5. Land of Fire and Ice

After sailing into the Mediterranean, a Viking leader plays dead - lulling the enemy into a false sense of security. Mounting ships on wheels, eastern Vikings launch an audacious land-borne attack on Constantinople. The Byzantine Emperor establishes the fabled Varangian Guard, ma ...  Show more

Lured by its treasures, a fearsome chieftain named Thorgest arrives in Ireland. Meanwhile, in northern Francia, a warrior known as Rollo the Walker assumes control of Normandy. Back in Ireland, the city of Dublin is born. Celtic slaves are shipped to the far corners of the Viking ...  Show more

Divide and rule, a man described as Brian Blessed but ‘with a bigger, bushier, blacker beard’, and a whole lot of regicide. Join Anita and William as they continue to take us through the rip-roaring history of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Twitter: @Emp ...  Show more

Summoned by telegram to a quiet country inn, Holmes and Watson learn the truth behind Violet Hunter’s strange new position. And as darkness falls, a deadly trap is sprung in which the hunter becomes the hunted… A Noiser podcast production. Narrated by Hugh Bonneville Written by S ...  Show more

We return to Jeff Frazier as he prepares for an audacious prison break. In the dead of night, with the guards distracted, he’ll make his move. Can he overcome the many obstacles in his path and escape into the jungle? Or will he be caught… and if so, what punishment awaits? A No ...  Show more

Each week, Short History Of... gives you a front-row seat as history’s most extraordinary moments play out right before you. You’ll be up close with the gladiators and the Mongols, unearthing the Terracotta Army, setting sail in Blackbeard’s pirate ship, watching on as the Cold W ...  Show more