MERRY CHRISTMAS! And what could be more festive than talk of pious Christians finally overcoming their pagan occupiers by clever use of marrying enemy Earls, raising a kick-arse nephew and stealing a corpse in the name of patriotism. 

Featuring:

Æthelflæd https://en.wikipedia.org/Æthelflæd

Tom Holland  

She's Irish, Spanish, American and Mistress to the King of Bavaria married 3 times, Dancer, actress, lecturer, author and murderer? Iszi thinks so. Doug Segal isn't so sure. Meet Lola Montez AKA Eliza Rosanna Gilbert AKA Countess of Landsfeld... she has had more names than husbands.

Massive apologies for the sound...

This is not a very Z List episode if you are already a Basketball fan  but I'm guessing, not many of us history nerds are... Steve Cross is tho! He explains the magic formula to inventing a world-popular sport. (And it is more than just a random number generator with a soap opera attached.. but not that much more!)...

What has Pears Soap, a soprano, bell ringing orphans, a lesbian affair, ritual dowsing, litigation and a Monkey called Mr Titileehee have to do with the advancement of women's rights? Author, actor, comedian, hero Emma Kennedy will tell you from the BP Lecture Theatre at The British Museum and her very own back garden....

How do 6 stolen boots, a snake and drawing lots result in a man being eaten? Welcome to the horrible tale of Alexander Pearce 1790-1824. Who would eat humans... even when he strictly didn't 'need' to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pearce

Alice Fraser is a comedian and podcaster (Tea with Alice) www.