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Sunday Post: Jane Austen at Home with Laura Porter

This week, we take a break from my articles about my Hadrian's Wall trip to go with Laura Porter to the home of Britain's literary titan, Jane Austen, who is…

Hadrian’s Wall vs. the Camino: Two Long-Distance Walkers Compare Notes with SplashMaps

Jonathan does something different this week. Having finally walked the Hadrian's Wall Path coast to coast earlier this year, he sits down with David Overton of Splash Maps — who…
46:44

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November – A History of The Gunpowder Plot for Americans with Historian Rebecca Rideal

Remember, remember the fifth of November — and then try explaining to an American why a country celebrates a failed act of terrorism with fireworks and toffee apples. Historian Rebecca…
44:15

Sunday Post: Where Edward the Longshanks Died and Lay in at the Edge of the World

This week, we visit St Michael's, Burgh-by-Sands: a fortified church built from a Roman fort, at the edge of England, where the Hammer of the Scots lay in state.

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What’s On in London in November 2026 – Bonfires, New Museum, Christmas Lights, and Autumn Joy

November might be the most underrated month in London's calendar, and this year it has the biggest museum opening in years. The London Museum opens at Smithfield on 28 November…
42:31

All the Queen’s Men: Elizabeth I and Courtship as Foreign Policy With Historian Sophie Shorland

Historian Sophie Shorland returns to the podcast — last time for The Lost Queen, her book on Catherine of Braganza, the forgotten queen who helped bring tea to Britain…
39:15

Your November British streaming calendar is here

Hello,

The November "What's British on Streaming" calendar is attached — two pages, ready to print, or keep it on your phone and stop wondering what's on.

Page one is…

Sunday Post: Lie Down and Look Up - Visiting The Last Room Charles I Walked Through to His Death

A rainy afternoon at Banqueting House, the last of the lost Palace of Whitehall and the one room in the world where Rubens's ceiling still hangs where he meant it…

Strictly Jane Austen Episode 6: The King of Bath – Beau Nash – The Man Who Talked an Entire City Into Existence

This is part of a special Jane Austen series, sponsored throughout by Strictly Jane Austen.
It is one of Jonathan's favorite kinds of story: the man who talks an entire…
58:07

The Church in the Middle of a Field Next to Hadrian's Wall With a 1500 Year History



This week, I share the story of one of the most interesting places I came across on my walk across England - Heavenfield, St Oswald's Church, and a thirteen-hundred-year-old pilgrimage…

I Walked Hadrian’s Wall Coast to Coast — Here’s What It Was Actually Like – Blisters, Meat Pies & Beautiful Countryside

Jonathan is finally ready to talk about it. After fifteen years of wanting to, a year of preparation and nine days of walking, he completed the Hadrian's Wall Path National…
1:20:42

Strictly Jane Austen Episode 5: America’s Love Affair with Jane Austen — One of Literature’s Strangest Romances

This is Episode 5 of a special six-part Jane Austen series, sponsored throughout by Strictly Jane Austen.

It is, when you stop to think about it, one of the strangest…
58:24

Strictly Jane Austen Episode 4: The People Who Made Jane Austen — The Crowded World Behind Six Perfect Novels

This is Episode 4 of a special six-part Jane Austen series, sponsored throughout by Strictly Jane Austen.

We tend to imagine great writers alone — a solitary genius at a…
56:04

Sunday Post: The Room Behind the Balcony - Part 2



This week, we continue our exploration of the history of the most famous part of Buckingham Palace, the East Wing.

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What’s On in London in October 2026 — New Exhibitions, Half Term & What to Pack

Tomorrow is October 1st, which means it's time for the monthly What's On in London — and October might be Jonathan's single favorite month to be in the city. The…
20:53

Strictly Jane Austen Episode 3: Jane Austen’s England on Screen – A Location-by-Location Visitor’s Guide

This is Episode 3 of a special six-part Jane Austen series, sponsored throughout by Strictly Jane Austen.

When we picture Jane Austen's world, most of us aren't actually picturing Hampshire…
53:46

Sunday Post: How Buckingham Palace Got Its Famous Balcony - Part 1

This week, we begin a two-part series on my recent tour of Buckingham Palace. First, we cover the background on the Palace and how it ended up as the most…

Your October British TV Streaming calendar is here!

The October "What's British on Streaming" calendar is attached to this email — two pages, ready to print, or keep it on your phone and stop wondering what's on.

Page…

The Real Miss Moneypenny: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence With Dr. Claire Hubbard-Hall

If I say "British spy," you picture a man: James Bond, George Smiley, Kim Philby. And the one woman most people can name from that world is fictional — Miss…
1:01:46