Best MAIM TIME Podcasts (2026)

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KINDNESS WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL 12:35

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2h ago12:35

12:35

Send us a text The TL;DR, or the TL;DL for today is this: it doesn’t matter what your identity is or what your struggle is, what your past is, as long as you become a person who embraces the virtues of humility, gratitude, and kindness. So be humble, grateful, and kind. Kind to yourself, kind to others. When you’re kind to yourself, you can love yo…

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Jane Austen’s final chapter – and lasting legacy 33:10

20m ago33:10

33:10

What does Austen’s later writing tell us about her changing ideas? And what factors contributed to her death? In this fourth and final episode of our series chronicling the novelist’s life and work, Dr Lizzie Rogers charts the last part of Austen’s story, and her enormous continuing influence. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to go further into the…

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Prophetesses & she-preachers of the 17th century 34:06

10m ago34:06

34:06

A prophetess who warned Oliver Cromwell against killing the king. A Yorkshire maidservant who gained an audience with the Ottoman Sultan. The religious tumult of the 17th century gave ordinary women opportunities to have their voices heard more than ever before. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Dr Naomi Baker looks at several of these radical religious…

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New Year's Eve, newts and Nessie: a history of British folklore 41:19

4d ago41:19

41:19

Why should you be careful about who's first through your door on New Year's Day? What led people to believe that newts and earwigs were responsible for their ailments? And why do sticks play such a key part in children's imaginations? Ceri Houlbrook and Owen Davies, co-authors of new book Folklore: A Journey through the Past and the Present, join M…

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Augustus: life of the week 44:31

1h ago44:31

44:31

‘Evil genius’ is a phrase that could have been invented to describe Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. Augustus butchered his way to power in the chaos that followed Julius Caesar's assassination, and then showed the political cunning to remain there for four decades. In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Ed Watts – author of The Romans: A 2,000-Ye…

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Inside the Viking battle of the genders 39:28

28m ago39:28

39:28

What do we know for certain about Old Norse ideas about masculinity and femininity, and can Viking Age mythology provide any answers? In conversation with James Osborne, Dr Jackson Crawford discusses the second edition of his translation of the Poetic Edda, and explores what can still be learned from the collection of Old Norse narrative poems that…

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A house of one’s own: Jane Austen’s ‘golden years’ 33:23

7d ago33:23

33:23

It was at Chawton House, a cottage in rural Hampshire, that Jane Austen experienced one of the most fruitful episodes of her writing career. In this third instalment of our four-part series charting the novelist's life and work, Dr Lizzie Rogers tells Lauren Good about this creative flourishing, and explores the popular works that Austen published …

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Æthelstan: the king who made England 32:47

5d ago32:47

32:47

Æthelstan was crowned in Kingston upon Thames 1100 years ago, in AD 925. He went on to extend his authority far beyond his initial powerbase of Wessex and Mercia to become the first king of England. David Musgrove talks to Professor David Woodman, author of The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom, to hear why we should remem…

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Did the WW1 Christmas truce really happen? 34:46

1d ago34:46

34:46

It’s one of the most romantic images of the First World War: British and German soldiers meeting in No Man’s Land on Christmas Day, 1914, for a spontaneous truce and a game of football. But did it actually happen? Historian Alex Churchill joins Rachel Dinning to discuss the famous event – and reveals what really happened in the trenches in December…

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Father Christmas: life of the week 42:17

2d ago42:17

42:17

Father Christmas – or Santa Claus – is one of western culture’s most recognisable figures. But from his mysterious origins to quite how he ended up as owner of a North Pole workshop staffed by elves, much about the festive season’s main man remains a mystery. In this episode, Thomas Ruys Smith joins Matt Elton to discuss the cultural life and caree…

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When was the best time in English history to be alive? 29:26

3d ago29:26

29:26

Did you know that Elizabethan Londoners were good kissers? That medieval drinkers used beer to fight off the flames of a raging inferno? And that Jane Austen doesn't paint an entirely accurate picture of the early 19th century? These are just some of the facts served up in Ian Mortimer's new book, Mortimer's A to Zs of English History. Here, in con…

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“I am to flirt my last”: Jane Austen’s twenties 33:52

4d ago33:52

33:52

We might assume that Jane Austen led a quiet existence, writing dramatic plots instead of experiencing them herself – but that presumption is far from the truth. In this second episode of our four-part series on Austen's life and writing, Dr Lizzie Rogers and Lauren Good chart the author’s tumultuous twenties, an eventful period of her life during …

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The secret propaganda war against the Nazis 32:21

15d ago32:21

32:21

In September 1939, an unlikely assortment of journalists, politicians, novelists and spies assembled in a Bedfordshire village and set about waging a covert propaganda war on Hitler's Germany. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Terry Stiastny reveals how the Political War Executive deployed everything from fake news and pornography to bogus …

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The many faces of James VI & I 41:00

9d ago41:00

41:00

Historian Clare Jackson delves into the life and reputation of James VI & I – a king who, says Jackson, has a legacy that has been much refracted and maligned in the 400 years since his death. In her reappraisal of the king's life, she considers the violence that beset James throughout his life, and how that shaped the king's attitudes towards dipl…

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: life of the week 38:33

10d ago38:33

38:33

Mozart is celebrated for his musical genius – but how did he rise to such enduring fame? What inspired him, and who was the man beyond the concert halls and compositions? Ahead of new TV drama Amadeus launching on Sky Atlantic in the UK on 21 December, Hannah Templeton tells Lauren Good about the composer's life, his experiences as a child prodigy …

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A short history of ghost hunting 40:51

11d ago40:51

40:51

A spooky story during the Christmas season has become traditional – and the modern ghost story was invented by the Victorians, who embraced the supernatural and tried to understand it. Ben Machell has investigated the history of ghost hunting and supernatural investigations since the mid-19th century for his new book, Chasing the Dark, and in this …

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Becoming Jane Austen 28:51

12d ago28:51

28:51

What inspired the daughter of a rural reverend to write about eligible bachelors and drunken misadventure? In this first episode of our four-part series on Jane Austen's life and work, Dr Lizzie Rogers and Lauren Good step back into the influential Regency novelist’s formative years, and explore her earliest writings that show how she began to find…

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Ghosts, gods & sea monsters: a supernatural history of the Atlantic 34:14

14d ago34:14

34:14

For centuries, sailors crossing the Atlantic believed they were not alone – haunted by ghost ships, watched by mermaids, and stalked by sea monsters. Historian Karl Bell talks to Jon Bauckham about the stories that dominated the maritime imagination, and what role these fishy tales might play in our understanding of the ocean today. (Ad) Karl Bell …

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The summer that changed everything for the Kennedys 38:33

16d ago38:33

38:33

Historian Leigh Straw describes one pivotal summer in the life of the Kennedy family. With most of the family in their Cape Cod summer home, the summer of 1944 was marked by personal grief and political legacy. As eldest son Joe Jr flew dangerous missions in the Second World War's European theatre, and Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy scandalised her parent…

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Margaret Beaufort: life of the week 47:40

17d ago47:40

47:40

Born in the tumultuous 15th century, Margaret Beaufort – mother of Henry VII – endured personal tragedy, dynastic danger, and the ever-shifting fortunes of power. Yet she emerged as one of the most influential figures of late medieval England. In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by historian Lauren Johnson to delve into the remarkable life of…

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Idi Amin's willing helpers 41:06

18d ago41:06

41:06

Idi Amin is 20th-century Africa’s most notorious ruler – a cartoonish tyrant who has been bracketed with the likes of Hitler and Stalin. And it’s true that, as Uganda’s dictator for most of the 1970s, he oversaw murderous repression as well as the forced expulsion of the nation’s Asian community. But why did so many ordinary Ugandans willingly serv…

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“You can’t kill and maim with impunity”: the powerful legacy of Nuremberg 36:58

28d ago36:58

36:58

In the 80 years since Nazi leaders stood in the dock, how has the international community sought to deal with war criminals around the globe? For this concluding episode of our four-part series on the Nuremberg Trials, David Musgrove is joined by the lawyer and author Philippe Sands to chart the long, complex legacy of the events of 1945-46, and to…

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Assassins vs Templars 50:17

21d ago50:17

50:17

The Assassins and the Knights Templar are two of history’s most intriguing, enigmatic and legendary groups. While they may seem vastly different on the surface, their intertwined stories reveal a surprising number of parallels – from an almost fanatical strategy fuelled by the 'promise of death' to the nature of their downfall. Speaking to Emily Br…

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WW2's Tunisian campaign: the Stalingrad of Africa 46:37

23d ago46:37

46:37

For the Allies it was an enormous triumph and for Nazi Germany it was another Stalingrad. But 80 years on, the battle for Tunisia is barely mentioned in popular accounts of the Second World War, having been totally eclipsed by the iconic clashes in Europe and the Pacific. In his new book, Tunisgrad, military historian Saul David seeks to redress th…

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Empress Matilda: life of the week 42:41

24d ago42:41

42:41

In the tumultuous aftermath of Henry I’s death, England was thrown into one of the most chaotic civil wars in its history – the Anarchy. At the heart of the struggle stood Empress Matilda: daughter of a king, widow of an emperor, mother of a future dynasty, and the woman who came closer than any before her to ruling medieval England in her own righ…

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How warhorses transformed medieval England 36:21

25d ago36:21

36:21

William the Conqueror used them to devastating effect in 1066. Robert the Bruce worked out how to neutralise them. And when Richard III was knocked from his, England would never be the same again. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Robert Liddiard and Oliver H Creighton discuss the decisive role of the warhorse in key turning points of medie…

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Did the Nazis get a fair trial? 38:09

26d ago38:09

38:09

In October 1946, after a trial lasting almost a year, the Nazi leaders on the dock in Nuremberg received their verdicts. But what did the judges decide? And how did the defendants, and the world outside, respond to the sentences that were handed down? In the third episode of our four-part series on Nuremberg, David Musgrove is joined by the lawyer …

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Forgotten female secret agents of WW2 34:53

28d ago34:53

34:53

From sabotage operations to devastating betrayals, stories of the women of Special Operations Executive are some of the most incredible stories of the Second World War – but, says Kate Vigurs, many remain little known. In her new book, Mission Europe, Vigurs reveals the astonishing bravery of such female agents operating in the Netherlands, Belgium…

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What causes cultures to decline and fall? 44:05

30d ago44:05

44:05

The new BBC TV series Civilisations: Rise and Fall charts the decline of some of history's most famous cultures, from the Aztecs to the ancient Egyptians. Three of its experts – Islam Issa, Caroline Dodds Pennock and Luke Kemp – joined Matt Elton to explore some of the series' major themes, and why stories of a civilisation's decline might be more …

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Christopher Marlowe: life of the week 42:54

1M ago42:54

42:54

From his possible espionage work for the Elizabethan state to his open flirtations with atheism and subversive sexual themes, the brief life of playwright Christopher Marlowe tells us much about the shadowy edges of 16th-century England. Stephen Greenblatt joins Elinor Evans to discuss the subversive, dangerous life of 'Kit', who became both a coll…

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S7 Ep 2: Who Runs Towards Me? 34:50

1M ago34:50

34:50

When you're single it's easy to feel like you're moving through the world alone and unseen. Everyone else seems to have someone who is obligated to check in, show up and be there. And you, well, it's just your sad little lonesome self fighting all the battles, or so it seems. Recently, after another rejection email that made me want to throw a todd…

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Uprising: the Civil Wars untangled 37:00

1M ago37:00

37:00

On 30 January 1649, Charles I was led on to a freshly erected scaffold outside Whitehall’s Banqueting House in London. Thousands of spectators watched in shock and awe as the king of England, Scotland and Ireland was executed as a traitor. It was the climax of one of the most destructive sagas in Britain and Ireland's history – but what led to this…

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Using Humility and Gratitude to Cheat the Game of Life 35:52

1M ago35:52

35:52

Send us a text HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL! I totally forgot to talk about the fundamental idea of Thanksgiving in this episode, what a missed opportunity! Be grateful for all that we have, in spite of all the f'd up origins and backstories of our past. No matter what our life circumstances are. You have everything you need deep down inside! There's n…

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The Nazis’ crimes laid bare 46:30

1M ago46:30

46:30

When the Nazi leaders went on trial in Nuremberg from November 1945, the true horrors of their regime were exposed to the world. In the second episode of our four-part series on the trials, the lawyer and author Philippe Sands chronicles the dramatic days when the likes of Hermann Goering and Hans Frank were forced to face their accusers in the cou…

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What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us? 48:17

1M ago48:17

48:17

A recent documentary drawing conclusions from new analysis of Adolf Hitler’s DNA has sparked headlines around the world. But how did the programme’s researchers get hold of the key evidence? And what issues – and implications – are prompted by linking the Nazi leader with a range of physical and psychological conditions? Two of the experts behind t…

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Mutilated corpses and undead mothers-in-law: vampire epidemics through history 38:49

1M ago38:49

38:49

Fears of the undead rising from their graves to cause trouble have recurred in societies around the globe throughout the centuries. But why was your mother-in-law especially likely to become a vampire? What makes Count Dracula a highly unusual bloodsucker? And how would you best mutilate a vampire's corpse to neutralise their threat? Speaking to El…

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The problem with poo: a millennium of manure 35:07

1M ago35:07

35:07

When did poo become a problem? Why was manure so important in the medieval economy? And why don't we have vacuum-powered sewers? All these questions – and more – are answered in this brief history of both animal and human manure. David Musgrove speaks to Richard Jones to find out more. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC His…

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James Garfield: life of the week 56:15

1M ago56:15

56:15

US president James Garfield's life is often overshadowed by his untimely death in 1881, as the second president to be assassinated in office. However, his story is now once again in the limelight, thanks to the new Netflix drama Death by Lightning. Historian and biographer CW Goodyear talks to Elinor Evans about a man who, though his time as leader…

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A new history of multicultural Britain 42:34

1M ago42:34

42:34

As Britain's influence on the world around it grew throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, so too did the world influence Britain – and a key part of that influence was the arrival of people from other places and cultures to its shores. Kieran Connell's new book, Multicultural Britain, explores the experiences of some of these people, and the ways …

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What should we do with the Nazis? The road to the Nuremberg Trials 41:34

2M ago41:34

41:34

At the end of the Second World War, the victorious Allies had to decide the fates of the surviving leaders of a regime that had initiated the bloodiest conflict in history, and perpetuated the Holocaust. The answer, beginning just a few months after VE Day, was the world’s first ever international criminal trial, held in the German city of Nurember…

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Who stole the Tudor crown? 33:47

2M ago33:47

33:47

On her deathbed Elizabeth I named the Scottish James VI as her successor, ensuring a smooth transition from the Tudor to Stuart monarchies. That, at least, is what we've long believed. But an explosive new discovery casts doubt on this version of events, suggesting that the Stuart succession was far less secure than we may have thought. In her new …

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The librarian who stole KGB secrets 32:07

2M ago32:07

32:07

When an elderly man with a battered suitcase walked into the British embassy in Vilnius in 1992, few could have guessed what he was about to hand over. Gordon Corera tells the story of Vasili Mitrokhin, an under-the-radar Soviet archivist who copied thousands of classified KGB documents over 12 years. Speaking to Elinor Evans, he reveals how a proj…

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S7 Ep 1 Confronting the "A" Word: Alone 31:36

2M ago31:36

31:36

Season 7! I'm back, baby! In my little Paris kitchen, but this season I'm going back to my roots, just you and me. No guests, no filters, just honest conversations about what it really means to live (and be) alone. In this first episode, "Confronting the 'A' Word: Alone," I dig into the myth of being "okay" by yourself, the quiet nights, the loneli…

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Nellie Bly: life of the week 48:22

1M ago48:22

48:22

In the late 19th century, when female reporters were largely confined to newspapers' society pages, Nellie Bly's daring investigations and headline-grabbing exploits made her a household name. From her audacious exposé from inside a New York asylum – after convincing doctors she was insane – to becoming the 'real Phileas Fogg' by racing around the …

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The improbable alliance that defeated Hitler 39:36

2M ago39:36

39:36

To what extent does the course of history turn on the force of individual personalities? It’s a question that looms large when examining the unlikely alliance forged between Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union that ultimately triumphed over the Axis powers in the Second World War. Danny Bird speaks with author Tim Bouverie to explore th…

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Remember, remember: The legacy of the Gunpowder Plot 37:16

2M ago37:16

37:16

'Remember, remember the fifth of November…'. For more than 400 years, the Gunpowder Plot has been etched into Britain’s memory. In the final episode of our series on the plot, Danny Bird speaks to John Cooper to trace how the failed conspiracy has been commemorated with sermons, bonfires and fireworks. They discuss how Guy Fawkes evolved from a doo…

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Five partitions that shaped South Asia 36:11

2M ago36:11

36:11

If you were to look down at South Asia from space at night, you would see a bright scar stretching more than 2,000 miles. This is the border between India and Pakistan – a division established within living memory. Speaking with Danny Bird, Sam Dalrymple explains how, in just a few decades, the British Raj shattered along five partitions, from Burm…

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Crystal balls & contacting angels: predicting the future in early modern England 31:41

2M ago31:41

31:41

Eating the palpitating heart of a mole. Sleeping with a wolf's tooth under your pillow. Communicating with angels through a crystal ball. In the 16th and 17th centuries, people had many cunning methods for predicting the future. Historian Martha McGill shares some extraordinary stories of early modern divination with Ellie Cawthorne, from fraudulen…

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Giuseppe Garibaldi: life of the week 40:41

2M ago40:41

40:41

He led one of history's most celebrated guerrilla campaigns, showed remarkable political acumen, and drove aristocratic English women wild. Is it any wonder that Giuseppe Garibaldi is one of the towering figures of Europe's 19th century? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, David Laven relays the thrills and spills of the great romantic hero o…

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A day in the life of a gladiator 33:31

2M ago33:31

33:31

If we were to step back in time on to the blood-soaked sand of the Roman gladiatorial arena, what would we uncover about society, power and entertainment in the ancient civilisation? Speaking to Rachel Dinning, historian Harry Sidebottom guides us through 24 hours in the arena, revealing what life was really like for the gladiators that fought ther…