Fairy Tales

Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Hugh Dennis to learn about the global history of tea, and how it became Britain’s national drink. Despite its popularity in the UK, much of our tea is grown in India and Kenya, while the tea plant itself is native to C ...  Show more

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Rome by Professor Lucy Grig and comedian Ivo Graham to learn all about Emperor Constantine the Great and the Christianisation of the Roman empire. Born not in Rome but in the Balkans, Constantine’s life was shaped by the turbulent politics of the ...  Show more

Fairy tales exist everywhere and in every time. Through centuries of oral tradition and the invention of print and later advances in television and film, fairy tales have altered and shaped themselves in reflection of changing cultural norms. 

In this episo ...

On Episode 120 of Guide to the Unknown:These stories are totally for children. NOT!We’re looking back at the wonderful work done by The Brothers Grimm! As folklorists and historians, they literally wrote the book on fairy tales! But who were they? And what did they collect?On thi ...  Show more

Two collections of short stories, both alike in playfulness in our fair podcast. The first is with Gwen Kirby whose debut collection of short stories is called, hilariously, Shit Cassandra Saw. It ranges from radioactive cockroaches to tapdancing Twizzlers. Kirby told NPR's Mary ...  Show more

Hey Sleeping Beauty and Snow White - wake up! There's some man trying to kiss you! The girls welcome Ellen Haun and Laura Lane (This is Why You're Single), the forthcoming authors of Cinderella and the Glass Ceiling and Other Feminist Fairy Tales, to discuss cosplay, doing chores ...  Show more