Neil Oliver Podcast

In this episode we’re walking with a hero of mine, Admiral Nelson – a man with a life full of high drama and adventure, violence and great passion.He was born near the North Norfolk coast in 1758, in the sleepy village of Burnham Thorpe. His father was the local parson and at the ripe old age of 12 he set off to join the Royal Navy and sail the world’s oceans.Horatio Nelson was an ambitious and fearless naval commander always in the tick of the action; he lost his right eye during the siege of Calvi on Corsica, and the use of his right arm three years later at the battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A master of naval warfare, back on dry land he was swept up by a grand romance to Lady Emma Hamilton before sailing to his most famous victory at the battle Trafalgar in 1805. To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is packed full of history, comment and current affairs videos. Instagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=en YouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil takes us on an emotional journey that affected hundreds of thousands of people and systematically destroyed an ancient way of life – the Highland Clearances. Driven by greed the aristocratic landowners brutally cleared people from what they claimed as their land and replaced them with sheep in one of the biggest mass movements of people in all of British history. To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is packed full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil takes us to walk side by side with William Wilberforce, one of the unwavering bright lights who stove to abolish slavery in the British empire.Nations throughout history have plagued the world with this abhorrent trade, but the British took it to another level in the C18th, growing fat on the colossal profits to be made from African slaves. As opposition to slavery in this country grew immensely powerful forces battled tooth and nail to defend the trade and the riches it brought them. Amongst the people who fought to end this abhorrent practice was the tireless Member of Parliament for Hull, William Wilberforce.To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is pack full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we join Neil in1796 as a heavily armed French invasion fleet is spotted off Fishguard in south-west Wales.Seven years earlier revolution had swept across France. Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and a great swath of the French aristocracy found themselves on the sharp end of the guillotine. Europe’s royalty reeled in horror and Britain and others sent forces to try and crush the new French Republic. Now in a well-planned and heavily armed, three-pronged attack France strikes back as soldiers of the Black legion land at Carregwastad Point in what is the last invasion of BritainTo help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is pack full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil takes us on a very personal journey around his old stomping ground, the Merchant City district in Glasgow. It was built by the mighty Glaswegian Tobacco Lords, men whose trading fortunes made them the Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates of their time. In the late C17th and into the C18th their trading ships ensured great wealth poured into Glasgow and they built huge warehouses, veritable cathedrals to commerce, to store their goods . But these riches came at a deadly human cost, every pound and dollar was made on the backs of African slaves. The Triangular slave trade transported men, women and children from Africa to the American colonies, then tobacco, cotton and other commodities were brought back to Europe on the return trip. To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is pack full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil takes us to the beautiful coast of Cumbria as it’s attacked by a warship from the United States of America. Angry and dissatisfied with the punitive taxes and harsh rule of the British monarchy the people of America rise in rebellion. Intent on helping his new adopted country throw off the shackles of colonial rule, John Paul Jones captains an American naval ship of war, and in an audacious move crosses the Atlantic to attack Britain.Guns primed and at the ready he sails with his crew to the thriving industrial port of Whitehaven on the northwest coast of England, and under the cover of darkness launches his attack. This first shot across the bow caused panic in government and gave a bloody nose to the British King.To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is pack full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we travel with Neil around the world with the words of Robert Burns, a poet and lyricist whose work has touch millions and directly helped to shape Neil’s own life.Robert Burns was born in Ayr, lived in Dumfries and went on to be the national bard of Scotland. His brilliant body of work stretches from Auld Lang Syne to his famous epic poem, Tam o’ Shanter – work that continues still to bring people together. With his genius for words he has managed to exert an influence and make the world a better place.To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is pack full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil takes us to age simmering with the steadily building heat of technological change and advance. We stride across a landscape of great beauty, full of the things needed to kick start a profound transformation; the natural energy of powerful rivers, land rich with minerals, coal and iron ore. Here in Coalbrookdale, in Shropshire a heady mix of human ingenuity, innovation and the commercial drive of entrepreneurs, built a bridge of mesmerising beauty which was forged in the first fires of a coming Industrial revolution that would transform the whole world!To help support this podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverNeil’s Patreon site is pack full of history, comment and current affairsInstagram account – Neil Oliver Love Letter - https://www.instagram.com/neiloliverloveletter/?hl=enYouTube Channel is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnVR-SdKxQeTvXtUSPFCL7g  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil takes us to the top of one of Scotland’s most beautiful mountains – Schiehallion in Perthshire.Following in the footsteps of Isaac Newton and a group of intrepid C18th scientists we set off to the wonderful wilds of Rannoch moor to measure the weight of the world.To help support this podcast and get exclusive access to new videos packed with history, current affairs and a whole lot more sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverThe series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Neil climbs the hill to the Royal Observatory and finds himself at the centre of time & place.Henry VIII’s hunting lodge where he kept his mistress of the moment once stood here. Then in 1675 Christopher Wren was commissioned to build the Royal Observatory in this spot, a building that stood at the forefront of astronomy and mapping for centuries. It’s here that the prime meridian bisects the planet and a legendary soldier, General James Woolfe, looks out over one of the greatest cities in the world and through thousands of years of history.To help support this podcast and get exclusive access to new videos packed with history, current affairs and a whole lot more sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/neiloliverThe series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.