Single Malt History with Gareth Russell

At the start of the 1920s, a firmly right-wing aristocrat became embroiled in the political chaos surrounding Irish independence, alongside the maintenance of the British state in Northern Ireland. How, and why, did the ultra-conservative Lord Londonderry decide to try a truly radical plan to save the new state's working-class children from inheriting the sectarian bitterness of previous generations? In this episode I talk about the Londonderry dynasty's role as they witnessed the Home Rule campaign, the struggle for Irish independence, the violence of the trenches in the First World War, and the creation of Northern Ireland.

I’m joined by Dr. Owen Emmerson (from TV’s “The Boleyns”, “Who Do You Think You Are?”) and Claire Ridgway (“On This Day in Tudor History”, The Anne Boleyn Files) to discuss their new book “The Boleyns of Hever Castle,” exploring the private lives of an aristocratic dynasty and what everyday life was like in a manor house at the dawn of the Tudor era.

Olaudah Equiano's life took him from a blissful childhood in the African kingdom of Benin to the slave auctions of Barbados. He endured life on a tobacco plantations in Virginia, fought battles off the coast of Portugal, he sailed to the Arctic, met Queen Charlotte in Georgian London, and addressed anti-slavery conventions in Belfast.

I am joined by friend of the show, Dr Lauren Mackay, to discuss Eustace Chapuys, whose fascinating life took him from studying near the Holy Shroud of Turin to the heart of the Habsburg and Tudor courts on the eve of the Reformation. He wrote in cyphers, spied for an emperor, and stood witness to rebellions, miscarriages of justice, and diplomatic scandals. Did this erudite clergyman really become Anne Boleyn's mortal enemy, as has been claimed? And how did he become a confidant of Emperor Charles V and Katherine of Aragon's last - and perhaps most loyal - friend? 

Dr. Linda Porter discusses her acclaimed biographies of Tudor queens - Mary I and Katherine Parr - as well as her recent bestseller “Mistresses,” on the scandals, politics, adultery, tragedy, and glamour at Charles II’s court.

On 16th October 1793, "the most hated woman in France" was publicly beheaded. How had the former queen fallen from life at Versailles to death before a crowd of thousands? From her controversial trial to her last letter and final journey, Marie-Antoinette's execution became a cultural Rubicon. Seen by some as a moment of revolutionary justice and by others as a warning about the dangers posed by political extremism, the execution also helped solidify the growing ideology of western European conservatism, being cited by some of conservatism's so-called 'founding thinkers' as an embodiment of everything they need to fight against. As a personal tragedy, a grizzly death, and a cultural turning point, the death of Marie-Antoinette remains controversial and fascinating. 

Single Malt History is back for its second season with an episode about Isobel of Gloucester, the queen England never had. Isobel's life is a window into misogyny, monarchy, terrible betrayal, kidnapping, and courage at the heart of the Middle Ages. She was the first, forgotten wife of one of England's most unpopular rulers - and she might even have been Queen of Ireland, too, had things gone differently. Isobel's story is a cocktail of revenge and rebellion.

I sit down with Nichelle Tramble Spellman, award-winning producer and showrunner of AppleTV+'s TRUTH BE TOLD to discuss historical fiction, the writing process, favourite reads, ghost stories, bodice rippers, and the power of story telling. . 

If you enjoyed the hit new BBC docu-drama series “The Boleyns,” or are just waiting until it shows internationally, I sat down to talk with a few of my fellow contributors to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what’s new, what’s different, and what’s exciting about “The Boleyns”. (Featuring: doctors Estelle Paranque, Lauren Mackay, and Owen Emmerson)

Join me for some of the grizzly, weird deaths in the 16th century - Sir Marmaduke Constable, who choked to death on a frog; a poisoned earl; a splinter in a king’s eye, a female pastor with other-worldly courage, and an Irish prince killed because of a hangover?