In the first half of the 1700s, Britain was overwhelmed by gin. But it might not have been as fun as it sounds.Today, we're hearing about what the so-called gin-craze was, the impact that it had on regular people, and the government's attempts to control it.Kate is joined by Prof ...Show more
Why Are Vampires Sexy?
Demonic blood-sucking creatures have existed for thousands of years before Dracula showed up all sexy, suave and problematic.Who were these figures who inspired what we know today as vampires? Why are a lot of these supernatural creatures female figures? And why did left-handed r ...Show more
Who was Lord Byron and why did he drive the girls (and many boys) so wild? Find out about this scandalous early celebrity who was described as, "mad, bad and dangerous to know". Greg Jenner is joined by comedian Ed Gamble and historian Dr Corin Throsby. This episode was produced ...Show more
440. Lord Byron: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (Part 1)
Few lives from history can have contained as many strange and exciting strands as that of Lord Byron's, whose story reflects the great dramas of the Napoleonic era. A vampiric hero of devilish charisma; a martyr for liberty, a licentious lothario; Byron’s cultural and literary im ...Show more
Good God I am surely in hell! Upon Lord Byron’s return to England and the publication of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, he became one of the most notorious men in Europe and the world's first celebrity. The next period of his life would be rocked by shocking scandal, moral depravit ...Show more