BBC Radio 4 · History

You're Dead to Me

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.

Episodes

New: The Hitler Diaries Scandal (from The History Podcast)

13 Oct 2026

10m

Scottish Supernatural Beliefs: witches, ghosts and fairies in the early modern period

09 Oct 2026

58m

Special Episode: 1066 and the Battle of Hastings

02 Oct 2026

1h 2m

Medieval Korea: from the Goryeo to Joseon periods

25 Sep 2026

1h 0m

AI processed

Medieval Korea, spanning the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties from 918 to the 1590s, established a centralized, Confucian-influenced society that persisted for centuries. The national origin myth features a bear and a tiger competing to become human through a trial of garlic and wormwood, reflecting deep-seated cultural nar...

Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti fundamentally disrupted 14th-century BCE Egypt by abandoning traditional polytheism in favor of the monotheistic worship of the sun disc, the Aten. This radical shift included the construction of a new capital city, Akhetaten, in the barren desert, which was later abandoned and sys...