History between the Lines

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 Archive Music 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 Archive Music 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/4gT6XIH3PNi6EEkMjTKsHi 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.

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.