Printing in England

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 bot ...  Show more

Greg Jenner is joined in 19th-century China by historian Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Sophie Duker to learn about the Qing dynasty ruler Empress Dowager Cixi.A contemporary of Queen Victoria, Cixi rose from low-ranked concubine to de facto ruler of China for nearly half a ...  Show more

It was an enterprise that helped transform a marginalised language into a global powerhouse. Lydia Zeldenrust tells Spencer Mizen how, some 550 years ago, a middle-aged merchant called William Caxton did something that would change the course of literary history: he produced the ...  Show more

Before Johannes Gutenberg’s revolutionary invention, knowledge was a privilege accessible only to the wealthy, the powerful, or the devout. In this world, ideas travelled slowly, and were constrained by the limits of human hand. So when, in the mid-15th century, Gutenberg invente ...  Show more

George Orwell, a love of wildlife, and Raheem Sterling - but what does it mean to be English in the modern world? In today's episode, Tom and Dominic are joined by the New Statesman editor, Jason Cowley, to discuss England and Englishness in the 20th century. Jason's new book ' ...  Show more

📝 Get FREE Episode Worksheet 🧐 Take English Level Test 👄 Improve Your Pronunciation Travel back to medieval England with Charlie and Ben as they explore the legacies of King Athelstan and William the Conqueror. Experience the fascinating events that shaped English history, all ...  Show more