PODCASTS/AUDIOBOOKS

Philippa Gregory’s Normal Women Various platforms, review by Yvette Huddleston

Novelist and historian Phillippa Gregory’s new eight-part podcast series has been launched to coincide with the publication of her book Normal Women which puts previously unknown women who have been ‘hidden from history’ centre stage. These are stories of ordinary women doing extraordinary things. Gregory brings together historians as well as guests who bring their own contemporary perspective to the discussion. In the opening episode she is joined by historian Sheila Rowbotham and Dame Louise Casey to discuss women who led strikes, protests and rebellions . Future contributors include former Spice Girl and children’s author Geri Halliwell-Homer and bestselling novelist and founder of the Women in History Campaign Kate Mosse.

Being Roman with Mary Beard BBC Sounds, review by Yvette Huddleston

In her new six-part series, acclaimed classicist Mary Beard explores what life was really like in the Roman empire. Featuring a different character in each episode – from a slave to an emperor – Beard really gets beneath the many cliches and preconceptions to present a real, human story of Europe’s greatest empire. In the opening episode she focuses on Marcus Aurelius – emperor, warrior and philosopher. As portrayed by the late Richard Harris in the hit movie Gladiator ,he was a great leader of men but, as Beard discovers, he was much more complicated and interesting than his image in popular culture. The record of persecution under his rule demonstrates that he was just as au fait with brutal violence as with stoic philosophy.

Death of a Codebreaker BBC Sounds, review by Yvette Huddleston

In the summer of 2010, a talented young Welsh mathematician who was working as a codebreaker for GCHQ, MI6 and the intelligence services was found dead in the bathroom of his London flat. He was zipped inside a holdall bag, which had no fingerprints on it. In this six-part series Sian Williams investigates this still unsolved case. In the opening episode she goes over what we know about the unusual nature and circumstances of Gareth Williams’ death. From the beginning the police have been puzzled by the central question of the case – how could his body have ended up in a relatively small bag? Sian Williams’s investigations include speaking to two people who have attempted to zip themselves into a similar sized holdall.

Shakespeare’s Rival BBC Sounds, review by Yvette Huddleston

Young Elizabethan playwright Robert Greene was a gifted writer who penned 35 innovative works in his short career. He was also the originator of the insult ‘upstart crow’ which he used to describe his much more successful rival William Shakespeare. Prior to Shakespeare’s arrival on the scene, Greene had been very much the man of the moment – he had written plays for the Queen’s Men, sold numerous popular pamphlets and was in effect a bestseller of the time. By the time of his death at the age of 34 in 1592 his star had waned. Professor Nandini Das explores Greene’s life and work, looks at the challenges he faced and asks how different English theatre might have been had he lived longer.