The Tudor World at Hampton Court

How much do we really know about William Shakespeare, his wife Anne Hathaway, and the family tragedies that may have shaped the bard's greatest work? This is the premise of Maggie O'Farrell's luminous novel Hamnet, now adapted into a major film starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buc ...  Show more

This episode contains discussions of incest and sexual assault.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by historical novelist Elizabeth Fremantle to explore the harrowing story of Beatrice Cenci, a young woman executed in Rome in 1599. They discuss how Beatrice survived an abusive ...  Show more

Charismatic, passionate, insatiable - Henry VIII is known across the world as the king who had 6 wives, and a few mistresses on the side. But was Henry a romantic or a scoundrel?

Kate is joined by Natalie Grueninger, host of 'Talking Tudors', to find out just how bad ...

The Tudors are the most famous royal family in English history, ruling from 1485 to 1603. The dynasty began with the reign of King Henry VII, and ended with his granddaughter, Elizabeth I. Marked by political, religious, and cultural change, the Tudor era shaped the course of Eng ...  Show more

The 16th century was a dangerous time to be talking about magic and hidden forces, so how did John Dee end up being invited into Elizabeth I's court?He was an astronomer, occultist and alchemist who dedicated his life to understanding how celestial activity influenced life on ear ...  Show more

Anne of Cleves gets a pretty raw deal in the history books.

She's often accused of being ugly, after Henry VIII claimed the painting he had made of her was overly flattering.

While their marriage was short-lived, is it time we give Anne of Cleves, who haile ...