Join me for the Christmas special!  Find out about the pagan origins of Christmas, how Christianity grew it and how so many of the traditions we know today came to be.  Not only will Santa make an appearance but so to will Krampus his demon/goat counterpart!   ..read more

Halloween, the spookiest time of the year.  Find out how an ancient Irish tradition spread across the world becoming the festival of horrors that we know today.  Where do Jack O'Lanterns come from, what kind of creatures come through from the other side and is there an odd romantic side of All Hallows Eve? Join me for this Halloween special of Helpful Histories.   ..read more

Today we know that evil witches don’t exist but that wasn’t the case back in the medieval world. Find out how to detect and defeat a witch and also the terrible consequences for being found guilty. Side note I have had some sounds issues with this episode so I apologise in advance ..read more

Join me and my friend Tom as we discuss The Black Death, the worst pandemic in history, and all the VERY weird treatments that came with it! Learn about the origins of quarantine, ring a ring of roses and find out if a Pidgeon had any health benefits for humans (spoiler alert they don't)!   ..read more

Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings who ever lived and nothing is more famous than his love life.  Join me and my friend Beth as we discuss Henry's first two wives Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and how Henry's temper and desires ruined both these women's lives and changed English history forever.  This episode is part two of two ..read more

Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings who ever lived and nothing is more famous than his love life.  Join me and my friend Beth as we discuss Henry's first two wives Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and how Henry's temper and desires ruined both these women's lives and changed English history forever.  This episode is part one of two so stay tuned next week for part two ..read more

Fairy tales are wonderful, magical stories that we are all told as children from Little red riding hood to Rumpelstiltskin but if we look at the original versions we see that this wasn't always the case.  Most are violent tales that include everything from incest to kidnapping.  Join me as I go through three of the most famous tales to show just how different they really are and the reasons behind this.  This episode includes mentions of rape, violence and adult topics which aren't suitable for children ..read more

Join me and my friend Tara from the Scratching the Surface podcast as we talk about mental illness throughout history by looking at some particular historical figures.  We discuss how differently they were treated because of their illnesses and what impact this has had ..read more

Marie Antionette the doomed Queen of France, of let them eat cake fame. Join me and my friend Lisa as we look into the truth behind the many, many lies of her life. Word of warning there is talk about her sex life so probably not suitable for kids ..read more

We can't talk about Ancient Egypt without looking into their mythology and afterlife, it's simply to good to miss!  Join me and Tara this week to find out about their creation story, mummies and magic kites and the crocodile who would eat your heart!  Word of warning we do talk about how the gods came to be so that may not be suitable for younger listeners.   ..read more