Travels Through Time

Helen Carr: The Red Prince (1381)

Civil unrest, a deadly sickness and trouble in the north? We’re visiting the year 1381 in this episode to examine a dramatic moment in ‘the calamitous fourteenth century.’ Our guide is the historian Helen Carr, author of a newly released biography of John of Gaunt - The Red Prince, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.
John of Gaunt is a compelling figure. He was the son of Edward III, uncle of Richard II, Father of Henry IV and progenitor of the Tudor dynasty. Gaunt lived his life, as Carr explains, against some of the most challenging circumstances in English history.
Helen Carr is an historian of the Fourteenth Century and author of The Red Prince: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (April 2021) and What is History, Now? (September 2021).
As ever, much, much more about this episode is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com.
Show notes
Scene One: June London, Wat Tyler and thousands of rebels arrive in London, where they are joined by disgruntled locals and go on a rampage through they city. Their main target is John of Gaunt’s sumptuous home, the Savoy Palace, which they break into and annihilate – theft is not part of their plan, just destruction.
Scene Two: June Berwick on Tweed. Fortunately for him, John of Gaunt, was far away in Berwick on the Scottish border at this time, negotiating a truce. When he heard the terrible news from London, and the rumours that a huge peasant army was on its way north to find him, he ordered his numerous castles to be stocked up.
Scene Three: August the Scottish Borders. John of Gaunt is left hanging for weeks by his young nephew Richard II, awaiting word that he can return to his lands in the south and regain his authority. Percy, the most powerful northern Earl, takes advantage of John’s vulnerability and refuses to give him shelter.
Memento: One of John of Gaunt’s luxurious tapestries that hung in the Savoy Palace before it was destroyed by the rebels. 
People/Social
Presenter: Violet Moller
Guest: Helen Carr
Production: Maria Nolan
Podcast partner: Colorgraph
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Roland Philipps: Mathilde Carré, ‘La Chatte’ (1940)

Roland Philipps takes us to France on the eve of occupation. We follow the shifting fortunes of an extraordinary female double agent - Mathilde Carré, ‘La Chatte’ - whose life embodies the moral ambiguity of this period of French history.
Mathilde story – as told in our guest today’s latest book, Victoire: A Wartime Story of Resistance, Collaboration and Betrayal – illustrates the dark complexities of life in Vichy France. She was neither a perfect French patriot, nor a heartless traitor. What she was, however, was a survivor. 
Roland Philipps was a leading publisher for many years. His first book, A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald Maclean, was published in 2018. 
As ever, much, much more about this episode – including contemporary photographs of Vichy France and Mathilde - is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com.
Show notes
Scene One: 17th June 1940.  The Loire.  France is collapsing in the face of the Wehrmacht’s lightning war, millions are fleeing Paris and the north in ‘the Exodus’, amongst them Mathilde Carré, who has left her nursing station and is following the war south, outraged at what she sees as the cowardice of her country.
Scene Two: Mid-September 1940.  Toulouse.  The Vichy government is in place and France is divided between the occupied and non-occupied zones. Despair of Mathilde, about to commit suicide when she decides to become ‘a second Joan of Arc’.
Scene Three: 14th November 1940. Paris. Mathilde Carré arrives in Paris to found the Interallié intelligence network with Roman Czerniawski.
Memento: Mathilde’s ‘Spy’s Handbook’
People/Social
Presenter: Artemis Irvine
Guest: Roland Philipps
Production: Maria Nolan
Podcast partner: Colorgraph
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Ross King: The Bookseller of Florence (1434)

Even in their own time the people of fifteenth-century Florence realised that they were living in a ‘Golden Age.’ In this episode we travel back to the year 1434 to meet some of the magical city’s most fascinating characters – among them, the young bookseller, Vespasiano da Bisticci.
Our guide for this episode is the New York Times bestselling historian Ross King, author of Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling.
Vespasiano da Bisticci is the hero of King’s latest book, The Bookseller of Florence: Vespasiano da Bisticci and the manuscripts that illuminated the Renaissance.
As ever, much, much more about this episode – including a contemporary map of Florence and images of the key characters - is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com.
Show notes
Scene One: February, Vespasiano da Bisticci begins work in the bookshop of Michele Guardini.
Scene Two: June Pope Eugenius IV arrives in the city having fled Rome in terror for his life.
Scene Three: Cosimo de’Medici returns to Florence after a year-long exile in Venice.
Memento: The manuscript copy of Cicero’s Letters to Friends produced in Vespasiano’s workshop for the Hungarian scholar Janus Pannonius.
People/Social
Presenter: Violet Moller
Guest: Ross King
Production: Maria Nolan
Podcast partner: Colorgraph
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James McAuley: The House of Fragile Things (1942)

The Fall of France in the summer of 1940 upended many lives. One of those who lost their status and safety was the wealthy Jewish heiress, Béatrice de Camondo.
In this episode James McAuley tells Béatrice's tragic story, a story that ultimately ended with her deportation east to Auschwitz. Along the way he explains the early twentieth century world that Béatrice came from: a world of art, style and grace.
Looking back at the art collections that once belonged to Jewish families like the de Camondo, McAuley questions the meaning of them. What were these collections for? What do they tell us about the people that assembled them now that they have gone? 
As ever, much, much more about this episode – including a fascinating colourised image of Nissim de Camondo, Béatrice's elder brother - is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com.
James McAuley is the Paris Correspondent of the Washington Post. His debut book, The House of Fragile Things, is newly published by Yale University Press.
Show Notes
Scene One: 16 July, 1942. Paris. The Vel d’Hiv roundup of Parisian Jews.
Scene Two: 5 September, 1942. The forest of Ermonville. Béatrice de Camondo writes a letter to a childhood friend.
Scene Three: The night of December 5, 1942. Neuilly-sur-Seine. Béatrice de Camondo arrested with her daughter, Fanny.
Memento: The library of Theodore Reinach at the Villa Kerylos, ransacked by the Gestapo during the War.
People/Social
Presenter: Peter Moore
Guest: James McAuley
Reading: Nadia Fontaine
Producer: Maria Nolan
Titles: Jon O
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Simon Scarrow: Blackout Berlin (1939)

In Berlin the winter of 1939/40 was bitterly cold. People were full of anxiety for what the future held. In this episode the Number One Bestselling novelist Simon Scarrow takes us on a fascinating walking tour of the Nazi capital to see three of its most revealing buildings.
We have two hardback copies of Simon Scarrow’s Blackout to give away to our listeners. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these is "like" our Facebook page. (deadline Sun 28 March 2021 - winner notified by message)
As ever, much, much more about this episode – including a period map of Berlin that shows the three locations, and a range of contemporary photographs - is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com
Show notes
Scene One: Anhalter station – December 1939 – Dusk
Scene Two: Reich Main Security Office – December - Day
Scene Three: Hotel Adlon -December - Evening
Memento: A propaganda poster
People/Social
Presenter: Peter Moore
Guest: Simon Scarrow
Producers: Maria Nolan
Titles: Jon O
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Shrabani Basu: Arthur Conan Doyle’s Crusade (1907)

Few crimes can be said to be as sinister and perplexing as the ‘Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer.’ In this episode the journalist and Sunday Times bestselling author, Shrabani Basu, takes us back to the dramatic plot of a crime that captivated Edwardian Britain and involved the creator of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
To WIN a hardback copy of Shrabani Basu's The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer, all you have to do is "like" our Facebook page. (deadline Sun 21 March 2021 - winner notified by message)
As ever, much, much more about this episode - including photographs of the Edaljis, a colourised image of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a map of the location of Great Wyrley - is to be found at our website tttpodcast.com
Show notes
Scene One: January 1907: Arthur Conan Doyle makes a trip to Great Wyrley and visits the scene of crime. He visits the vicarage, the locals and his last stop is at the house of Captain Anson.
Scene Two: Shortly after. George Edalji gets a free pardon after ACD's piece is published in the Daily Telegraph. But he is not given any compensation, which leaves ACD incensed. He decides to reveal the true identity of the Wyrley Ripper. The game is afoot.
Scene Three: September 1907. ACD is on his honeymoon. A crucial lead comes through. He feels he has solved the mystery and has the final proof. But does he?
Memento: George Edjali’s coat.
People/Social
Presenter: Peter Moore
Guest: Shrabani Basu
Producers: Maria Nolan
Titles: Jon O
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Margarette Lincoln: The Glorious Revolution (1688)

The historian Margarette Lincoln takes us back to 1688 - an oddly neglected year in English history - to see the Glorious Revolution play out in three telling scenes.
In London there's tension, riots, a royal escape and a surprise invasion. Brought together, they combine change the political and religious character of the nation.
The storylines and characters that appear in this episode feature in Lincoln's new book, London and the Seventeenth Century, which is recently issued in hardback by Yale University Press.
For much, much more, as ever, head to our website: tttpodcast.com
Show notes
Scene One: 29 June Westminster Hall, a packed courtroom as seven bishops are put on trial for refusing to carry out the King’s demands.
Scene Two: 10 December, James II flees London leaving chaotic scenes of anti-Catholic rioting and fires behind him.
Scene Three: 18 December, the forces of William of Orange enter London, as part of the peaceful transfer of power.
Memento: One of King William III’s spurs – because it is ambiguous, it could symbolize progress – spurring the nation into a new phase, but could also suggest cruelty – the new regime would be imposed by military force in Ireland and Scotland.
People/Social
Presenter: Violet Moller
Guest: Margarette Lincoln
Production: Maria Nolan
Podcast partner: Colorgraph
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Mary Hollingsworth: Charles V in Italy (1530)

In this sweeping tour of Renaissance century Italy, Mary Hollingsworth takes us to see the most powerful figure of the age: the King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, the Lord of the Netherlands and the soon-to-be-crowned Holy Roman Emperor - Charles V.
To WIN a hardback copy of Mary Hollingsworth's beautifully designed and written new book, Princes of the Renaissance, just 'like' our new Facebook page.
For much, much more, as ever, head to our website: tttpodcast.com
Show notes
Scene One: Bologna, 24 February 1530, Pope Clement VII crowns Charles V as the Holy Roman Emperor, the last Pope to do so, marking the end of an 800-year tradition that stretched back to Charlemagne.
Scene Two: Mantua, 2 April 1530. Charles V is staying with Federigo Gonzaga at his beautiful court, they play a game of real tennis before sitting down in the great dining hall surrounded by Guilio Romano’s erotic frescos to enjoy an elaborate banquet.
Scene Three: Florence, 15 April 1530 (Good Friday). Imperial forces surround the city of Florence, leaving just one access point into the city at Empoli. Inside the gates, the situation is getting more desperate, food supplies are very low, but the spirit of the Florentine Republicans remains undimmed.
Memento: A piece of Florentine plaster daubed with the words “Poor but Free!”
Further reading: Geoffrey Parker, Emperor: A New Life of Charles V, 2019 (Yale University Press)
People/Social
Presenter: Violet Moller
Guest: Mary Hollingsworth
Production: Maria Nolan
Podcast partner: Colorgraph
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Philip Stephens: Britain Alone (1962)

In this episode the author and journalist Philip Stephens takes us back to a crucial month in post-war British politics. December 1962, he explains, set Britain’s relationship with the rest of the world for the next half century.
Featuring in this episode is the elderly British prime minister, Harold Macmillan; the charismatic US president John F Kennedy; and the trenchant French statesman Charles de Gaulle. In this one month these three men would set out their contrasting visions of what kind of country Britain would be.
The scenes, characters and storylines in this episode of Travels Through Time all feature in Philip Stephen’s new book, Britain Alone: the path from Suez to Brexit (Faber)
For much, much more, including the chance to win a hardback copy of Britain Alone and to see a fascinating colourised picture of JFK, head to our website: tttpodcast.com
Show Notes
Scene One: 5 December 1962. Dean Acheson’s speech to the cadets of the Military Academy at West Point, New York.
Scene Two: 15 December. Macmillan's visit to Rambouillet to meet with Charles de Gaulle.
Scene Three: 19 December 1962. Macmillan travels to the Bahamas to meet President John F Kennedy.
Memento: The text for Dean Acheson’s ‘West Point Speech.’
People/Social
Presenter: Peter Moore
Guest: Philip Stephens
Producers: Maria Nolan
Titles: Jon O
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Juliet Nicolson: Frostquake (1963)

In Britain the winter of 1962/3 was astonishingly cold. The snow began to fall on Boxing Day and it did not thaw until Easter. In this episode the writer Juliet Nicolson takes us back to this white, frosty world.
Against a backdrop of snow and ice Nicolson describes the personal stories that were playing out at that time. There was the desperation of Sylvia Plath in London, the magical music of the Beatles in Liverpool and the political shock of the Profumo Affair.
In this episode Nicolson evokes all these stories and she also takes us back inside her primary school, where she was being taught by the most wonderful English literature teacher imaginable.
The scenes, characters and themes discussed in this episode all feature in Juliet Nicolson's new book, Frostquake, which is newly-published in hardback.
For much, much more, including a fascinating colourised picture of the snow in 1963, head to our website: tttpodcast.com
Show Notes
Scene One: January 1963. Juliet Nicolson’s school in London
Scene Two: 12th February, 1963. The McCann’s sitting room in Oldham after the Beatles concert at the Astoria ballroom
Scene Three: 22nd March 1963. Public Gallery in the House of Commons
Memento: The contemporary notes made by Penelope Fitzgerald for her novel  ‘Offshore’
People/Social
Presenter: Peter Moore
Guest: Juliet Nicolson
Producers: Maria Nolan
Titles: Jon O
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Podcast Partner: ColorGraph
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