- 42 minutes 23 seconds44. How to Think About Terrorism with Richard English
Here in the United Kingdom, as of 21 October, the terrorist threat level is SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely. Now, I’m sorry to alarm you all who wanted to listen to a nice podcast and get away from it all, but it is what it is. But, if you were living in Northern Ireland during the seventies, eighties and nineties, terrorism would very much be part of daily life. Thankfully we’re no longer living with such horrors, thanks to a peace process that is very much ongoing.
One of the world’s foremost experts on terrorism is Richard English, and he’s written a new book, How to Think About Terrorism with the philosopher Quassim Cassam. He joins me as we discuss some of the theories and practical examples that can be examined today in an atmosphere of social media and discontent that seems increasingly extreme, but Richard’s insight is hugely satisfying when considering terrorism and a state’s response to it.
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26 October 2026, 12:00 am - 48 minutes 1 second43. Japanese Military Brutality with Danny Orbach
For many allied troops in the Far East capture by the Japanese Imperial Army led to appalling treatment and forced labour on the Burma railway. The cruelty meted out to British and Americans was nothing compared to those Chinese and Philipinos. But what was the cause of this brutality? Was it the Japanese warrior code, or something inherent in Japanese culture?
Joining today is historian Danny Orbach as he examines the causes of Japanese treatment of POWs and civilians during the Second World War.
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Punishment: Behind Japanese Military Brutality
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18 October 2026, 11:00 pm - 51 minutes 21 seconds42. Greta Garbo with Scott Reisfield
It’s difficult to exaggerate how much of a star Greta Garbo was. When you become the subject of a classic Pete and Dud sketch from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, then you can certainly say you’ve made it, and she’s certainly the most convincing and talented Greta to come out of Sweden.
Joining to discuss the great woman is Scott Reisfield, author of a new biography, as we explore the increasing power held by female actresses in the male dominated Hollywood of the silent and golden eras.
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11 October 2026, 11:00 pm - 46 minutes 7 seconds41. Cold Sunset with William Boyd
William Boyd is one of our best loved writers, the author of bestselling literary fiction since his debut, A Good Man in Africa back in 1981. His novel Any Human Heart was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was made into a four part series starring Matthew Macfadyen and Jim Broadbent. He’s written a number of espionage novels, including Solo, a Bond novel, and has now written a trilogy of spy books, in which our hero is Gabriel Dax. He’s a travel writer in the 1960s, and becomes an agent of the beautiful and mercurial Faith Green, a senior MI6 officer. The books feature a number of 1960s events including the assassinations of JFK and Patrice Lumumba, the coup in Guatemala and Cold War defections. His latest is Cold Sunset and by now Gabriel Dax is a seasoned spy, but he faces betrayal at home.
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William Boyd Links
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4 October 2026, 11:00 pm - 47 minutes 43 seconds40. City Inventions with Jonn Elledge
Throughout our history cities have been drivers of innovation, from sewers to public lighting, via traffic lights and escalators. Today’s discussion is with Jonn Elledge, author of 31 Inventions That Built Our World, and we delve into a few of the ideas that have formed the modern world we live in.
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31 Inventions that Built Our World
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27 September 2026, 11:00 pm - 1 hour 22 minutes39. Film Club: United 93 (2006)
With the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a day that will live in infamy, we are bringing UNITED 93 to the pod, as Alec and Tim join to talk about Greengrass movie.
No film stars appear, just really good actors and, remarkably, people who served in Air Traffic Control and NORAD on the day.
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Alec Marsh at the Telegraph
The Onion: 9/11 Hijackers Surprised to Find Themselves in Hell
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20 September 2026, 11:00 pm - 44 minutes 50 seconds38. Henry VIII with Steven Veerapen
Was Henry VIII a psychopath? Was he black? Now those are probably wildly ahistorical questions, but the man who exemplifies kingship, that famous Holbein painting looming over us all, dominates the Tudor dynasty. His daughter became England’s finest queen, and his wife has fascinated us since she seduced Henry and he broke with Rome to marry her.
Joining today is Steven Veerapen, author of Overlord, as we discuss Henry, his personality, and his imperial designs as Ireland was added to his kingdom.
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Steven Veerapen Links
Overlord: The Life & Reign of Henry VIII
Louis Theroux episode with the black nationalists - Henry VIII was "definitely black".
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13 September 2026, 11:00 pm - 49 minutes 57 seconds37. The Man Who Saved the SAS with Tim Spicer
The SAS has often faced threats from the corridors of power. Since its inception in the North African desert during the Second World War, senior officers and civil servants have treated The Regiment with at the very least doubt, and at worst, as was seen after the end of the war, downright hostility when it was disbanded in November 1945.
Enter one man, Brian Franks, an SAS man but one who was comfortable in the bar at White’s club in St. James’ schmoozing those sceptics. He had had an extraordinary war, and his biographer, Tim Spicer, joins to discuss him and to speculate as to whether the SAS, again under threat, has people like Franks in the corridors of power today?
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Coming up, I have a books on Henry VIII, Inventions that built the world and Greta Garbo so please share with friends and family and if you can give a kind rating I’d be grateful.
Tim Spicer Links
An Axe & Four Balloons: Brian Franks, The Man Who Saved the SAS
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6 September 2026, 11:00 pm - 43 minutes 17 secondsBonus: Alexander the Great Lives
Have you ever dreamed of what might have happened had Alexander the Great not died in 323BC? I have often thought about this, imagining his campaigns continuing to the Western Mediterranean, most particularly Rome and Carthage. Today is a bit of daydreaming and alternate reality as I chat with Patrick Larkin, who has created, using AI, films on YouTube of this ‘what if’ scenario as Alexander dies after a long reign, and his many sons fight for the throne.
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3 September 2026, 11:00 pm - 1 hour 18 seconds36. Alexander the Great with Edmund Richardson
Some say Alexander was the greatest general of all time, whilst others say he was a genocidal tyrant. In his lifetime conquered more than most empires manage in hundreds of years. He is, though an enigma. Impossible to pin down, which is why he is so endlessly fascinating to historians since antiquity. Is he a god, a king, a man or a boy?
Joining today is Edmund Richardson, author of a new book about the Macedonian ruler, as we discuss key points of his life, milestones that perhaps help us understand the kind of man he was.
Coming up, a bonus on a new AI movie on YT which asks the question, what if Alexander’s son survived and ruled in his place? It’s a bit of fun so do look out for that.
Plenty more history on the way including Henry VIII and the SAS in WW2, so please share with friends and family and if you can leave a good rating I’d be most grateful
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30 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 1 hour 9 minutesBonus Film Club: The Odyssey (2026)
The Odyssey is the new epic from Christopher Nolan, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson. Tim Hewitt joins me as we discuss casting, accents, costume, Batman, Batman costumes and plenty more. Spoilers are a possibility, though if you’re familiar with the Odyssey I wouldn’t worry.
Coming up will be an Alexander special as Edmund Richardson joins to discuss his new biography of the great man, and there’s a new AI generated movie about Alexander’s Successors.
Our Awards
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26 August 2026, 11:00 pm - More Episodes? Get the App