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Celebrate the start of a new season as stars of the men’s and women’s game join us at Kingsholm for a special evening exploring the remarkable history of the Cherry and Whites.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

The Roman army established a fortress at Gloucester in the first century AD, creating a defensive line that shaped the city for centuries and still defines its streets today. In a brand new illustrated talk, City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong follows Gloucester’s walls from their Roman origins through Saxon, Norman and medieval expansion to their defiant role during the Civil War siege of 1643. He also explores how recent archaeological discoveries have revealed intriguing new information about Gloucester’s ancient walls.

£14 / £7 Livestreamed

In 927, King Aethelstan conquered Viking York and secured the submission of Britain’s rulers at Eamont Bridge, a crowning achievement that created the first united kingdom of England. As its 1,100th anniversary approaches, acclaimed historian and broadcaster Michael Wood explores Aethelstan’s extraordinary life from birth to death. In a dazzling new talk, he offers fresh insights into England’s forgotten founder king, reveals Gloucester’s important place in his story and considers the challenges of writing an early medieval biography.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

Penny Mordaunt’s sword-carrying role at the Coronation of King Charles III became one of the ceremony’s defining images. Now the former Leader of the House of Commons explores the history of Britain’s greatest traditions. From the Coronation Service to royal weddings and funerals, the State Opening of Parliament to Remembrance Day, sporting rituals to local customs including Gloucestershire’s cheese rolling competition, she considers how ceremony creates identity, continuity and belonging. Which traditions should be preserved and how must they evolve to remain meaningful?

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

In 1085, just 19 years after the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror ordered the most astonishing survey medieval England had ever seen. Now bestselling historian Max Adams follows in the footsteps of the king’s commissioners on an epic thousand-mile journey through the places and people recorded in Domesday Book. In a fascinating illustrated talk, he brings Norman England dramatically to life and asks what changed after 1066. From the conquest depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry to the kingdom measured in Domesday, discover how a new England emerged.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

How do you move one of the world’s greates treasures across the Channel after almost a thousand years? Meet the people at the heart of the Bayeux Tapestry’s top secret historic journey to Britain.

Government Envoy for the Tapestry Lord Peter Ricketts navigated the diplomacy, leading British Museum Collections Manager Jim Peters helped ensure its safe handling and medieval historian Janina Ramirez made a TV documentary on the process. They reveal for the first time the challenges and the extraordinary responsibility of transporting this precious cargo and each chooses one unforgettable detail to look out for in the Tapestry. Chaired by Bayeux expert, History Extra’s David Musgrove.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

Wars dominate the headlines, but diplomats often shape what happens next. Taking his new book Peace Makers as a starting point, former National Security Adviser and British Ambassador Lord Peter Ricketts uncovers the Foreign Office figures who forged wartime alliances between Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt and helped build the post-1945 order.

From the Cold War and NATO to Trump, Putin, Iraq and ongoing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, he reveals the reality behind the hidden work of diplomacy and why its role in today’s dangerous world matters more than ever. Chaired by Andrew Pitt.

£15 / £7 Livestreamed

Join historian and broadcaster David Olusoga for an illuminating conversation exploring how Britain’s past shapes its present. Known for landmark series such as BBC’S A House Through Time, Empire and Black and British, he reflects on the stories we tell about history, the legacy of empire, and the power of uncovering forgotten narratives, as well as considering where we stand today. A BAFTA‑winning filmmaker and bestselling author, he brings sharp insight, humanity and depth to this wide‑ranging discussion.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

Boudicca, Æthelflæd and Joan of Arc became icons of courage, rebellion and national identity but who controlled the stories told about them? Bestselling historian Janina Ramirez, author of Legenda and novelist Elodie Harper, author of Boudicca’s Daughter join Radio 4 Front Row presenter Samira Ahmed to strip away centuries of mythmaking. They explore how the images of some extraordinary women have been reshaped, weaponised and co-opted for political ends and ask: what survives of the real women beneath the legends?

£10 / £7 Livestreamed

From the opening chord and the screaming crowds to the irreverent humour, the Beatles did not simply soundtrack the 1960s, they seemed to capture its exhilarating new possibilities.

Legendary music journalist John Robb, and Front Row presenter Samira Ahmed, author of a new study of The Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night, explore how music and film can preserve a moment in history. Why did The Beatles matter so much, and what can their songs, image and dazzling first film tell us about a Britain transformed by youth, freedom and popular culture? Chaired by Janina Ramirez.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

Weimar was a cradle of democracy, culture and radical new ideas yet it also became an early stronghold of fascism. Bestselling historian Katja Hoyer tells the story of the town and its people from 1919 to 1939 , from artists and workers to politicians, victims and bystanders. Through their lives she reveals how a society filled with hope and creativity moved towards dictatorship and catastrophe.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

Across Europe, America and beyond, populist movements and authoritarian leaders are reshaping politics in ways that would once have seemed unimaginable. Award-winning Panorama journalist and foreign correspondent John Sweeney has reported from war zones worldwide fearlessly investigating dictators and warlords for 30 years. He joins bestselling historian of Germany Katja Hoyer to examine the roots of today’s political upheaval across the globe and closer to home. From Weimar Germany and the Cold War to Putin’s Russia and Trump’s America, they explore how democracies come under pressure and what history can teach us about defending them.

Chaired by Jo Durrant.

£12 / £7 Livestreamed

Janina Ramirez has spent the past year on a top-secret project taking her to thirty countries and the very origins of storytelling art. From the world’s oldest image in Indonesia to the printing press revolution, China’s Mogao Caves and India’s Kailasa Temple to Versailles and Vienna, this is a once-in-a-lifetime journey through art. Join her for a Festival exclusive packed with fresh discoveries and remarkable insights.