Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch embarks on a ‘church crawl' around a selection of beautiful parish churches.

In this episode, Diarmaid MacCulloch takes us on a ‘church crawl’ to Wetherden in Suffolk to visit one of Britain's historic churches.

Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch embarks on a ‘church crawl' around a selection of beautiful parish churches.

In this episode, Diarmaid MacCulloch introduces us to the art of the ‘churchcrawl’ and takes us to Illington in Norfolk to visit one of Britain's historic churches.

Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch embarks on a ‘church crawl' around a selection of beautiful parish churches.

In this episode, Diarmaid MacCulloch takes us on a ‘church crawl’ to Dunwich in Suffolk to visit one of Britain's historic churches.

Dan joins author and mudlark expert Lara Maiklem for a spot of mudlarking.

Matt Lodder is the world's leading expert on the history of tattoos. He has found evidence of people using ink or charcoal on their bodies stretching back thousands of years. He explodes myths at every turn. Tattoos were common long before Captain Cook allegedly imported them back from the Pacifi...

Eleanor ventures into the Royal Armouries tiltyard, where seasoned jouster Andy Deane, and his opponent Andrew Balmforth, face off in an adrenaline fuelled jousting tournament - and you're invited!

We discover the harsh realities of this sport that's synonymous with the Middle Ages, and learn ab...

Eleanor of Aquitaine is at least as responsible for the vast empire of the Plantagenets as her more celebrated husband, Henry II. Sara Cockerill has written a wonderful biography of Eleanor, placing her back at the centre of English medieval history where she belongs. Sara and Dan discuss her lon...

Medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega takes us on a whistle-stop tour across London, visiting some key historical sites and shining a light on the various communities of medieval London.

Legend of popular history Mike Loades provides Dan a detailed run down of Henry V's famous victory at Agincourt on 25 October 1415 and how his men were more a band of brigands than a 'band of brothers'. They discuss the arms, the armour, the tactics and the popular myths today associated with the...

For centuries the city of Timbuktu was famed as a golden metropolis situated on the southern fringes of the Sahara; tales of its immense wealth and its reputation as a key centre of learning obsessed travellers and adventurers for many hundreds of years. Timbuktu certainly has one of the most ill...

The Battle of Brunanburh was one of the bloodiest and biggest battles of early medieval history. Fought 1100 years ago, Athelstan - the king of the English - opposed a coalition of Irish, Scots, Northumbrians and Vikings and won a decisive victory. The enemy shield wall was penetrated. Their troo...

Joan of Arc received her first mystical vision when she was still a child, an event which was to chart the course of the rest of her turbulent life. She took upon herself the mission to save France and bound her fate to that of her country. In this episode we hear her story told as never before i...

Sean Cunningham, Head of Medieval Records at the National Archives, answers key questions about Henry VII. From his unexpected rise to the throne to his founding of England's most famous royal dynasty: the Tudors.

Michael Hicks, former Professor of Medieval History at the University of Winchester, answers key questions about Richard III. From Richard's noble beginnings to his demise on the battlefield at Bosworth Michael sorts the fact from the fiction about the last Plantagenet king.

Thomas Penn, historian of the Late Middle Ages and Early Tudor Period and author of The Brothers York, shines a much-needed light on Edward IV. He answers the key questions about England's forgotten warrior king: from his turbulent rise to the throne to how he dealt with his mischievous brothers.

Henry V's exploits both as a King and as a young man have been cemented in the popular imagination thanks to Shakespeare’s plays. But how much of Shakespeare's depiction is true? Anne Curry, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History from the University of Southampton, answers key questions about thi...

Helen Carr, medieval historian and author of 'The Red Prince', answers the key questions about King Richard II. What kind of England did Richard inherit? Why was John of Gaunt so influential during his reign? What did John achieve? How significant was the 'Peasant's Revolt'? And many more.

In the winter of 1069–70, William the Conqueror waged a series of military campaigns to subjugate northern England, where the presence of the last Wessex claimant, Edgar Atheling, had encouraged Anglo-Danish rebellions.

In Part 1 of this three part series, Daniel Gray explores the context behind...

Under the leadership of Robert Aske, a mass popular revolt began in Yorkshire in October 1536, spreading to other parts of Northern England including Cumberland, Northumberland, and north Lancashire.

The Pilgrimage of Grace was the worst uprising of Henry VIII's reign. It was a direct result of...

The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the 'Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion', was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.

In the final episode of this three part se...

In this introduction to the English Parish Church, Alice Loxton travels across the country to uncover some gems of England’s heritage. From the whitewashing of the Reformation to Wesley’s hymns to William Morris’ efforts to preserve the past, there is lots to discover. And Alice is joined around ...

Documentary telling the story of Mansa Musa, the famous 14th century ruler of Mali, renowned for his great wealth. Featuring Professor Amira Bennison, Boubacar Diallo, Hadrien Collet, Mauro Nobili and Madina Thiam.

The Viking dig in the grounds of St Wystan Church in Repton is one of the most important Viking sites of modern times. Recently new research has brought to light new information which further elevates the significance of the site and redefines our knowledge of the Great Heathen Army. The Great He...

Edward I is one of the most notorious rulers of English history. With a reputation for military brutishness and political ruthlessness, he was rumoured to have once frightened a man to death. But in November 1290, one event brought this warrior king crashing to the ground: the death of his belove...