consequential heists in all of recorded history. And crocodiles, lots of crocodiles.
The Death of Alexander Pt 1 - Chaos unfolds
October 04, 2022 21:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBTristan Hughes has writen a brilliant book about the years immediately following the Death of Alexander the Great. As Tristan says, history didn't just stop at Alexander's death and start again when Rome takes on Carthage. And in fact this period is one of the most fascinating and eventful in ancient history. It is also one of the most confusing and I hope this podcast is both entertaining and clarifying! And check out HistoryHit. When not writing histories Tristan is a presenter with them ...
Gladiator - the movie, the history!
August 29, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 54.2 MBReally thrilled to have Bret Devereaux and Ed Watts on the podcast together. We looked at Gladiator as a film (two thumbs up!) and also unpicking some of the history. Ranging far and wide we covered the battle scenes, gladiators, the role of an emperor and lots, lots more. Ed argues that Commodus was doing okay until stabbed in the back by his sister and Bret gives a masterclass in how not to name a Roman. I lower the tone by bringing the nazis into it. Bret's superb blog is here. Ed's la...
A nuclear exchange
August 12, 2022 23:00 - 1 hour - 51.8 MBI chatted to Battleship Bean and John Schilling about nuclear war. We discussed the wonderful Dr Strangleove and tried to unpick some of the realities of a nuclear war. How powerful are modern weapons? Would they knock out electrical systems world wide? Would such a war result in nuclear winter? A book I mentioned in the podcast and which I recommend (though Bean is not a fan) is Command and Control by John Schlosser. Bean himself has written several articles on the subject on his excelle...
The Last Emperor of Mexico - part 2
July 31, 2022 16:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBIn part 1 of the story Napoleon III persuaded Maximilian and Carlotta to accept the Mexican crown and become emperor and empress of that country. They are greeted with jubilation in Mexico City but there is trouble to come. Edward Shawcross tells the story brilliantly.
The Last Emperor of Mexico with Edward Shawcross
July 24, 2022 20:00 - 46 minutes - 31.7 MBKarl Marx called it 'one of the most monstrous enterprises in the annals of international history'. This seems unfair to the young Hapsburg royals who travel to Mexico in 1864 to become its emperor and empress. Highly liberal by the standards of the day and with the best of intentions they will face a terrible struggle to rule and (ultimately) to try to survive. Edward Shawcross has written one of the best books I have read in years. It is simply a fantastic page turner. And Edward is also...
Tulip mania - 1630's Holland goes wild
July 04, 2022 11:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBIn the Dutch Republic of the 1630's trading in tulips went mad with bulbs and even parts of a bulb changing hands for astronomical prices. Historian Mike Dash traces the extraordinary story from its beginnings centuries before up to and beyond the inevitable crash. I can't recommend Mike and his books enough. Hard core history and a fantastically accessible reading style. His book Tulipomania is an absolute pleasure.
A new world order - the Arab invasions of the 7th century
June 04, 2022 13:00 - 1 hour - 54.6 MBJames Howard - Johnston returns to talk about the astonishing upending of the world order that happened just a few years after the death of Muhammad. The Persian empire destroyed and the Roman Empire reduced to a Byzantine rump. It is a long episode and slightly scholarly but I honestly don't think you can understand the world we live in today without some understanding of these extraordinary times. So have at it!
Firepower with Paul Lockhart
May 11, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 49.7 MBPaul Lockhart is brilliant on the history of guns (and firepower more widely). He is interested not just in the weapons themselves but how they changed the nature of the nation state itself. Once gunpowder is introduced everything changes. Warfare increasingly becomes something only a powerful state can really afford and a Darwinian competition starts to unfold from the 1500's onwards. Listening to him a lot of developments in history began to make so much more sense to me. His book Firep...
Mortal Republic with Edward Watts
April 12, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 50.2 MBEd Watts is one of the most engaging writers and speakers on Roman history I have talked to. In this podcast we talk about the fall of the Republic - why and how it happened and who was most to blame. The podcast picks up the themes of his excellent book Mortal Republic which is highly, highly recommended.
The Korean War - the battle of the Chosin Reservoir
March 22, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 41.5 MBIn October 1950 the Americans are racing to the Yalu river, trying to bring the war in Korea to a decisive close. Unknown to them a huge Chinese army has been sent to oppose them and the forces meet at the Chosin Reservoir. Both sides have to fight not only each other but the appalling cold as the Chinese try to surround and annihilate the Americans. Hampton Sides' book On Desperate Ground is an absolutely gripping account of the battle and I'm unsurprised to see it has 5 stars on Amazon. ...
The Silver Way
March 06, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBEveryone has heard of the Silk Road but this is The Silver Way. It is the story of the Manilla galleons, massive ships that sailed annually for 250 years from 1565 to 1815. Silver from Spanish South America in exchange for Chinese goods with the exchange taking place in Manilla in the Philippines. It was the first true globalisation linking the economies of China and Europe. Our discussion ranges far and wide - history, economics, memory, currencies, sea battles and plenty more.
The Last Great Siege - Constantinople 1453
February 18, 2022 18:00 - 1 hour - 54.3 MBThe story of the siege of Constantinople in 1453 is a rich one. Roger Crowley tells the story absolutely brilliantly here. So many fascinating (and at times heartbreaking) stories within the bigger story. A city with an unbroken history of over a thousand years faces its deadliest enemy. And don't miss Roger's book on the subject. Narrative history at its finest.
Rome against Persia - their final battle
January 28, 2022 18:00 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBIn the year 617 the Roman Empire stands on the brink of extinction. In the West the empire is long gone. And now the Persians have conquered much of what is left and have arrived outside Constantinople where the emperor Heraclius is reduced to begging to be allowed to keep his throne. The Persians turn down the deal, the war continues and Heraclius leads a desperate counter attack. James Howard-Johnston told the story brilliantly in his book The Last Great War of Antiquity. For non specialis...
Poggio Bracciolini - an Indiana Jones from the 15th century
January 15, 2022 20:00 - 58 minutes - 40.2 MBStephen Greenblatt wrote a fascinating book The Swerve about the rediscovery in 1417 of a work of philosophy from antiquity. The Nature of Things was written by Lucretius a few years before the birth of Christ. It provides an account of the world profoundly at odds with religion - atomism and epicureanism. Stephen's thesis is that over time the implications of this work changed the course of history. We start the story at the Council of Constance. Christendom has three popes and is figurin...
Pearl Hart - the Wild West's most notorious woman bandit
January 02, 2022 14:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBIn 1889 a woman calling herself Pearl Hart holds up a stagecoach in Arizona. In this episode John Boessenecker talks about Pearl Hart and his book Wildcat. Pearl's life from poverty to prostitution to stage coach robbing and prison sounds miserable. But the woman herself was beautiful, smart, full of life and hard not to admire. In fact the whole family and in particular her sister Katie led fascinating lives. Highly recommended.
The declines of the Roman Empire with Edward Watts
December 20, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 49.3 MBEdward Watts startled me with his claim that the Western Roman Empire didn't fall in AD 476. And he has other revisionist takes on Roman history. (Domitian a much better emperor than Trajan??) I love Roman history and enjoyed this episode hugely. His book The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea is absolutely terrific. A superb balance between the detail and a sweeping narrative.
The declines of the Roman Empire with Edward Watts
December 20, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 49.3 MBEdward Watts startled me with his claim that the Western Roman Empire didn't fall in AD 476. And he has other revisionist takes on Roman history. (Domitian a much better emperor than Trajan??) I love Roman history and enjoyed this episode hugely. His book The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea is absolutely terrific. A superb balance between the detail and a sweeping narrative.
Clive of India with Dr Zareer Masani
December 11, 2021 19:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBZareer is a a renowned historian and broadcaster. Clive of India is out of fashion these days but Zareer remains an admirer. In this episode Zareer rises to my challenge of a 5 minute history of India from the days of Alexander, talks about Clive's life, achievements and gruesome death and hits back at recent attempts to portray Clive as some kind of sociopath.
Laurence Bergreen on Magellan
November 26, 2021 18:00 - 53 minutes - 36.8 MBLaurence Bergreen threads the needle for me. He tells Magellan's story in a way that is exciting and moves with pace but leaving in all the 'maybes' and 'buts' that a story like this needs. His book Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe is an absolute pleasure.
With one leap he was free! - stories from Peter Henderson's life
October 21, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBIt is hard to describe Peter Henderson's adventures without lapsing into cliche. Hair raising, eye popping and so on. A news cameraman and reporter (and latterly an entrepreneur) in some of the world's most notorious hotspots of the last few decades he has found himself in appalling danger again and again. The stories are great fun to listen to but for many of them I am glad it was him and not me. If you enjoy the podcast I really recommend you buy Peter's book Bigger Than Me. Apart from t...
A history of astronomy - from the Babylonians to Galileo
September 28, 2021 21:00 - 2 hours - 95.4 MBThony Christie has a blog called the Renaissance Mathematicus. It covers the history of science and is one of the wonders of the blogging world. I asked him to talk to me about the history of astronomy and he delivered a masterclass.
Clocks, Civilization, Power . . . all About Time with David Rooney
August 27, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 54.2 MBDavid Rooney is the author of About Time: A History of Civilisation in Twelve Clocks. He talks about clocks (in the widest sense of the word - sundials, waterclocks, orbiting satellites and more) and about how time is used to demonstrate and exert power. He is quite simply a delightful speaker who knows his subject inside and out and knows how to get you to share his enthusiasm. Such a pleasure!
Talking movies with Freddie deBoer and Abe Callard (Mad Max, OUTIH, Ghostbusters etc)
August 19, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 42 MBFreddie, Abe and I talk about movies. Three blokes talking about feminism in movies. Well of course. But much more besides. Films discussed include Mad Max Fury Road, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, that Ghostbusters remake . . . I asked everyone to recommend one hidden gem. Freddie delivered his one, Abe crammed in three and I cheated and came up with five: Freddie S.F. W. Abe The Man Who Wasn't There Advise & Consent Talk Radio Russell Red Rock West Ripley's Game A Stranger of Mine One ...
Julian Sancton on the ill fated voyage of the Belgica to the Antarctic in 1898
August 08, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 45.2 MBJulian Sancton is a wonderful guide to the Belgian expedition to Antartica in 1898. The crew of the Belgica included Roald Amundsen and Frederick Cook who went on to become among the most famous explorers of their time. Julian's book is a classic of the genre. Check out on Amazon in the UK and in the US.
When the Shogun's Sumo met Commodore Perry's minstrel show
July 24, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 52.5 MBKenji Tierney is a wonderfully engaging speaker. Starting with memories of being introduced by his grandmother to sumo by way of watching TV with her he gives a wonderfully learned and fascinating talk on sumo and its development. The story of how the Japanese tried to impress Commodore Perry with a sumo wrestling exhibition and he responded by putting on a minstrel show is just one of many fascinating stories. If sumo has always left you a bit baffled this is a thoroughly entertaining 'deep...
Amazon the behemoth
July 14, 2021 19:00 - 1 hour - 45 MBRobin Gaster's book Behemoth, Amazon Rising: Power and Seduction in the Age of Amazon is available to buy on, naturally, Amazon. If you want to understand where Amazon came from, why it is so successful and why it needs to be tamed this is a great place to go. I spoke to Robin on my podcast. I still can't make up my mind. It seems I buy half my stuff from Amazon - but Robin makes a good case for why that is the problem . . .
Memories of wartime Japan and reflections on the kamikaze
June 29, 2021 20:00 - 56 minutes - 38.5 MBEmiko Ohnuki-Tierney is a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin. Here she recalls her life as a young girl in Kobe during World War II and we talk also about the kamikaze pilots of that period. Her books Kamikaze Diaries and Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms and Nationalisms have been highly influential in explaining how the highly educated young men were led to their fate.
Conquerors - how Portugal built its empire in India
June 13, 2021 23:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBRoger Crowley tells the story of how Portugal built its empire in the Indian ocean from 1498. The Portuguese were there to trade but also as zealots and crusaders. The story is one of discovery, courage, violence and often unspeakable cruelty. It is astonishing to learn how one of Europe's smallest and poorest countries could undertake such a project. Roger's book Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire was hugely popular with critics and with lovers of deeply researched but...
Mike Dash on Batavia's Graveyard
June 05, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 49.1 MBMike Dash wrote the definitive book about the Batavia and its wreck near the coast of Australia in 1629. We talked about the events leading up to the wreck and the bloody reign of terror and murders that followed. Mike's blog A Blast from the Past is also an absolute goldmine for people interested in history. I'd also highly recommend Gareth Harney's Twitter thread about the events and one of the treasures from the ancient world that the Batavia was carrying. Absolutely fascinating and so...