When Britain was a Republic

What was everyday life like for an ordinary person in Tudor times? How did dramatic changes in population, climate, disease and the economy reshape villages across England?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb steps beyond the royal palaces to discover the world most people actually knew. ...  Show more

How did a child written off by the Tudor court rise to become one of England's most iconic monarchs?Before she became queen, Elizabeth Tudor was surrounded by scandal, suspicion and deadly intrigue. Born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth was a princess by birth, until her ...  Show more

It's 1649 and a new republic has been declared, the Commonwealth of England. It's an age of 17th century republicanism, difficult policies in Ireland, and a serious PR problem... writer and historian Anna Keay joins Tom and Dominic to discuss life under Cromwell. *The Rest Is Hi ...  Show more

Did Oliver Cromwell save Britain from tyranny or was he a killjoy and military dictator? Paul Lay, author of Providence Lost: the Rise and Fall of Cromwell's Protectorate joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the short-lived British Republic. Learn more about your ad ...  Show more

This is the first episode in a two-part series on the brutal, three-decade-long civil war that tore England in two. Today, we explore the complex allegiances, rivalries, and personalities that made it all happen before hearing about the first bloody battles between the houses ...

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the period between the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the unexpected restoration of his son Charles II in 1660, known as The Interregnum. It was marked in England by an elusive pursuit of stability, with serious consequences in Scotland and not ...  Show more