Lasting 900 years, the ‘Dark Ages’ were between the 5th and 14th centuries, falling between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. Today’s guest overturns preconceptions of the ‘Dark Ages’ as a shadowy and brutal era, showing them to be a richly exciting and formative period in the history of Britain.
For more than 40 years, historian and broadcaster Michael Wood has made compelling journeys into the past, which have brought history alive for a generation. Michael joins Dan on the podcast for the 40th anniversary of his ‘In Search of the Dark Ages’ - an unrivalled exploration of the origins of English identity.
Alongside portraits of Boadicea, King Arthur, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, and William the Conqueror, the story of England is expanded further to include new voices on fascinating characters such as Penda of Mercia, Aethelflaed Lady of the Mercians, Hadrian the African, Eadgyth of England, and Wynflaed.
Imagine knowing no language at all…
*wordlessness*
…and then giving birth to one.
This is what happened amongst the children at a school for the deaf in Nicaragua in the 1980s.
And my guest today was there to witness and document it.
Judy Shepard Kegl is a linguist who specialises in sign l...
In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Alan Downie about an author whose life was at least as colourful as those of the characters he created. Apart from writing one of the most famous books of all time, this writer survived the Great Plague and the...
Bras are an everyday item for around half of the adult population, and for as long as humans have developed breasts they have been faced with the question of how to keep them contained within intricate outfits and during strenuous activity.
But how has the modern day bra developed from strapping...
