In this special live episode, recorded at the 2023 Hay Festival, Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Gillian Kenny and comedian Seán Burke to learn about medieval Irish folklore.Greg and his guests discuss the lore and stories from Gaelic Irish culture. Gaelic culture remained the domina ...Show more
El Cid: the life and legend of a medieval Spanish warrior
Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Spain by historian Professor Nora Berend and comedian Toussaint Douglass to learn about the colourful life and afterlife of the warrior known as El Cid. El Cid – real name Rodrigo Díaz – was a mercenary in eleventh-century Spain who fought for bo ...Show more
Responsible for leading the first expedition across North America in 1804, Sacagawea was only 17 when she made the trek, while pregnant, across the continent. The daughter of a Native American chief, Sacagawea was captured and enslaved by an opposing tribe and then sold as a brid ...Show more
Henriette Caillaux (1874-1943) caused chaos on the French political scene when she shot and killed Gaston Calmette, editor of the newspaper Le Figaro. This month, we’re highlighting Ragers: women who used their anger— often righteous, though not always— to accomplish extraordinar ...Show more
Catherine Monvoisin (1640-1680) was a French fortune teller, midwife, and professional poisoner who found herself at the center of a witch hunt when her attempt to poison King Louis XIV went awry. This month, we're talking about Folk Heroes. People whose lives and stories took on ...Show more
Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (1912-1996) was better known by her alter ego, Minnie Pearl — a radio, television, and stage personality known as the queen of country comedy. She performed for fifty years in her trademark thrift store dresses and straw hat as a member of The Grand Ol ...Show more