Best PCharlie Higsons Podcasts (2024)

1
Elizabeth II 1:24:00

1h ago1:24:00

1:24:00

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, then Edward, George and Ned The Eig…

1
BONUS EPISODE - Live At HistFest 1:01:09

2d ago1:01:09

1:01:09

This special episode of Willy Willy Harry Stee was recorded live at HistFest, which took place in front of a full house at the British Library in April. Charlie Higson hosted a panel of proper historians to discuss the best ways to Survive A Tudor or Stuart Court. His guest panel comprised Ophelia Field, author of The Favourite, Nicola Clark, autho…

1
George VI 1:20:44

19d ago1:20:44

1:20:44

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, then Edward, George and Ned The Eig…

1
Edward VIII 1:12:59

22d ago1:12:59

1:12:59

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, Edward, George.....and Ned The Eigh…

1
George V 1:16:04

24d ago1:16:04

1:16:04

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, Edward, George..... Yes, we're up t…

1
BONUS EPISODE - Rise Of The Undead 59:03

1M ago59:03

59:03

In this special BONUS EDITION of Charlie Higson's history of the monarchy, he takes a fascinating look at how the real life horror of a volcanic eruption in 1815 gave birth to imaginary horrors that haunt us still. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Edward VII 1:12:11

1M ago1:12:11

1:12:11

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, Then Comes Edward..... King Edward …

1
Victoria 1:24:15

2M ago1:24:15

1:24:15

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria! We're starting to move into familia…

1
William IV 56:08

2M ago56:08

56:08

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William..... After the extravagance of George IV, his mor…

1
George IV 1:13:33

2M ago1:13:33

1:13:33

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges..... And so the final George hove's into view, as Charlie …

1
BONUS EPISODE - A History of Slavery 58:12

2M ago58:12

58:12

Before Charlie Higson uncovers the fourth of our run of George's, he brings you this bonus episode, looking at the fascinating – and often over-looked history of black people in Britain, as well as the history of slavery and how that affected British society. Joining Charlie is Dr. Onyeka Nubia. A writer, presenter and historian, Onyeka is senior l…

1
BONUS EPISODE - The Satirists with Alice Loxton 41:37

2M ago41:37

41:37

In this special bonus episode, Charlie Higson continues his romp through the Georgian period with a focus on the Satirists. Let's face it, there was a lot going on. The Napoleonic Wars, Royal Madness, Political Intrigue. All juicy content with fine comedic potential if you're a brilliant young artist with a sense of humour, someone like James Gillr…

1
BONUS EPISODE - The Seven Years War with Dan Snow 51:36

3M ago51:36

51:36

In this special bonus episode of Willy Willy Harry Stee, Charlie Higson looks at the greatest conflict of the 18th century, The Seven Years War. In reality, this can be seen as the first World War, taking in Europe, North America, The Caribbean and India. To help navigate this dangerous path, Charlie is joined by Dan Snow, creator of History Hit an…

1
George III - Part 2 1:06:06

3M ago1:06:06

1:06:06

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges..... With a reign so long it demanded two episodes, Charli…

1
George III - Part 1 1:21:28

3M ago1:21:28

1:21:28

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges..... Our quartet of George's reaches number 3 with our lon…

1
George II 1:08:36

4M ago1:08:36

1:08:36

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges..... The second of our four Georges hove's into view...Geo…

1
George I 1:18:59

4M ago1:18:59

1:18:59

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges..... Skip around 50 more eligible heirs and what do you ge…

1
Queen Anne 1:26:11

4M ago1:26:11

1:26:11

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria..... This is the tale of our one and only Queen Anne, who despite giving…

1
William & Mary - Part 2 57:38

4M ago57:38

57:38

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary....... Having looked at Mary's life in the last episode, it's time to focus on Willia…

1
William & Mary - Part 1 52:43

5M ago52:43

52:43

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary....... Having booted her Dad out of power, along comes Mary II, complete with husband…

1
James II 1:06:28

5M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again....... In this episode, Charlie Higson examines a reign that could be filed under 'Not Very Successfu…

1
Charles II 1:27:37

5M ago1:27:37

1:27:37

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie..... And so, after an 11 year gap, Britain goes from puritan republic to the land of randy rakes, headed up by Cha…

1
BONUS EPISODE - The Stuarts 50:24

5M ago50:24

50:24

Now that the podcast is firmly into the the time of The Stuarts, we welcome back the excellent Ian Mortimer to chat with Charlie Higson about life in the 17th century - a time of Puritan Piety, Republic into Reformation and Foppish Frippery. Oh, and Potatoes. There's plenty more time travelling in Ian's book....The Time Traveller's Guide To Restora…

1
Oliver Cromwell 1:30:23

6M ago1:30:23

1:30:23

Willy Willy, Harry......er.....no. This one doesn't fit into the rhyme, BUT, after lopping Charles I's head off, Oliver Cromwell abolished the Monarchy and led the country himself, so he's a worthy inclusion. In this episode Charlie Higson unpicks Cromwell's life and the reasons why we had 11 years without a King or Queen. His 'proper historian' is…

1
BONUS EPISODE - The Uncrowned 27:31

6M ago27:31

27:31

Robbie, Willie, Mattie, Eustace, Harry, Arthur, Edward, Roger… What's that? I hear you say - that's not the normal rhyme - what's happened here? Who are these people? Well, this is another special episode of Willy Willy Harry Stee - a sidebar episode, in which we take a look at some of the people in our history who should have come to the throne bu…

1
THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 1:04:48

6M ago1:04:48

1:04:48

Willy Willy Merry Christmas! In this Christmas Special episode, Charlie Higson takes us through the many connections the Monarchy has had with Christmas over the years. Learn about carols you've been singing incorrectly, how early Christmas trees doubled as incendiary devices and hear Charlie and guest Helen Castor discuss one of the greatest seaso…

1
Charles I 1:14:00

6M ago1:14:00

1:14:00

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie...... Charles The 1st, a king so bad he got himself executed and almost finished the Monarchy off for good. But, of course…

1
James I 1:22:45

6M ago1:22:45

1:22:45

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain....... As we wave goodbye to the Tudors, we usher in the Stuarts for an episode of plotting, gunpowder or otherwise. In the 'proper…

1
BONUS EPISODE - The Tudors 51:46

7M ago51:46

51:46

In this special bonus episode of Charlie Higson's Personal History Of The Monarchy, he's joined by Suzannah Lipscomb, author of A Visitors Guide To Tudor England. And what a visit that would be! It was a time when life was precarious, London was smelly and the next plague was just around the corner! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i…

1
Mary, Queen Of Scots 1:05:19

7M ago1:05:19

1:05:19

Once again, the 'Willy Willy' rhyme takes a back seat as Charlie Higson digs into the extraordinary life of Mary, Queen Of Scots. Crowned Queen at 18 months old, made Queen Consort of France before being widowed at 18, her 2nd husband was murdered, her 3rd was one of the murderers! Oh and then she was imprisoned for 20 years before being executed. …

1
SPECIAL EPISODE - The Best & Worst Monarchs - LIVE 59:46

7M ago59:46

59:46

This special edition of Charlie Higson's meander through the Monarchy was recorded live at the Chalke Valley History Festival, back in May of 2023. Joining Charlie, on an open air stage in front of a large audience, were historian and co-host of The Rest Is History podcast Tom Holland, Have I Got News For You regular and Private Eye editor Ian Hisl…

1
Elizabeth I - Part 2 1:10:30

7M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie...... It's part 2 of the story of Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth I and there's a lot to fit in. Plots, suitors, even an Armada and she survives them al…

1
Elizabeth I - Part 1 1:03:22

7M ago1:03:22

1:03:22

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie...... Yes, in this episode, Charlie Higson uncovers the life of one of the best known of all the Monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I. And it's a long life,…

1
Mary I 1:13:16

8M ago1:13:16

1:13:16

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary....... Welcome to our first official Queen as Charlie Higson uncovers the life of Mary I, who, as we saw last episode, quickly saw off Lady Jane Grey befor…

1
Lady Jane Grey 1:03:00

8M ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Willy Willy Harry Stee..........actually, we'll stop there for this episode. The lady in question was Queen, but only for 9 days and apart from a small apologetic addendum at the end of some versions of the rhyme, Lady Jane Grey doesn't get a mention. They say a week is a long time in politics. Well, it's nothing compared to 9 days in the Monarchy …

1
Edward VI 1:08:17

8M ago1:08:17

1:08:17

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad Henry VIII's only legitimate son is crowned King at 9 years old and as Charlie Higson discovers, his should have been the perfect reign, but it will come as no s…

1
BONUS EPISODE - Mortal Monarchs 47:49

8M ago47:49

47:49

So you've done it. You're the King......or the Queen.....you are the supreme ruler.....the big cheese......so surely you're not likely to die like those normal people are you? Except you are and sometimes, in ways even more hideous than your lowly subjects. In this bonus episode, Charlie Higson welcomes Dr Suzie Edge, author of 'Mortal Monarchs - 1…

1
Henry VIII - Part 2 1:21:19

8M ago1:21:19

1:21:19

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain....... Henry VIII gets a second episode in which Charlie Higson tells the story of Katherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine and Katherine. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Assisting h…

1
Henry VIII - Part 1 1:11:13

9M ago1:11:13

1:11:13

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain....... Yes, we usher in Henry VIII. He ate a lot. He spent a lot. He married a lot. If that's all you know about the most famous of all our Kings, then listen on as Charlie Higs…

1
BONUS EPISODE - David Mitchell 38:31

9M ago38:31

38:31

The Monarchy is a hot topic. Willy Willy Harry Stee from Charlie Higson may be your royal podcast of choice, but David Mitchell wants you to buy his book, which takes the story of the English Monarchy up Elizabeth 1st. The book is called Unruly and in this fun episode, Charlie and David compare notes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

1
Henry VII 1:13:03

9M ago1:13:03

1:13:03

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain....... Yes, Charlie Higson's personal history of the Monarchy lands on Henry VII, the victor at the Battle Of Bosworth and our first Tudor King, and it turns out he was a pretty…

1
BONUS EPISODE - Understanding The Tudors 33:37

9M ago33:37

33:37

Welcome to another Sidebar episode from Charlie Higson in his personal history of the Monarchy, Willy Willy Harry Stee. As we wave goodbye to the Plantagenets and that pesky War Of The Roses, we welcome a new Dynasty, The Tudors. To help understand where they came from, Charlie chats to Tracy Borman, a proper historian and author of Crown & Sceptre…

1
Richard III 1:10:59

9M ago1:10:59

1:10:59

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad! Yes, Charlie Higson lands on Richard III. Was he Dick The Bad or should we celebrate him as one of the good ones? Here to argue his case is the Chairman of the Richard the Third society, Matt…

1
Edward V 49:52

9M ago49:52

49:52

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five.... As he wades through the Wars Of The Roses, Charlie Higson reaches a king whose reign can be measured in days, Edward V. As one of the two Princes In The Tower along with his brother Richard Of Shrewsbury…

1
Edward IV 1:06:56

10M ago1:06:56

1:06:56

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? King Edward IV that's who! The tale of bloody battles continues as Edward returns for a second stab at the crown as Charlie Higson makes sense of civil wars and the struggle for ultimate power. This episode's proper historia…

1
Henry VI - Part 2 1:08:24

10M ago1:08:24

1:08:24

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six......... What happens when a King goes wrong? The story of Henry VI and his battles with Edward IV continues as Charlie Higson tells the story of one of history's biggest power struggles. And you thought the Roy family were bad!! Plus we hear…

1
Henry VI - Part 1 1:10:51

10M ago1:10:51

1:10:51

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six......... The story of Henry VI is a tangled one, intertwined with Edward IV and, not something to be rushed. So over the next two episodes, Charlie Higson unpicks the story of a man who became king, then was deposed only to become king again,…

1
Henry V 1:12:15

10M ago1:12:15

1:12:15

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five....... In this episode, Charlie Higson looks at the second-most famous Henry.....Henry V. As you'll hear, Henry was one tough bugger! Battle Of Agincourt? Easy! Arrow embedded in your face? 'Tis but a scratch! His reign was short but he got thing…

1
Henry IV 1:10:02

10M ago1:10:02

1:10:02

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three. One Two Three Neds, Richard II, Henry's Four........ yes, welcome to the next batch of Henry's, starting with Henry IV. Forget what Shakespeare said. In this episode, you'll hear Charlie Higson continue his voyage through history with a story of a King who lived fast and died young without really…

1
Richard II 1:02:23

11M ago1:02:23

1:02:23

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three. One Two Three Neds, Richard Two........ Charlie Higson's canter through the Monarchy takes us to Richard The 2nd. You'd think by now that they'd have got the hang of this whole King thing. What to do. What not to do. Well, they hadn't and Richard II is a good example of the 'What Not To Do' categ…

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