Chevalier de Saint-Georges
18 century France to meet the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born the son of a slave and a white plantation owner, he lived a remarkable life in France, becoming a master fencer, violin virtuoso, composer, confident of Marie Antoinette and a revolutionary. He is regarded as one of the most significant composers of the 18th century and Mozart is widely regarded to have had major beef with him. So why is his story mostly unknown?
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The Mysteries of the Terracotta Soldiers and Tomb
Greg Jenner is joined in Ancient China by Professor Julia Lovell and special guest Phil Wang as they take a closer look at The Terracotta Army. In 1974 a family of farmers made arguably the greatest archaeological discovery of all time whey they uncovered arrowheads and fragments of terracotta whilst digging a well. Join us as we examine one of the most astounding mausoleum sites in the world - one so large that much of it still remains to be explored.
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Emperor's Ghost Army - Films on Demand
Central Park- What Lies Beneath?
Central Park is an oasis of nature in New York City, amidst the countless skyscrapers and gridded streets of Manhattan. Over 800 acres of sweeping fields, shaded pathways and picturesque vistas attract more than 42 million visitors a year. It was created to give free and equal access to recreational space for all. But, as Don hears from Leslie Alexander, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers University, underneath Central Park are the remains of Seneca - a village of African-American, Irish and German communities, whose inhabitants were forced from their homes to make way for the park's construction in 1857.
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Should they Stand or Fall: The Great Statue Debate
As statues of controversial historical figures continue to hit the headlines, Alex von Tunzelmann - author of Fallen Idols: Twelve Statues that Made History - looks at some of the most illuminating examples from across the centuries. She explores why the debate has proven so divisive and gives her take on what should happen to controversial statues.
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Two more podcasts:
Bata Shoe Museum
This History of High Heels
Listen to this surprising podcast on the history and evolution of high heels have been around since as early as the 10th century. Today we see them as a cornerstone of footwear fashion, with models strutting their stuff on the catwalk in heels of varying colours and styles. But how has this impractical, even masochistic piece of design become so gender-specific and has it always been this way? Greg Jenner discusses the history of high-heeled shoes with Dr Elizabeth Semmelhack from the Bata Shoe Museum and with returning comedian Lauren Pattison.
See photos of the shoes discussed.
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