Best Inquisitive Queens Podcasts (2024)

1
Our long obsession with the end of the world 40:26

22m ago40:26

40:26

From asteroids, bacteria and comets to growing fears about artificial intelligence and climate change, human history has long been stalked by a terror of the end of days. But what do these fears tell us about the past? And can that past help us prepare for an uncertain future? Dorian Lynskey spoke to Matt Elton about the long history of apocalyptic…

1
Episode 309: A Swarm In July! 18:58

1h ago18:58

18:58

In this week's Podcast: The plans for the week changed considerably because of the rubbish weather, it’s been cold and wet and yet we found ourselves picking up a swarm from a stack of supers. A swarm in July as the saying goes, yet I often find it’s well worth some effort, listen in to hear why. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 309 of…

1
The Grand Tour: everything you wanted to know 43:15

19m ago43:15

43:15

In the 18th century, countless British travellers set off to continental Europe in search of art, architecture... and a good time. But what were the must-see locations on the Grand Tour? How did people overcome the challenges of language, currency and uncomfortable mules? And what were the biggest scandals that shook fashionable Europe? In this 'ev…

1
Black Death: everything you wanted to know 43:43

22m ago43:43

43:43

Earlier this week, new comedy drama The Decameron dropped on Netflix. Based on a set of 14th-century tales by Giovanni Boccaccio, it follows the raucous exploits of a group of medieval Italian nobles, after they flee to the hills to escape the Black Death. Boccaccio's text is one of the key sources we have on the plague pandemic that ravaged Europe…

1
The Decameron: sex, plague, and a medieval Love Island 45:34

11m ago45:34

45:34

What would you do if your home town was ravaged by plague? Would you lock your doors and hide? Run for the hills? Or accept that the end was nigh and party? Boccaccio's The Decameron - a medieval bestseller written during the Black Death - considers all these options. With the launch of a new Netflix series based on the pivotal work, David Musgrove…

1
Toilets through time | 1. Roman latrines 35:21

1h ago35:21

35:21

What was it like to do your business in a Roman communal toilet? In the first episode of our new mini-series, Toilets Through Time, David Musgrove begins his journey through the bathrooms of British history in the Roman era, with historian Dr Hannah Platts. They discuss dubious ancient ablutions, the confronting experience of sitting alongside your…

1
Assassinations that shaped US history 33:01

2h ago33:01

33:01

Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump earlier in July, historian Adam Smith speak to Matt Elton about previous attempts to kill political leaders in the United States – and how these events changed the nation. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcas…

1
Is democracy doomed? History behind the headlines 41:11

1h ago41:11

41:11

In the latest episode of our monthly series exploring the past behind the present, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by Professor Paul Cartledge to explore the long roots of recent tensions in democracies around the world. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod…

1
Catherine of Braganza: the Merrie Monarch's forgotten queen 41:21

43m ago41:21

41:21

Picture Charles II's court and you'll probably imagine a riot of excess, filled with drinking, games, and of course, mistresses. The queen by Charles' side, Catherine of Braganza, is often obscured by this scandalous picture. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Sophie Shorland discusses her new biography detailing the life of the often overlooked consort – f…

1
Episode 308: Borage Moving Day 8:38

5h ago8:38

8:38

In this week's Podcast: We’ve had a mini heatwave, timed to perfection on the day we planned to move our bees to the borage, so we delayed, as we always have our bees welfare upper most in our minds. We did eventually get them shifted and it appears it was perfectly timed. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 308 of my podcast, Beekeeping …

1
The Spanish Inquisition: everything you wanted to know 42:27

14m ago42:27

42:27

The era of the Spanish Inquisition is most commonly remembered as a period of widespread fear and paranoia, where communities turned on each other and torture was rife. But how true is this popular perception? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Giles Tremlett answers listener questions on the Spanish Inquisition, from the real history behind the sinister …

1
1217: the year that (almost) changed English history 39:47

3h ago39:47

39:47

1217 is not one of the most famous years in English history. But with a major French invasion looming and a brutal war that wracked both towns and the countryside, this was a year that could have altered the nation's history beyond recognition. So, why aren't we more familiar with the events of 1217? Emily Briffett speaks to medievalist Catherine H…

1
Deeds not words | 6. Mission accomplished? 34:21

1h ago34:21

34:21

After an escalating campaign of bombing and arson attacks, the suffragette movement was brought to a sudden halt on the outbreak of war in 1914. In the final episode of our new series Deeds not words: the story of the suffragettes, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to expert historians about why and how the campaign came to its conclusion, and whether it achi…

1
Kindness & hostility: refugees in wartime Britain 33:32

16m ago33:32

33:32

Before and during the Second World War, Britain provided a safe haven for thousands of people fleeing Nazi persecution. But, as the author Paul Dowswell argues, this is not an entirely heroic story. In conversation with Rob Attar, Paul explains how huge numbers of Jews were denied entry to Britain and reveals how many of the refugees who were accep…

1
Catherine de' Medici: life of the week 49:32

17m ago49:32

49:32

Catherine de' Medici has gone down in history as the sinister 'serpent queen', who had a troop of female spies in her court and may have instigated the deadly St Bartholomew's Day massacre. But is this a fair judgement of the 16th-century queen and regent? In this 'Life of the week' episode, Emily Briffett speaks to historian Leah Redmond Chang to …

1
The suffragettes who fell in love 32:06

3h ago32:06

32:06

Evelina Haverfield and Vera Holme, known as Jack, were in love. Not only were they in love, but they also worked together – as suffragette protestors, during prison sentences, and on the wards of military hospitals abroad. Speaking to Lauren Good, Wendy Moore explores the fascinating adventures of these two women before and during the First World W…

1
Episode 307: A Most Difficult Early Season 19:25

4h ago19:25

19:25

In this week's Podcast: I’ve been speaking to a number of other beekeepers over the last couple of weeks, and all agree it’s been one of the most difficult starts to a beekeeping season in many years. Some beekeepers are still feeding their bees as we pass the Summer Solstice. For me, I’ve just started to take off the Spring honey crop, what honey …

1
Servants: everything you wanted to know 38:04

4d ago38:04

38:04

What was it like to be a servant in one of Britain's grand stately homes? How much were domestic staff paid? And what made maids revolt against wearing mopcaps? From daily drudgery to stories of scandal, in our latest Everything you wanted to know episode, historian Lucy Lethbridge speaks to Lauren Good about the reality of domestic service in the …

1
Anxieties of the Edwardian age 38:03

1d ago38:03

38:03

The Edwardian era is sometimes regarded as an uneventful stopgap between the cultural and technological innovations of the Victorian period and the seismic shifts brought about by the First World War. But is this a fair assessment? Alwyn Turner talks to Jon Bauckham about what life was really like during the reign of Edward VII, and how anxieties a…

51
Deeds not words | 5. Burning down the house 42:19

3d ago42:19

42:19

Smashing windows, burning down politicians’ homes and planting bombs in public places. As the suffragette movement progressed, it turned to increasingly extreme methods to further its cause. In episode five of our new series on the suffragettes, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to expert historians to reveal how the campaign became ever more militant and ask…

1
How the Plantagenets forged the English state 48:38

4d ago48:38

48:38

Between 1199 and 1399, English politics was packed full of high drama, as the Plantagenet monarchs reacted - and adapted - to plague, warfare, uprisings and economic crises. But, according to medieval historians Caroline Burt and Richard Partington in their new book //Arise, England//, the Plantagenet age is also one that shines a light on England'…

1
Justinian: life of the week 57:38

8d ago57:38

57:38

Justinian stands tall among the Byzantine rulers, as the 'sleepless emperor' whose religious fervour and legislative zeal saw him rebuild the eastern Roman empire from the ground up... until the 'four horsemen of the apocalypse' arrived and threatened it all. Peter Sarris talks to Kev Lochun about how the conniving and ruthless Justinian claimed po…

1
The woman who saved the children 37:05

6d ago37:05

37:05

Eglantyne Jebb was a woman who had no real love of children – but nevertheless worked tirelessly to campaign for their rights. Clare Mulley joins us to discuss the life and work of a pioneering fundraiser and the founder of the international Save the Children fund, whose unconventional personal life defied the strictures of her class. (Ad) Clare Mu…

1
Episode 306: Borage and Cut Comb 18:59

18d ago18:59

18:59

In this week's Podcast: It still doesn’t feel like we’ve really got started with our beekeeping season yet in the next couple of weeks Borage will start flowering and the Summer nectar flow will be in full flow. Time for more preparations and I also turn my attention towards Cut Comb Honey production. Hi, I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 3…

1
Victorian crime and punishment: everything you wanted to know 51:04

7d ago51:04

51:04

Could children be hanged in Victorian Britain? Were the streets of Dickensian London haunted by organised gangs, or opportunistic pickpockets? What tricks and tools did Victorian police have at their disposal? And was it possible to get a fair trial in the 19th century? In our latest Everything You Wanted to Know episode, historian Dr Drew Gray ans…

1
How the Dreyfus Affair tore France apart 45:09

9d ago45:09

45:09

In 1894, French artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused of passing military secrets to Germany. These swirling accusations and the subsequent degradation and humiliation suffered by Dreyfus constitutes one of history's most notorious incidents of antisemitism. Maurice Samuels speaks to Danny Bird about why the military top brass were s…

1
Deeds not words | 4. Cat and mouse 37:09

25d ago37:09

37:09

The suffragettes’ relationship with the British establishment was fractious to say the least. As well as experiencing police brutality on the streets, the activists were subjected to violent force-feeding in response to hunger strikes in prison. But, as we reveal in the fourth episode of our new series Deeds not words, when faced with this oppositi…

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