Radio Oldie

Ferdie Rous, The Oldie's editorial assistant, speaks to celebrated historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes about the extraordinary history of Venus-Aphrodite, the goddess of love. We reference a few paintings and sculptures throughout the podcast.  Follow the links to find them. Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte Botticelli – The Birth of Venus; Venus & Mars Knidian Aphrodite Venus de Milo

The Oldie's editorial assistant, Ferdie Rous, talks to acclaimed author and travel-writer Sara Wheeler about 200 years of Antarctic exploration. Sara Wheeler's new book, Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age, published by Jonathan Cape, is out now.

Simon Heffer speaks at an Oldie literary lunch about the Staring at God: Britain during the Great War. He tells of the political class's inability to deal with the pressures of the war, how women were far more than the munitionettes of popular imagination and the extent of the cultural changes brought on by the war.

John McEwen and Carry Akroyd talk about the bird-infested history of the Douglas Home family, the sex life of the Great Bustard and how best to portray birds in art.

Simon Jenkins speaks at the Oldie Literary Lunch about the three traumas of London's history, how London was shaped by the free market and the city corporation and the importance of separating money from power.

The Oldie's Editor Harry Mount talks to Times and Telegraph regular Hannah Betts about Troy, Homer and the mixed legacy of Heinrich Schliemann, who rediscovered it. Troy: Myth and Reality is on at the British Museum between 21st November and 8th March 2020

Welcome to the Oldie podcast with Harry Mount, the editor of The Oldie. This month we have a fantastic piece by Damian Thompson in the magazine about Stephen Potter, the inventor of Gamesmanship. Damian is a senior journalist who has worked at the Telegraph and the Catholic Herald, and is the associate editor of the Spectator.

Historian, travel-writer and bestselling author William Dalrymple, talks to the Oldie's Editorial Assistant Ferdie Rous about the rise of The East India Company, corporate violence and imperial nostalgia. Dalrymple's new book, The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company, is published by Bloomsbury. The book tells two stories: the rise of the East India Company and the fall of the Mughal Empire. The latter had dominated the subcontinent for over three centuries by the time that the company arrived on Indian shores. Note: the Diwani, referenced at (22:45), later known as the Treaty of Allahabad, was a permit granted by Shah Alam, in 1764, to the East India Company that allowed them to tax the provinces of  Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

Charles Moore talks about the third and last part of his biography of Margaret Thatcher at the Oldie's October lunch. Moore talked about Thatcher's innocence of matters sexual, her run in with Monty Python and her meeting with Nelson Mandela.

A N Wilson talks about Prince Albert: The Man Who Saved The Monarchy at the Oldie's October lunch. We don't appreciate how much Britain owes Albert. From Albertopolis to the Great Exhibition and beyond, Wilson gives a fascinating insight into this short-lived royal.