History between the Lines

By 1917, German U-boats are running amok amongst Allied shipping, threatening the war effort. The British Royal Navy decides to launch an attack against the German submarine base at Zeebrugge harbour to neutralize these U-boats, an operation guaranteed to be one of the most dangerous of the First World War.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Continuation of the Edwards of English royal history. With the demise of Edward I in 1307, his son comes to the throne. And so begins decades of war, intrigue, favourites, rebellions, treachery and the final battle to force a king off his throne...Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Chris Hick joins me to review Nuremberg, the film which came out earlier this year which explores the 1945-1946 Nuremberg war crimes trials of the remaining leaders of Nazi Germany, notably Hermann Goring, played by Russell Crowe.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Part 1 of a series on all the King Edwards of English royal history post-1066.I'm joined by Dr Andy King to talk about Edward I. Hailed as a warrior ruler by the English who brought stability back to England and conquered Wales and Scotland and cursed as an evil tyrant by others who killed William Wallace, Edward I has gone down in history as one of England's most controversial kings. Is this reputation deserved?Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

As the Second World War breaks out in Europe in September 1939, Berlin is slowly transformed into a city of war. From rationing and bombing to forced labourers and the Holocaust, the city enters its darkest chapter, being brought to the brink of destruction by the Nazis.Chris Hick joins me for the final episode of this series about the Nazis and Berlin.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Part 2 of the series on the relationship between the Nazis and Berlin. Chris Hick joins me again to talk about what the Nazis did to Berlin once they were in charge.From employment programmes, creating the "people's community" to planning the architectural makeover of the capital, the Nazis hoped to change Berlin fundamentally and even planned to rename it to World Capital Germania.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Chris Hick joins me for part one of a three part episode about the relationship between the Nazis and the city of Berlin.In this first part, we explore the Berlin of the Weimar Republic and its corruption and eventual destruction by the Nazis on their way to seizing power in 1933.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses", by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

As the SS seize control of Nazi Germany's security apparatus during the 1930s, they have ambitions to be the elite of the Third Reich and form a military branch to expand their influence and empire into the army.This unit, known as the Military or Waffen-SS, soon forms into a brutal fighting force of fanaticism and they will go down in history as some of the worst war criminals society has ever created.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses", by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay. 

As the Great Depression hit the United States in 1929, it unleashed a resurgence of the "Wild West" outlaw environment of the 19th century. Into this vacuum of banditry and media stardom came Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd.Professor Joseph Spillane joins me to talk about these latter-day American outlaws of the 1920s and 1930s and how and why they reached the levels of infamy associated with the Old Western bandits.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Dr Erik Mathisen returns to the podcast to talk about a crucial aspect of the history of slavery in the United States, namely the acts of resistance and open revolts carried out by enslaved people against the slavery system during the 19th century.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Louisiana, 1928. It's election time and a young, intelligent, flamboyant candidate for the state governorship has emerged, promising to help the forgotten and smash the establishment in true populist style. His name: Huey Long. And he's on a quest to change America.Professor Jerald Podair joins me to talk about Huey Long.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

On 14th January 1930, Horst Wessel, a brutal Nazi stormtrooper, was shot and killed by Red Front Fighter League street fighters. Wessel had lived by the sword and died by it. Such people are often soon forgotten by history. But Wessel has lived on, through the creation of his personality cult by chief Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, as the perfect Nazi martyr.How and why did Wessel achieve this infamous legacy?Music by Alex Grohl, from Pixabay.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed or Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.

Gary Arndt, the host of the Everything Everywhere Daily Podcast joins me to talk about all things history, from Emperor Claudius and calendars to Churchill and the Boer War.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Toby Hadoke, comedian, actor, writer, and all-round science fiction guru, joins me to talk about Doctor Who, the BBC sci-fi programme created in 1963 which went on to become the greatest TV show ever. Enjoy!Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

From Monitor ironclads and rusty mines to burning fortresses and blockade runners, how did the American Civil War spill out into naval warfare?Dr Howard Fuller joins me to talk about the war at sea during the American Civil War (1861-1865).We also discuss Dr Fuller's ongoing project to discover the shipwreck of the HMS Captain, which sank in 1870. Link to the project website below.https://findthecaptain.co.uk/Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

The Congo, 1890s: Two competing empires are gearing up for war to decide who will control the vast swathe of territory in the heart of Africa known as the Congo, the Congo Free State forces from the west under the control of Belgian king Leopold and the slave and ivory traders from the east, known as the Arabs by the Belgians.Dr Mario Draper returns to the show to talk about this little-known conflict between these two competing powers and how this war highlights certain general principles adopted by many countries on colonial campaigns and counterinsurgencies.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Professor John Wills joins me to talk about the Red Dead Redemption video game series. Set during the American West in a virtual world in which players can rob a stagecoach or go fishing, how true are the Red Dead games to what life was like on the frontier and how do they fit into the culture of the "Wild West"?To learn more about Red Dead's relationship with the American West, please do purchase the book "Red Dead Redemption: History, Myth and Violence in the Video Game West", edited by Professor Wills and Esther Wright.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

When it was launched in 1861, HMS Warrior was the most powerful warship in the world and the pride of the Royal Navy. Why and how did this vessel come to be built?HMS Warrior remains in existence today and can be visited at the brilliant Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Professor Mark Connelly of Connelly Contours joins me to talk about the Christmas Truce of 1914, which took place on the Western Front during the First World War.A beloved story in British popular memory of how British and German soldiers came together in no man's land on 25th December 1914 and briefly held a ceasefire and exchanged friendly words, cigarettes and had a football match. But how much of this is accurate?Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Dr Aurelie Basha joins me to talk about the foreign policy highs and lows of Jimmy Carter, who served as U.S. President from 1977 to 1981, in response to his death a few weeks ago at the age of 100.From the Iranian hostage crisis and the Camp David accords, to Afghanistan and the end of détente, what is Carter's foreign policy legacy?Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Alex Pitts, weapons handler at the Combined Military Services Museum, returns to the show for another weapons episode, this time on the globally famous Kalashnikov assault rifle from 1947.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed or Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

In the winter of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armee are retreating from Moscow until they come upon the River Berezina blocking their path.With the Russian Army hot on their heels, can Napoleon's engineers build a bridge across the Berezina quickly enough before the French task force's foes catch up with it and bring about its total destruction?Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

In this brilliant, rollercoaster episode, Robert recounts the story of his father, William Jones, during the Second World War and his role as a British military policeman in the Special Investigation Branch (S.I.B.) in Europe after D-Day.From interrogating SS officers and arresting black marketeers to gathering military intelligence and going undercover in an Allied POW camp, William's story is like an adventure thriller. Enjoy.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

November, 1957On Christmas Island and Malden Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a British Valiant jet bomber flies overhead. It is about to drop a single bomb just off the coast. This is Operation Grapple, Britain's efforts to acquire the hydrogen bomb.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Dr Ambrogio Caiani returns to the show to discuss the reign of King Louis XVI of France, 250 years after he ascended to the throne in 1774.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Ireland has always been a rural country and as such, who owns land has always been a thorny issue and has spawned protests, murders, wars and eventually a social revolution.Myles Dungan, author and broadcaster of Irish TV and radio, joins me to talk about his new book which explores the changes and conflicts surrounding Irish land ownership.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Part 2 of this episode about the 80th anniversary of D-Day, where I'm joined by Angus Wallace of the WW2 Podcast to talk about the operation in Normandy itself and its wider legacy, especially in cinema.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

In Part 1 of this episode, I'm joined by Angus Wallace, creator and host of the WW2 Podcast to talk about D-Day and its legacy 80 years on since 6th June 1944.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones take a whistle stop tour through British prime ministerial politics from the 1700s to the present day and pick out one PM from each century that ranks as the worst. But who will be the ultimate loser?Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture ArchiveMusic by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Emboldened by the July-August 1943 raids on Hamburg, Bomber Command sets its sights on Nazi Germany's capital city. But Berlin is an altogether different target...Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture ArchiveMusic by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Dr Mark Lawrence returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, "Anglo-Hispania", which details the relationship between Britain and Spain across the centuries, from the Spanish Armada to the Peninsular War and from Franco to Brexit.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Series Finale: Jonathan Brown and Dr Ambrogio Caiani review "Napoleon", the latest film by Ridley Scott and discuss how it fits into other cinematic portrayals of Napoleon Bonaparte.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Dr Ambrogio Caiani discuss "Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World", Dr Caiani's latest book about the history of the Catholic Church from 1700-1903.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

May, 1945. Nazi Germany lies smashed and defeated at the mercy of the Allies. The country is carved up into four zones of occupation, with the British being given control over the zone in the north-west. They face problems of near-famine, housing shortages, refugees and the trauma of the post-war world. How did they deal with these crises?Dr Daniel Cowling joins me to talk about his new book, "Don't let's be beastly to the Germans", which explores this British post-war occupation of Germany.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones talk about the Beer Hall Putsch.On 8th-9th November 1923, a group of ex-soldiers, anti-Semites and thugs gathered in beer halls in the city of Munich and attempted to seize power in a coup. It became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The putschists: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.With this event now being 100 years old, it's important to talk about this putsch and what processes it arguably started.Cover artwork: "Comfort of Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

As Germany goes to war in 1914, it has put itself on a path to destruction, a path that will end in the rise of the Nazis.Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones talk about the state of Germany from 1914 to 1923, which became the background to the Beer Hall Putsch, the attempted Nazi coup in Munich, which is now a century old.Cover artwork: "Comfort of Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Leanr History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Professor John Wills talk about "Threads", a BBC TV film first broadcast in 1984, which depicts a fictitious nuclear attack on Sheffield.(Spoilers for "Threads" follow).Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

From the formation of militia units and regiments from New York to Louisiana in 1861 to the conditions in POW camps to the blood-soaked Battle of Fredericksburg, Irish American soldiers were everywhere throughout the American Civil War.Jonathan Brown and Dr Catherine Bateson talk about this involvement of Irish Americans on both sides in the Civil War.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown reviews "Oppenheimer", Christopher Nolan's biopic of the father of the atomic bomb, currently in cinemas and seeing how well it compares to the history of the bomb.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown is joined by John Hardman to talk about his latest book, a biography of the French revolutionary Antoine Barnave.France, 1791. With King Louis XVI and the French revolutionaries arguing over the new constitution, one man steps up to try to solve the situation: Antoine Barnave, who makes a deal with the queen, Marie Antoinette, to govern France jointly. But will their plans survive the plotting of more radical revolutionary elements?Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

On 7th September 1978, Georgi Markov, an anti-communist Bulgarian defector, was walking to his job at the BBC in London. Crossing Waterloo Bridge, he suddenly felt a sharp sting and saw a man near him fumbling with an umbrella. Incredibly, this was the start of an assassination attempt.Jonathan Brown and Eleanor Brown talk about this most infamous of Cold War assassinations.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Julie Miller talk about the witchcraft trials that took place in Maldon, Essex, during the 16th century.England in the 16th century is being transformed by the Reformation from top to bottom. But one element of medieval religious belief remains: the crime of witchcraft. In the river town of Maldon in Essex, a series of witch trials sweep the town at this time, covering Maldon in darkness...Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

In the summer of 1944, the people of Britain believe that the worst of the Second World War is now behind them but the Nazis have one more sting in their tail: on the 13th June 1944, they launch their vengeance weapons at Britain, the V-1 "doodlebug" and the V-2 rocket. But the Allies are determined to fight back.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.Sound effects from BBC Sounds.

Adam of the UK True Crime Podcast joins me as we talk about the phenomenon of people who vanish in Britain and stay missing. From Madeleine McCann to Lord Lucan, people have disappeared without a trace throughout history. The question remains: what happened to them?Link to Adam's podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gT6XIH3PNi6EEkMjTKsHiCover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

History between the Lines is back with a brand new series, where we'll be going to many different places, events and people throughout history.Series 5, coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts!Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Matthew Vincent talk about the fall of the British island-colony of Singapore to the Japanese during the Second World War.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Dr Erik Mathisen talk about the daily struggles and experiences of enslaved African Americans on plantations in the South of the United States during the years before the Civil War.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Dr Edward Roberts talk about the wedding between Otto, heir to the East Frankish kingdom and Theophanu, a princess of the Byzantine Empire in 972, an unheard of pairing of West and East.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

From gods to barbarians, Gaul became a cornerstone of the Roman Empire in so many ways.  Jonathan Brown and Ryan Hearn talk about the Roman province of Gaul, one of the most fascinating parts of Roman history.Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.

Jonathan Brown and Ryan Hearn talk about the Gallic Wars.Julius Caesar is a Roman general looking for a military campaign to make his name and to make him a celebrity amongst Romans. He finds it in 58 BC across the frontier amongst the Celts. The Gallic Wars have begun...Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive.Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.