

You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4
The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. In each episode of You’re Dead to Me from BBC Radio 4, Greg Jenner is joined by a comedian and an expert historian to learn and laugh about the past.
History isn’t just about dates and textbooks – it’s about extraordinary characters, amazing stories, and some very questionable fashion choices. How long did it take to build an Egyptian pyramid? What does the Bayeux Tapestry reveal about medieval life? Why did it take nearly half a millennium for Joan of Arc to become a saint? And was Catherine the Great really all that great? Whether you want to explore ancient landmarks like Stonehenge and Machu Picchu, dance through the history of Broadway and Bollywood, or find out how the Tudors rose to power, Greg and his guests promise to teach you something new that you won’t have heard in history lessons.
Previous episodes of You’re Dead To Me have covered everything from royals to revolutionaries, actors to activists and divas to dictators. Take a stroll through the history of high-heeled shoes or get the scoop on the history of ice cream. Maybe you’d like to paint like the cave artists of the Palaeolithic era, work out like a Victorian bodybuilder, or fight like a Spartan? We’ve even hosted a special, live episode with the BBC Concert Orchestra to explore the dramatic life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Whatever your historical interests, Greg and his guests make even the trickiest topics easy to follow. Join them for a history lesson that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening - with no homework required.
- 20 episodes
- Updated Friday
Episodes20
Friday · 59 min
July 24 · 59 minThe Iliad and Odyssey: heroic epics from ancient Greece
July 10 · 28 minEl Cid (Radio Edit)
July 3 · 28 minEmpress Dowager Cixi (Radio Edit)
June 26 · 28 minHistory of the Telephone (Radio Edit)
June 19 · 28 minHistory of Spices (Radio Edit)
June 12 · 28 minEpic of Gilgamesh (Radio Edit)
June 5 · 28 minHypatia of Alexandria (Radio Edit)
May 29 · 28 minGeoffrey Chaucer (Radio Edit)
May 22 · 28 minLena Horne (Radio Edit)
May 15 · 28 minPhilippe, Duc d’Orléans (Radio Edit)
May 8 · 28 minRenaissance Medicine (Radio Edit)
May 1 · 28 minEmperor Nero (Radio Edit)
April 24 · 28 minThe Terracotta Army (Radio Edit)
April 17 · 28 minMedieval Irish Folklore (Radio Edit)
April 10 · 58 minEl Cid: the life and legend of a medieval Spanish warrior
April 3 · 58 minEmpress Dowager Cixi: from concubine to ruler of China
March 27 · 55 minHistory of the Telephone: 150th anniversary special
March 20 · 57 minHistory of Spices: commerce, colonialism and culinary innovation
March 13 · 58 minEpic of Gilgamesh: myths and heroes in ancient Mesopotamia