While researching Billie Swift Takes Flight Iszi discovered the story of Diana Barnato Walker - a world record setting pilot who flew Spitfires during the second world war. Diana was one of many female pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary that features in iszi's new children's book. The RAF needed planes delivered and women like Diana were the one…

When a dinosaur obsession works out. Victoria Coules has the best PHD going. She is researching representations of Paleontology in media. This means she gets to look at dinosaurs all day as well as study why they were depicted the way they were. As part of her research she has been studying Winsor Mccay, the cartoonist who pioneered modern animatio…

Were all composers white men with powdered wigs? The shocking truth is no, of course they weren't. Iszi speaks to Elizabeth de Brito of The Daffodil Perspective about the most famous of the non-male and non - white composers, Florence Price. Who I guess is still Z List unless you are very much into your classical music, and only old white men with …

I worry I may have been too positive about Margery Kempe. I do find her fascinating, not just because she offers a glimpse into life in the early 15th Century but because of how modern she feels as a character. She's the sort of person you'd expect to find on Dr Phil. Everything is about her, and her faith. Most historians when I was asking for sug…

Kim Kardashian is now famously a billionaire, mostly from successful promoting and selling shapewear underwear which she promotes using her ass-sets. But was she the first person to commodify this particular body part and where has the idea of a large bottom being a sexual marker come from? Is it purely natural does actual idea of a large booty equ…

'He was a shiftless person, roving and maggotty-headed, and sometimes a little better than crazed. And being exceedingly credulous would stuff his many letters with fooleries and misinformations which sometimes would guide him into paths of error.' - Anthony Wood on John Aubrey 31st August 1667 Books: Brief Lives (edited by Richard Barber) and John…

No episode this month BECAUSE I've been working on another podcast. I know. It is all about dinosaurs and this is just a small taster. Go to for more information. Thank you!By iszi lawrence

Brill performance by Greg Jenner - author of the BRAND NEW book Dead Famous - and host of the You're Dead To Me Podcast. His performance is nearly as good as Edmund Kean. You know that hugely famous actor... you don't know Edmund Kean? Well listen up! For more information about The Z List Dead List please visit The Unstoppable Letty Pegg is availab…

Unusual episode where I guest on The Bechdel Cast where Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus put movies to the Bechdel Test. This episode was recorded live in London and is about The Favourite the story of the last few years of Queen Anne's reign and her love affair with Sarah Churchill. Olivia Colman won several awards for her performance and the film…

No violence, all charm, this podcast isn't about Marvel, but it is of a man who marvels at the smallest and least understood creatures. For more information about The Z List Dead List please visit The Unstoppable Letty Pegg is available to preorder now and released on 6th Feb 2020.By Iszi Lawrence

History is full of criminals, and some are not human. Here is a tale of animals of the past, some guilty, some innocent all judged by the LAW. And all too would have been forgotten without that great academic Edward Payson Evans. 1831-1917 Neil Denny is interview Editor of @littleatoms Radio Show, podcast and magazine. l Radio show Monday 11am on @…

If you live in Reading, you've probably heard of Amelia Dyer. She was the most prolific of all British serial killers and dumped the bodies in the canal. Iszi recently found her address, so took a short stroll down to Kensington Road and ponders whether this serial killer was a product of her own insanity or if it was government policy that really …

The man who conquered all of Rome... although Rome at the time was the size of Deddington. Still it is nice to beat the Romans, despite their well trained* defence geese. In this episode iszi drunkenly chats to Stephen P Kershaw about one of the many characters in his enormous book. Barbarians Rebellion Resistance to The Roman Empire. *Not actually…

What does it take to be a hero? Nowadays rescuing others, not being a coward, or just standing up for you principles seems to be the key. In the Trojan war you could spend years in a tent sulking while everyone else fights simply because you were denied a sex slave, and STILL be considered a Hero. Natalie Haynes has released a novel about the silen…

The odds are never a problem if you own half the racers. This is a story of a populist who brought down his own people. Born into wealth and unrivalled privilege, at least this particular politician fought in the wars alongside his friends. It didn't stop him turning on them to save his skin, or indeed turning on his new friends to do it again. Fea…

Accidentally predicting the future in her sci fi novels, Kage Baker's books set alight to the dork celebrator extraordinaire, comedian Jackie Kashian. In this episode we discuss the limits of fiction, and of shame. This podcast was 4 years in the making, all because iszi is an idiot. Featuring: Kage Baker Jackie Kashian is host of the Dork Forest P…

Was Dr James Barry a pioneering transman or was she an insanely driven genius woman who sacrificed everything, even her own identity for her career? Iszi ponders the difficulty of trying to fit morden genders on people in the past. Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast. and on twitter: A new series o…

Was Otto Overbeck an abject failure? A brilliant polymath? A Quack? An Abuser? Iszi and James Stark explore the curious career of a bizarre creature with an electric personality. Iszi Lawrenceis a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast. and on twitter: A new series of BBC Radio 4 Making History Presented by Iszi and Tom…

Who knew laying cable could be so difficult? This isn't an episode about eating more fibre, it is about fibre optic's predecessor. The telegraph and how it is bloody difficult sending messages across the planet. Shouting might not work, but it is easier. Wildman Whitehouse Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum …

MERRY CHRISTMAS! And what could be more festive than talk of pious Christians finally overcoming their pagan occupiers by clever use of marrying enemy Earls, raising a kick-arse nephew and stealing a corpse in the name of patriotism. Featuring: Æthelflæd Tom Holland Historian. New biography of Athelstan out now! Herodotus translator. Dinosaur lover…

She's Irish, Spanish, American and Mistress to the King of Bavaria married 3 times, Dancer, actress, lecturer, author and murderer? Iszi thinks so. Doug Segal isn't so sure. Meet Lola Montez AKA Eliza Rosanna Gilbert AKA Countess of Landsfeld... she has had more names than husbands. Massive apologies for the sound quality of this episode. But we th…

This is not a very Z List episode if you are already a Basketball fan but I'm guessing, not many of us history nerds are... Steve Cross is tho! He explains the magic formula to inventing a world-popular sport. (And it is more than just a random number generator with a soap opera attached.. but not that much more!) Everything has a history, and this…

What has Pears Soap, a soprano, bell ringing orphans, a lesbian affair, ritual dowsing, litigation and a Monkey called Mr Titileehee have to do with the advancement of women's rights? Author, actor, comedian, hero Emma Kennedy will tell you from the BP Lecture Theatre at The British Museum and her very own back garden. And yes that is Sue Perkins p…

How do 6 stolen boots, a snake and drawing lots result in a man being eaten? Welcome to the horrible tale of Alexander Pearce 1790-1824. Who would eat humans... even when he strictly didn't 'need' to. Alice Fraser is a comedian and podcaster (Tea with Alice) Iszi Lawrence is a comedian and podcaster and contributor to BBC's Making History and prese…

The cry Mother Prodgers! echoes around the streets. Cab drivers flee, leaving the stand empty but for Mrs Caroline Giacometti Prodgers the nemesis of cabmen everywhere! Jo Caulfield takes the stage at The British Museum to tell you all about this famous litigant and seeker of justice: one cab bill at a time! Jo Caulfield is at The Edinburgh Fringe …

Wilhelm Reich was an esteemed psychoanalyst who studied with Freud in the 1920s. So why was he deliberately written out of history? Mitch Benn explains! For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Wilhelm Reich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Reich Mitch Benn is a satirist, comedian, musician, podcaster, science fiction author…

Think you're clever? Maybe you are: but are you a GENIUS? Irving Finkel doubts it. There is only one man this curator gives that label to and it is Edward Hincks... upstaged by the evil Rawlinson and with a blue plaque only dogs can see, it seems the only person left to champion him is a swearing beardy man with a passion for Cuneiform. For any que…

Do you know the difference between a cryptogamist and a cryptogramist? No? Well it turns out that, during the Second World War, someone in the Ministry of Defence didn’t either. For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Geoffrey Tandy Florence Schechter is Scicomm-er and comedian and is making a vagina museum. Really. Iszi Lawrenc…

the most important woman in the history of mathematics... possibly the most important PERSON. So why have you never heard of her? For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Emmy Noether Michael Conterio is a Cambridge based comedian and Physicist and performs in a range of science and comedy events in Cambridge and beyond Iszi Lawr…

Peggy Pollard's life sounds so made up its ridiculous... borne to the upper classes, a genius scholar, criminally minded fundraiser, a brilliant seamstress and deeply devout catholic. Her life is full of the tales of Narnia and metallic pineapples. Can it be true? Lucy Porter tells her story at The British Museum. For any questions suggestions and …

London is full of it. Poo. Someone worked out that having it slosh about the streets wasn't ideal. And Paul Duncan McGarrity loves him. Learn how one man turned the thames into a giant flush, and what happens when you sink your boat right next to the place where the poo comes out. #worstdeathever For any questions suggestions and feedback get in to…

Bob Mills is one of Iszi's favourite people. He is an hilarious comedian, talented broadcaster and has the best Nanana in History. Prepare yourself for a story of religious tradition, freaky coincidence and probably the weirdest job in History... eating food off dead people. For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via FEATURING: Ric…

Iszi talks about her work on Making History, Music Hall, her mother in a wheelbarrow, The Other Winston Churchill (there were two) and Adam Mastroianni does a talk on Paul the Epistle and the other Paul the Epistle... if there was one... which there might have been. Yes. For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via FEATURING: Deutero…

What happens if you are outshone by your contemporaries. While Thomas Paine was busy changing the world, another man, also called Thomas was trying to do the same. Both men believed in Liberty at a time of American rebellion and guillotines in France. However one is held up to this day as one of the founding Fathers of the American Dream, the other…

2018 brings a new format to the Z List Dead List - the regular episode will appear as usual (usually the third thursday of the month) but iszi is hoping to put out a mini episode at the start of the month too. This is the first, it includes a performance by star of The Chase, Paul Sinha and outlines some of the upcoming plans in the new year. For a…

Struggling in the bedroom? Would some Monkey Glands help? Comedian Bethany Black on the surgical implant business of pre war Europe.. Plus! Ever had a worm living inside you? Want it taken out? Look no further than the amazing Worm Doctor, John Gardner- a physician so skilled he removed a worm resembling a small snake from the bowels of a man, 44 r…

Who really won the first world war? The Z List Dead List Halloweeeeen episode usually features a witch, and this episode is no exception. Brenna Hassett is yet to don her pointed hat, she is however an archaeologist with a passion for the talented and the strange women of the past. One such er, expert, is the infamous Margaret Murray... academic an…

Special Episode - listen to a live recording of the Z List Dead List. Find out who invented the Ultramarathon... before the Marathon! Who survived a suicide pact with Maths, and who was buried twice? Iszi Lawrence Andy Riley, Harry Househam and Paul Duncan Mcgarrity bring you over an hour of historic entertainment. Thanks for listening - if you can…

Curing people with magic tea bags, preparing Jesus's house and ensuite shower, eating apples in the actual garden of eden... welcome to the most British of all religious sects and the crazy story of their immortal cult leader, Mabel Barltrop (deceased). Iszi takes a tour of the Panacea Museum that has preserved this cult in all it's original splend…

Which intrepid spinster was best buddies with Rudyard Kipling and fought off hungry leopards? Which woman judo chopped a Nazi to death? John Lloyd (Creator and Producer of Qi) on Mary Kingsley, a British Woman who explored Africa in a black silk frock. Iszi interviews Alice Fraser on the gestapo's most wanted person: fellow Australian, Nancy Wake. …

Fancy a change of career? Zoe Lyons has a suggestion. How about digging a trench in your garden, filling it with water and lying down submerged in a barrel for half an hour? Sound stupid? Well it is a surefire way of becoming filthy rich in the 18th century. So hold your breath while we chat treasure, sharks, and being sucked up your own air pipe. …

Find out MORE about the life of our favourite Pop Star Ghost Hunter, Harry Price. Including the world's more famous goat, the devil's favourite notebook, and the last person to be convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1735... Thanks for listening - if you can, please donate, but you can also help by sharing this episode on social media and writing …

Why did King Harold get shot in the Eye? Who was the first Accident and Emergency started for? What was a key trigger for Anti Apartheid? Grab a chair and listen to the Andre Vincent reveal the Mislaid Comedy Heroes of the past... and how at the route of every mystery, a comedian is unearthed. Thanks for listening - if you can, please donate, but y…

Natalie Haynes loves her Greek on the attic side of difficulty, she asks the audience of the British Museum 'when did man first aspire to set foot on the moon?' And exactly what did he expected to find there? Meet the Douglas Adams of the first century... and you may actually already know one of his most famous works. That is, if you know your Disn…

The title of Sex God gets bandied around quite a bit these days, as Carrie Quinlain knows all too well. But there can only be one true sex god. How he got to be a god is a little more disturbing. But what with over 2000 statues of his perfect pecs and rosebud lips, such modern concerns are nothing in comparison to what love can aspire to. Just, yea…

Who was the richest man who ever lived? How rich are we talking? 40 Donald Trumps?! Ahir Shah has the lowdown on the man who was so rich he was personally responsible for crashing an economy. Also Alex farrow on what connects student parties to nazi germany. The weird origins of Jaegermeister and how to be a good Billionaire... Thanks for listening…

Who was the most accident prone explorer in History? Drinking out of puddles and carrying a briefcase in a jungle, Sebastian Snow was one of the most famous British Explorers in his lifetime. Dan Schreiber (No such thing as the news/Qi elf) talks about his love letters to Brian Blessed, playing chess in the Amazon and throwing a horse off a mountai…

How do you pronounce Boudicca? Doesn't matter, she wasn't as crafty as the other Queen ruling at the same time. Who got Rome in between her and her love life. Find out about building Iron Age Forts... with and without lego... about diplomacy, death, divorce and... WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE COURT OF KING CARACTACUS?! Thanks for listening - if you ca…

As Britain is divided after the Brexit referendum iszi explores nationalism, identity and unity... ok.. well... hanging out in Cuba and forced circumcision. Pete Johansson is tub thumping for his not-so-lister while Hayden Cohen's relationship with a 2100 year old warrior is a bit more complex. Thanks for listening - if you can, please donate, but …

Ever get annoyed someone stole your idea? What if no one found out about it until decades after you died? This is a story of an unknown feminist, an inventor and a brilliant campaigner for social equality... and if you think you don't know her, I suspect most of you will have something she made in your childhood house... or your friends house. Than…