Alex Larman has struck gold. He discovered one of the rarest and most precious things in the history world: an unknown source which shines a bright new light on its subject. He uncovered brand new documents relating to an assassination attempt on Edward VIII in July 1936, by George McMahon. Alex took me through the documents he found and the story they tell. We also discussed the Edward's challenging upbringing, his possible Nazi sympathies, the tumult of the Abdication crisis and his famous relationship with Wallis Simpson.
I was thrilled to have Mat McLachlan on the pod, one of Australia's foremost history presenters and writers. Using his encyclopaedic knowledge of Australian battlefields, Mat and I chatted about Australia's complex relationship with its past, and how this history is perceived and commemorated today.
Professor Tim Snyder is an expert in authoritarian regimes and how they develop. He talks to Dan about Russia, the USA, Europe and what the lessons of the past tell us about what's going on today.
Babita Sharma is esteemed British broadcaster, and a presenter on BBC News and the BBC World News. In this episode, she takes us through a history of corner shops. Corner shops have been ever important in British society, as hubs of their communities, and places where people from all walks of lif...