Tony Robinson's Cunningcast

In this special collaborative episode, Tony Robinson sits down with Time Team’s Helen Geake for an immersive dive into ‘The House of Wolf’, his gripping new historical saga. Tony reveals how decades of archaeology, storytelling, and acting shaped the novel’s vivid world of Alfred the Great, political intrigue, and everyday Anglo-Saxon life. Together, they explore the magic of Time Team, the thrill of discovering traces of real people in the landscape, and why England has always been shaped by its ties to Europe. With the insight of an actor, the heart of a storyteller, and the mud-soaked experience of a field archaeologist, Tony reveals how real lives, real landscapes, and real discoveries shaped his most ambitious work yet.Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonProducer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzgWithDr. Helen Geake | timeteamdigital.com/the-team/helen-geakeHelen’s interest in archaeology was sparked partly by attending lecturers by Time Team’s Mick Aston. She studied at University College London and University of York, specialising in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. She has worked at Norwich Castle Museum, the Portable Antiquities Scheme, Cambridge University and the British Museum. Helen first joined Time Team in 1998, appearing periodically as our Anglo-Saxon expert, and more regularly from 2006 to 2010. She currently presents the Time Team podcast with Martyn Williams.Watch Time Team Here: timeteamdigital.com/Listen to the Time Team podcast here: podfollow.com/time-teamBuy 'The House of Wolf' here: shop.timeteamdigital.com/collections/books Follow us on our socials:Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast and TikTok @cunningcast-------If you enjoy this podcast, please follow us and leave us a rating or review.Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The third part of Tony’s chat with The Beatles biographer Ian Leslie, exploring the emotional and creative partnership between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. They discuss how Lennon’s 1966 “more popular than Jesus” remark shook him, how the Beatles abandoned touring for studio experimentation, and how Yoko Ono and Linda Eastman became catalysts for John and Paul pulling apart. Business conflicts, especially over management, deepened divisions even as the band continued producing remarkable work, culminating in Abbey Road. Despite a turbulent breakup, Lennon and McCartney slowly rebuilt a loose friendship before Lennon’s death, and the Beatles’ artistic legacy continues to shape modern music.Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonProducer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzgWithIan Leslie | www.ian-leslie.comIan Leslie is the author of acclaimed and bestselling books on human psychology and creativity which have been translated into over a dozen languages. Malcolm Gladwell describes him as “one of my favourite writers”. Ian has written for the Financial Times, the Economist, the New York Times, The Sunday Times, and the New Statesman, among others, covering everything from technology to politics to music.‘John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs’ | https://ian-leslie.com/johnandpaul/The New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Follow us on our socials:Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast and TikTok @cunningcast------- If you enjoy this podcast, please follow us and leave us a rating or review.Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part of Tony’s chat with Beatles biographer Ian Leslie, exploring how John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s unique and complex relationship shaped The Beatles. When Tony first heard ‘Love Me Do’ he was blown away by the new sound he was hearing, and he’s been a lifelong fan of The Beatles ever since. Today Tony and Ian are discussing the band’s internal dynamics, the emotional histories that shaped John and Paul, and how drugs influenced their relationship and songwriting, pushing it to new creative places. In ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, they fused John’s conceptual vision with Paul’s avant-garde techniques to produce something radically new: as Ian says, “John didn't want to write a song about a trip; he wanted to create something which is a trip.”Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonProducer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzgWithIan Leslie | www.ian-leslie.comIan Leslie is the author of acclaimed and bestselling books on human psychology and creativity which have been translated into over a dozen languages. Malcolm Gladwell describes him as “one of my favourite writers”. Ian has written for the Financial Times, the Economist, the New York Times, The Sunday Times, and the New Statesman, among others, covering everything from technology to politics to music.‘John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs’ | https://ian-leslie.com/johnandpaul/The New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Follow us on our socials:Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast and TikTok @cunningcast------- If you enjoy this podcast, please follow us and leave us a rating or review.Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year, alongside writing his own book, Tony was gripped by that of another writer - Ian Leslie’s ‘John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs’. Tony, who is a lifelong Beatles fan, has invited Ian onto Cunningcast to chat all about The Beatles. In Part 1 of this 3 Part mini-series, Ian and Tony explore how a shared adolescent intensity, mutual trauma, and obsessive love of music forged the unique and complex relationship between John and Paul that fuelled the Beatles’s extraordinary innovation. This is audible in songs such as We Can Work It Out and If I Fell, where harmonic complexity reflects their intertwined identities. They trace how the band's early experiences, especially in Hamburg, were transformative, exposing them to avant-garde influences, encouraging them to see themselves as artists, and blending silliness and Dada-like humour, which ultimately helped them discover who they were as a band. Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonProducer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzgWithIan Leslie | www.ian-leslie.comIan Leslie is the author of acclaimed and bestselling books on human psychology and creativity which have been translated into over a dozen languages. Malcolm Gladwell describes him as “one of my favourite writers”. Ian has written for the Financial Times, the Economist, the New York Times, The Sunday Times, and the New Statesman, among others, covering everything from technology to politics to music.‘John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs’ | https://ian-leslie.com/johnandpaul/ | The New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Follow us on our socials:Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast | TikTok @cunningcast-------If you enjoy this podcast, please follow us and leave us a rating or review.Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, Tony and his guests the veterinary scientist Daniel Mills and dog historian Stephanie Howard-Smith discuss how our attitudes towards dogs, and mourning their deaths, have evolved. We hear about the dog paintings of Edwin Landseer from Stephanie and how dogs read human emotions and 'love' us in their own way from Daniel. Together they discuss how growing empathy, affluence, and changing culture have transformed our bond with dogs from practical companionship to heartfelt connection, whose loss is deeply felt and openly mourned. As Stephanie says, ‘would it be heaven if your dog wasn’t there?’  Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, University of Lincoln | https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/researchatlincoln/meetourexperts/danielmills/ Daniel Mills is a leading UK-based veterinary behavioural medicine specialist at the University of Lincoln, recognised internationally for his work on companion animal behaviour, cognition, and welfare. He is known for his "psychobiological approach," which integrates psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural biology to understand and manage problem behaviours in animals. His research focuses on animal emotions and how this knowledge can improve human-animal relationships and working animal performance. Dr Stephanie Howard-Smith | https://www.instagram.com/doghistorian/Stephanie Howard-Smith is a historian of human-dog relations. Her research focuses on the role of lapdogs in British society and culture, including their representation in literature, visual arts, and material culture. She is also currently researching canine wellbeing in Georgian Britain. Her book: ‘Yap, A Short History of Small Dogs’ is due out next year. Follow us on our socials: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast and Tik Tok ------- If you enjoy this podcast, please follow us and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony is a great dog lover but sadly since he made ‘Do Our DOGS Really Love Us?’ In Series 1 he lost his beloved Holly-Berry, a rescue Westie. He has since tried another dog ‘adoption’ which didn’t work out so well, so today, Tony wants to explore how and why dogs have become the ‘perfect’ pets and our sentimental attachments to them in life and death. How and do we bond with our dogs, and why is it so difficult when we don’t?  In this 'dogcast', Tony is exploring humanity’s deep and complex relationship with dogs: from the ancient domestication of wolves to our modern emotional bonds with fashionable breeds with the veterinary behaviourist Prof Daniel Mills and Dr Stephanie Howard-Smith, a cultural historian of dogs and their humans. Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, University of Lincoln | www.lincoln.ac.uk/researchatlincoln/meetourexperts/danielmills/ Daniel is a leading veterinary behavioural medicine specialist at the University of Lincoln, recognised internationally for his work on companion animal behaviour, cognition, and welfare. He is known for his "psychobiological approach," which integrates psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural biology to understand and manage problem behaviours in animals. His research focuses on animal emotions and how this knowledge can improve human-animal relationships and working animal performance. Dr Stephanie Howard-Smith | www.instagram.com/doghistorian/Stephanie is a historian of human-dog relations. Her research focuses on the role of lapdogs in British society and culture, including their representation in literature, visual arts, and material culture. She is also currently researching canine wellbeing in Georgian Britain. Her book: ‘Yap, A Short History of Small Dogs’ is due out next year. Follow us on our socials: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast ------- If you enjoy this podcast, please follow the show and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of Tony’s favourite things going on at Sutton Hoo currently is the reconstruction of the world-famous Sutton Hoo burial ship which was discovered in Mound 1 in 1939 by the archaeologist Basil Brown. The ship is believed to be the grave of King Rædwald, the 7th Century Anglo-Saxon ruler of East Anglia.The Sutton Hoo Ships Company is a project based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, which is using an army of committed volunteers and some dedicated staff to reconstruct the ship, using the original archaeological evidence, traditional tools, and authentic materials to bring the ninety-foot ship back to life. Today leading Sutton Hoo archaeologist Professor Martin Carver, gives us a guided tour of the project.  Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With Professor Martin Carver | www.martincarver.com British archaeologist renowned for his work on early medieval Europe. After serving 15 years in the Royal Tank Regiment, he transitioned to archaeology, founding the Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit. He was Professor of Archaeology at the University of York (1986–2008) and led major excavations at Sutton Hoo in the 1980s.Martin is a director of The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company, which aims to build a full-size and seaworthy replica of the Anglo-Saxon ship found in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo | www.saxonship.orgVisit Sutton Hoo National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/sutton-hoo Watch Time Team, Sutton Hoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=risyQhRjwnw Follow us: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast ------- If you enjoy this podcast, please do share it and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Tony is digging up the secrets of Sutton Hoo, England’s iconic Anglo-Saxon royal burial site, with Professor Martin Carver, who led the 1980s excavations, and Laura Howarth, Archaeology and Engagement Manager at Sutton Hoo, National Trust. The 1939 dig by Basil Brown for landowner Edith Pretty, revealed the shape of a ship beneath a mound. It turned out to be a 7th-century royal ship burial filled with magnificent treasures: 'a poem written in objects', possibly belonging to King Rædwald. These included the now famous helmet and many other treasures originating from across Europe, Byzantium, and even as far as Sri Lanka.In the 1980s, Martin led further excavations, revealing a horse and warrior burial and even an execution cemetery, showing Sutton Hoo as an evolving political and spiritual landscape. Today excavations, in collaboration with Time Team, continue to reveal Sutton Hoo's secrets. As Laura says, “we’ll never know everything about Sutton Hoo, but each generation can look at it with fresh eyes.”Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With Professor Martin Carver | www.martincarver.com British archaeologist renowned for his work on early medieval Europe. After serving 15 years in the Royal Tank Regiment, Martin transitioned to archaeology, founding the Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit. He was Professor of Archaeology at the University of York (1986–2008) and led major excavations at Sutton Hoo and Portmahomack. Martin also edited the journal Antiquity (2002–2012) and is a Fellow of the British Academy. Martin is a director of The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company, which aims to build a full-size and seaworthy replica of the Anglo-Saxon ship found in Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo | www.saxonship.orgLaura Howarth | www.nationaltrust.org.uk Archaeology and Engagement Manager at National Trust, Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England. Laura combines archaeological expertise with public engagement, curating exhibitions, organising events, and managing educational activities to bring the site's rich history to life. Visit Sutton Hoo National Trust: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/sutton-hoo Watch Time Team, Sutton Hoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=risyQhRjwnw Follow us: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast------- If you enjoy this podcast please do share it and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Tony is diving beneath the surface of one of history’s most enduring legends: Atlantis. Joining him are maritime archaeologist and bestselling author, David Gibbins, and the writer Damian Le Bas. A life-long fascination with the Atlantis myth has shaped both their work. Together they explore the shifting meanings of Atlantis, from Plato’s parable to pop culture icon. They look at the political allegory of Plato’s story as a critique of imperialism, how Atlantis has been reinterpreted across history, and the metaphorical idea of Atlantis as a horizon of unknowing: both a physical and philosophical “beyond". Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With David Gibbins | www.davidgibbins.com/biography Maritime archaeologist and bestselling author, David’s twelve novels have sold over three million copies and are published in 30 languages. David’s been a passionate diver since boyhood and has led many expeditions to investigate historic shipwrecks and other underwater sites around the world, including the Mediterranean, Britain and Canada. His recent non-fiction book, ‘A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks’, represents a lifelong fascination with underwater archaeology and the place of ships and shipwrecks in world history. Damian Le Bas | IG @damianlebas Writer, filmmaker and visual artist. Damian’s first book ‘The Stopping Places’ won the Somerset Maugham Award, a Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award, and was shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year. In his second book ‘The Drowned Places’, Damian explores the meaning we find in sunken ruins around the world in this spellbinding love letter to diving. Follow us: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast ------- If you enjoy this podcast please do share it and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony has been lucky enough to dive all over the world, he’s even dived on the Titanic with the film director James Cameron. So today on Cunningcast, Tony’s exploring underwater history with David Gibbins, maritime archaeologist and author of A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks, and Damian Le Bas writer, filmmaker and author of The Drowned Places.Together they explore how shipwrecks are time capsules that reveal human stories and global connections, from the Bronze Age Dover Boat to the lavish Uluburun wreck off Turkey and the sunken pirate city of Port Royal, Jamaica. Symbols of past human endeavour, shipwrecks and sunken ruins become homes to underwater life, and are constantly changing, as Damian says, they represent an ‘accidental collaboration between humans and nature’.Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonProducer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzgWithDavid Gibbins | www.davidgibbins.com/biographyMaritime archaeologist and bestselling author, David’s twelve novels so far have sold over three million copies and are published in 30 languages. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow. David’s been a passionate diver since boyhood, and has led many expeditions to investigate historic shipwrecks and other underwater sites around the world, including the Mediterranean, Britain and Canada.His recent non-fiction book, ‘A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks’, represents a lifelong fascination with underwater archaeology and the place of ships and shipwrecks in world history.Damian Le Bas | IG @damianlebasWriter, filmmaker and visual artist. Damian’s first book ‘The Stopping Places’ won the Somerset Maugham Award, a Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award, and was shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year.In his second book ‘The Drowned Places’ Damian explores the meaning we find in sunken ruins around the world in this spellbinding love letter to diving.Follow us: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast ------- If you enjoy this podcast please do share it and leave us a rating or review.Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🎙️ Tony Robinson’s Cunningcast is back, with new episodes dropping Thursdays…Actor, presenter and author, Sir Tony Robinson is back with another series of his hit ‘history with a twist’ podcast. Throughout the series, the ‘eternally curious’ Sir Tony combines his unique blend of wit, brains, and humour, with his passion for popular history to explore a new selection of his cunningly curated histories with a line-up of expert guests. ➕ Follow Cunningcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts now to hear Tony and his guests explore fantastic new topics, including: 🪨 New discoveries at STONEHENGE🇷🇺 Who is Vladimir PUTIN and what makes him tick?🪏Uncovering the mysteries of SUTTON HOO⚓️ In search of SHIPWRECKS and SUNKEN CITIES✍️ Who wrote the BIBLE?👑 Tony’s book tie-in special on ALFRED THE GREATNo subject is off limits... because everything has a history.🎙️ Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | IG @sirtonyrobinson 📻 Produced by Melissa FitzGerald I X @melissafitzg X: @cunningcastpodInstagram: @cunningcastpodYoutube @Cunningcast  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we bring you a bonus episode on Vladimir Putin, digging deeper into who he really is and what makes him tick.Tony and his expert guests Mark Galeotti and Anna Arutunyan unpick the man from the myth. They discuss how Putin is a pragmatic, cautious leader, shaped more by circumstance than by ideology, as Anna says, “he is very much driven by the needs of the moment, and this is why you'll see very different iterations of Putin throughout his rule. He was not always this quasi-imperialist that we see today.” Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With Mark Galiotti | X @MarkGaleotti Honorary professor at UCL and director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence, Mark has been studying Russia since 1988 and was banned indefinitely from it in 2022.‘Downfall: Putin, Prigozhin, and the fight for the future of Russia’ (Ebury/Penguin, June 2024)'We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West gets him wrong' (Penguin, 2019) Anna Arutunyan | X @scrawnya Russian-American writer who spent two decades as a journalist in Moscow, where she wrote for The Moscow News and other publications around the world. She served as senior Russia analyst for the International Crisis Group before leaving Russia in 2022 and is the author of five books about the country, its politics, society and its wars. She is currently associate director of Mayak Intelligence and lives in the UK. ‘Rebel Russia: Dissent and Protest from the Tsars to Navalny' (Polity Books, May 2025)‘The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia’s Power Cult’ (Interlink Books, 2014)Follow us: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast -------If you enjoy this podcast please do share it and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vladimir Putin casts a shadow over our lives, but it wasn’t always that way, there was a time when the West was in love with Putin, so what’s happened? Today Tony and his guests Mark Galeotti and Anna Arutunyan unpick the man from the myth.They discuss how Putin was shaped by a tough childhood in Leningrad, his KGB years and formative time in East Germany, how he rose through the political ranks in the 1990s as a ‘everyone’s favourite bag-man’, until he was hand-picked to be Yeltsin’s successor. At first President Putin restored order and wealth to a chaotic Russia, but he also built a system of fear and cronyism around him, similar to a Medieval court. They argue that once he could have been remembered as a stabiliser, instead he is now viewed as a paranoid strongman, whose need for control has dragged Russia into repression and conflict.Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg With Mark Galiotti | X @MarkGaleotti Honorary professor at UCL and director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence, Mark has been studying Russia since 1988 and was banned indefinitely from it in 2022.‘Downfall: Putin, Prigozhin, and the fight for the future of Russia’ (Ebury/Penguin, June 2024)'We Need to Talk About Putin: How the West gets him wrong' (Penguin, 2019) Anna Arutunyan | X @scrawnya Russian-American writer who spent two decades as a journalist in Moscow, where she wrote for The Moscow News and other publications around the world. She served as senior Russia analyst for the International Crisis Group before leaving Russia in 2022 and is the author of five books about the country, its politics, society and its wars. She is currently associate director of Mayak Intelligence and lives in the UK. ‘Rebel Russia: Dissent and Protest from the Tsars to Navalny' (Polity Books, May 2025)‘The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia’s Power Cult’ (Interlink Books, 2014)Follow us: Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast -------If you enjoy this podcast please do share it and leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we bring you a bonus episode on Stonehenge, digging deeper into the mysteries of the world’s best-known ancient stone circle.Tony speaks to leading archeologist Mike Parker Pearson and top geologist Jane Evans about Stonehenge’s altar stone, once thought to come from Wales, which is now believed, through zircon analysis, to have originated in northeast Scotland, linking it to wider Neolithic traditions such as Orkney’s architecture and pottery. They also discuss how dating methods have transformed our understanding of Stonehenge and how it uniquely brings together stones from extraordinary distances, perhaps as an attempt to unify Britain’s peoples.Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonWithMike Parker PearsonProfessor of British Later Prehistory, University College London | @uclJane EvansHonorary Professor in archaeology at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester and Honorary Research Associate at the British Geological Survey | @britgeosurveyProducer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzgFollow us:Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcastIf you enjoyed this episode please do share it and leave us a review.Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cunningcast is back and Tony is kicking off his new series with one of his favourite subjects, Stonehenge, where new discoveries show that once again this ancient site is throwing up new evidence. Tony has invited his old friend, leading archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson, to discuss the Altar Stone's Scottish origins and its implications for understanding the monument's significance.Also joining the chat is top geologist Jane Evans, whose new research has revealed the fascinating story of an ancient cow's journey from Wales to Stonehenge. Through isotope analysis, Jane has uncovered insights about the Stonehenge cow's diet and origins, leading to broader implications about our ancient communities and their interactions.Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinsonProducer: Melissa FitzGerald With Mike Parker Pearson Professor of British Later Prehistory, University College London. He specialises in British and European prehistory from the Neolithic to the Iron Age; Stonehenge and the British Neolithic; the Beaker people of Bronze Age Europe; the archaeology of the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides); the archaeology of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean; the archaeology of death and burial; public archaeology and heritage. Parker Pearson, M. 2023. Stonehenge: a brief history. London: Bloomsbury Publishing | https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781350192263 Parker Pearson, M., Bevins, R.I., Bradley, R., Ixer, R.E., Pearce, N.J.G. and Richards, C. 2024. ‘Stonehenge and its Altar Stone: the significance of distant stone sources’. Archaeology International 27: 113–37 | https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/article/id/3293/ Professor Jane Evans Geologist whose early career focused on using isotope methods for dating rocks. She later turned her expertise toward archaeology, pioneering the use of isotopes to study past human migration. Now retired, she holds honorary professorships in archaeology at the Universities of Nottingham and Leicester and is an Honorary Research Associate at the British Geological Survey. Throughout her career, Jane has used the chemical signatures preserved in human remains to reveal where people came from and how they moved across landscapes. Her work has been central to major discoveries — from uncovering stories at Stonehenge and identifying Viking remains near Weymouth, to contributing to the investigation of King Richard III. Evans, J., Pashley, V., Wagner, D., Savickaite, K., Buckley, M., Madgwick, R. and Parker Pearson, M. In press. Sequential multi-isotope sampling through a Bos taurus tooth to assess comparative sources in strontium and lead. Journal of Archaeological Science | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440325001189Follow us:Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Announcing the launch of Season 3 of Tony Robinson’s Cunningcast on Thursday 11th September. Follow us on social media and wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you don't miss it! Series 3 will treat listeners to brand-new episodes covering: ·   New discoveries at STONEHENGE·   Who is Vladimir PUTIN and what makes him tick?·   Uncovering the mysteries of SUTTON HOO·   In search of SHIPWRECKS and SUNKEN CITIES·   Who wrote the BIBLE?·   Tony’s book tie-in special on ALFRED THE GREAT ….And many more fantastic subjects, changing the way we see history. X: @cunningcastpodInstagram: @cunningcastpodYoutube @Cunningcast Hosted by Sir Tony RobinsonX | Instagram Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald X @melissafitzg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In advance of the new series of his cunningly curated history podcast, coming soon, Tony looks back at the best bits of Cunningcast Series 2 with series producer Melissa FitzGerald.  Series 2 features fabulous episodes about Tattoos, Bones, Jelly, Magic, Cars, Beards, Bletchley Park, Hadrians Wall, Turnips, Dr Who and more with some incredible guests including: Alice Roberts, David Mitchell, Grace Neutral, Ben Elton, Annie Gray, Richard Curtis and Sophie Aldred.If you like these best bits but haven’t heard the full episodes, have a wander back on our #Cunningcast feed to check them out.Follow us on our socials and hit follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you don't miss any new episodes of Cunningcast Series 3 coming soon...Instagram: @cunningcastpodX: @cunningcastpodYouTube @CunningcastpodHosted by Sir Tony RobinsonX | Instagram@SirTonyRobinsonSeries Producer: Melissa FitzGerald X | Instagram@melissafitzg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another chance to hear a Cunningcast Christmas treat: Tony reading his favourite poem ‘Goblin Market’ by Christina Rossetti. He's discussing the context and history of Rossetti’s iconic work with Madeleine Callaghan, Senior Lecturer in Romantic Literature at the University of Sheffield. In his electrifying reading, Tony captures all the magic and strangeness of ‘Goblin Market’, set in a fairy-tale world where a fraught encounter takes place between the two sisters Laura and Lizzie and a band of sinister goblin merchants who tempt Laura with their ‘forbidden fruits’. Can Lizzie save her sister from the evil Goblin’s temptations? Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson X | Instagram With Madeleine Callaghan, Senior Lecturer in Romantic Literature at the University of Sheffield. Author of ‘Shelley’s Living Artistry: Letters, Poems, Plays’ (2017) and ‘The Poet-Hero in the Work of Byron and Shelley’ (2019) published by Anthem Press. ‘Eternity in British Romantic Poetry’ (Liverpool University Press), June 2022. www.sheffield.ac.uk/english/people/academic-staff/madeleine-callaghan Credits:  Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald X @melissafitzg Executive Producer: Dominic de Terville Cover Art: The Brightside A Zinc Media Group production Follow: X @cunningcastpod Instagram @cunningcastpod If you enjoyed my podcast, please leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark Dementia Acton Week, Tony is bringing you a special episode dedicated to the past, present and future of this difficult disease with his expert guest Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society. Dementia the UK’s number one killer, 1 in 3 people will develop dementia in their lifetime and yet most of us don’t know a great deal about it. But this is a defining year in the history of Alzheimer’s with two new drugs: Lecanemab and Donanemab which have been found, for the first time ever, to slow the progression of the disease.  Hosted by Sir Tony RobinsonWithFiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society. X @alzheimersoc | FB @alzheimers society | IG @alzheimerssocIf you’re worried about yourself, or someone close to you, then check your symptoms today using Alzheimer’s Society’s symptom checklist. Visit alzheimers.org.uk/checklist or call the Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456Follow: X @cunningcastpod Instagram @cunningcastpod YouTube @Cunningcast Credits:  Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald X @melissafitzg Executive Producer: Dominic de Terville Cover Art: The Brightside A Zinc Media Group production If you enjoyed my podcast, please leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Elton is on Cunningcast today.  Ben was the co-writer on Blackadder Series 2, 3 and 4: they talk about Ben's comedy roots, working on The Young Ones with Rik and Ade and how Ben got the Blackadder gig via a near miss TV sitcom about Madness. They also chew over the highs and lows of working on Blackadder and how Ben and Richard Curtis created 'Adder speak'.Alongside Blackadder, Ben Elton cut his comedy chops on The Young Ones. He’s a stand-up legend on stage and TV and one of Britain's biggest live comedy acts. His stellar CV includes writing an incredible 17 novels, as well as the hit musicals ‘The Beautiful Game’; ‘We Will Rock You’ and the sequel to ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.Last year Blackadder turned 40, to mark the occasion, Tony made a TV show in which he tracked down the lost Blackadder pilot to discover the truth of Blackadder's beginnings. For the show, Tony interviewed many old friends and people who are central to making Blackadder the success it was. You are hearing Tony’s unedited, behind the scenes chat with Ben Elton, recorded for the programme. The show is called Blackadder: The Lost Pilot and you can watch it on catch up on Sky, Virgin & Now.Hosted by Sir Tony RobinsonX | InstagramWithBen Elton | https://benelton.live/ Credits:  Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald X @melissafitzg Executive Producer: Dominic de Terville Blackadder: The Lost Pilot is produced by Red Sauce A Zinc Media Group production Follow: X @cunningcastpod Instagram @cunningcastpod YouTube @cunningcast If you enjoyed my podcast, please leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.