Subject to Change

If you have any interest at all in Byzantium or in the Roman Empire generally I think you should really enjoy this episode. Professor Kaldellis is one of the leading scholars on Byzantium (East Rome?) and his book The New Roman Empire - A History of Byzantium takes you all the way from the founding of Constantinople to its fall to the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century, more than a thousand years later. The book is a tour de force and despite the scale of the story it is extremely readable and I enjoyed the dry wit throughout. And he made an absolutely fascinating guest. So if you love stories of the Roman Empire do give it a listen. We couldn't cover everything but we covered a lot!We recorded it in one go but we reached a natural break point so I have split it into two parts.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

Hampton has been on the podcast before and if you haven't yet found his books of narrative history I urge you to seek them out. Absolutely thrilling stories but told with real historical skill. Today we talked about Captain Cook's last voyage which ended in 1779. Hampton's book is called The Wide Wide Sea and he pays attention to all parts of the story - Cook was very much only a part of the tale. And do seek out not just the Wide Wide Sea but Hampton's other books. If you enjoy narrative history his are in the first rank.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

I am a huge fan of Mike Dash's books. We have talked about Batavia's Graveyard and Tulipomania in past episodes. But Mike also has a fascination for weird semi folkloric stories and in this episode he unearths the truth about that remarkable creature, the Sin Eater.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

Most people know Ed West for his journalism and in particular for his substack The Wrong Side of History. If you haven't found that yet then check it out - it is one of the best things of its kind out there. But Ed also writes book and in particular a series of short introductions to various periods of English history. If (like me) you sometimes find you need a good overview of something before diving into the detail these books are an absolute godsend. We talked about the period from when the Romans left Britain in the early 400's to the time of Alfred the Great. It was thoroughly entertaining to listen to Ed though it sounds as if the people living through these times had a lot less fun. His book is called Saxons vs Vikings: Alfred the Great and England in the Dark Ages. It is a great introduction to the period. (And ideal for fans of Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom!)You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

I am a huge fan of John McWhorter and have come to have great respect for Scott Sumner's knowledge and judgement when it comes to movies. It was a real pleasure to get them together to chat about favourite movies, directors and genres. You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

Frank Dikötter returns to the show to talk about dictators and in particular how they use the cult of personality to crush friends and enemies alike. HIs book on dictators is an elightening tour of some of the worst men of the 20th century - horribly enjoyable!You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

If, like me, your idea of East Germany is dominated by spy movies and and you think that perhaps it was nothing more than a open air prison with the Stasi round every corner then Katja Hoyer's remarkable book Beyond the Wall is an ideal corrective. Katja blends personal tales (some happy and some utterly tragic) with an analysis of the wider geopolitical scene. Above all it is fantastically readable and unsurprisingly is on pretty much every 'book of the year' list in the newspapers. She was a great guest and I very much hope you will enjoy listening to her.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

Giles Milton is one of my favourite authors producing narrative history today. The stories he tells are just jaw dropping. We talked about his book White Gold which tells the stories of Thomas Pellow who was seized and taken off into slavery in 1714. Looming large in the story is the remarkable Moulay Ismail, ruler of Morroco at the time. He makes his entrance on his chariot pulled by some of his eunuchs and some of his 500 wives. A brutal and cruel ruler but a fascinating character.The title of the podcast refers to the song Rule Britannia, written around this time. Its boast was that Britons never, never will be slaves. Well they were, and in large numbers.Giles is in great form here - he is a compelling storyteller in his books and he repeats the trick for the podcast.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

David Parnell and I wrap up the story of Belisarius and Antonina. We are now on to the liberation of Italy and by the end I felt the Romans there might have preferred to have been left alone.  It is a huge subject and we couldn't do more than give an overview. If you want more David's book is terrific. We are very lucky with our sources for this period which allow us to know so much about this fascinating period of European history.  David does the story full justice!You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.

David Parnell has a wonderful new book out called Belisarius and Antonina. This is the story of a real husband and wife partnership. Belisarius was perhaps the greatest Roman general of the 6th century and his wife Antonina accompanied him and was intimately involved in his campaigns. I really enjoyed speaking to David about the twists and turns of the story. Hearing about the Nika riots was a particular (bloody) highlight. The podcast ran long as there was so much to discuss so I have divided it into two. The first part takes us up to the attack on Vandal Africa and the second part will cover the campaigns in Italy. The book is terrific - a really well judged mix of breathless action and scholarly insights. We only scratched the surface in the podcast and I highly recommend seeking it out.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. The system doesn't let me reply so if you need one please include your email.