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Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s International Editor, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present. From countries as diverse as Erdogan’s Turkey, Assad’s Syria and Netanyahu’s Israel, he takes us on a journey across the Middle East and through its history meeting ordinary men and women on the front line, and their leaders, whether brutal or benign. He joins us to offer a gripping and invaluable guide to the modern Middle East and explore how it came to be and what its future might hold.

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History is now front-page news, contested as never before. Statues have fallen, our beloved heritage organisations are under assault while the reputations of great men have been called into question.

In this talk, leading historian, filmmaker and author of the acclaimed  Black and British, Professor David Olusoga examines the causes of the ‘history wars’ and asks where they might lead us.

Introduced by Janina Ramirez.

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Mary Beard joins Janina Ramirez for an hour of unmissable conversation. Mary Beard is a Professor of Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge and the Classics Editor of the Times Literary Supplement. She has won worldwide acclaim and has written numerous books including the bestsellers Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and Women & Power: a Manifesto.

She’s a regular broadcaster and media commentator and has presented the highly acclaimed TV series Meet the Romans and Rome: Empire without Limit. She was also one of the presenters of the BBC’s landmark Civilisations series and BBC2’s Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard.

This event is shared from the Festival archives.

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Joan of Arc is an almost mythic medieval figure, her image still instantly recognisable after half a millennium. Her tale is both familiar yet endlessly startling.

The peasant girl sent by God to save France, dressed in armour as though she were a man, the maid who rescued Orléans and led her king to be crowned at Reims, the martyr who became a legend – and later a saint – when she was burned at the stake by the English enemy in 1431.

In a compelling illustrated talk bestselling Femina author Janina Ramirez untangles fact from fiction to bring Joan of Arc and medieval France vividly to life.

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Join international bestselling author Philippa Gregory as she maps an alternative account of Britain’s past. Through the true stories of female soldiers, guild widows, highway women, pirates, miners, shipowners, theatre runners and ‘female husbands’ she redefines ‘normal’ female behaviour to include heroism, rebellion, crime, treason, jousting and sainthood.

In a compelling illustrated talk she reveals a hidden history of ordinary women who had no legal presence, no voice in government and no right to own property, but still ruled, governed and made fortunes over the last nine centuries. Chaired by Jo Durrant.

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Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire, Queen of Countdown’s Dictionary Corner, star of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and former compiler of the Oxford English Dictionary as she lifts the lid on the life of the dictionary-maker.

She talks about some of her favourite words and where they come from and explores how she’s used her lexicographical skills to produce a compelling new novel, Guilty by Definition, a tantalising mystery for word sleuths and crime fans alike. Chaired by Jo Durrant.

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Gloucester’s Tom Kerridge is one of Britain’s best-loved and most inspiring chefs, the owner of The Hand & Flowers in Marlow, the only pub in Britain to hold two Michelin stars.

He joins us to tell the tale of his recent culinary road trip through the best of British food and its rich heritage, now a major BBC TV series, as well as sharing his own story and the Gloucester inspiration behind his famous Matson sauce.

‘Tom Kerridge is a national treasure and this is his gift to the nation.’  – Jay Rayner

Chaired by Jo Durrant.

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Did we really land on the moon? Was Paul McCartney cloned? Did aliens land at Roswell? Conspiracies used to be fun! Nowadays in a world of fake news and social media algorithms, they’re
often a cause of mistrust. But why do so many people doubt the official histories?

Multi-award winning comedian Dom Joly, star of Trigger Happy TV, journeys around the world talking to leaders and followers, taking a sideways look at conspiracy theories and finding the quirky and funny along the way.

If you’re interested in conspiracy theories and the people who preach them, you must read this. Highly entertaining, seriously interesting and beautifully written.

Chaired by Jo Durrant.

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Ever since the Norman Conquest, the English have looked back to the Anglo-Saxon era with nostalgia. The period between 450 and 1066, when England first came into being, has always been regarded as a golden age. Its Kings were elected and its church more pristine, women had better rights and people enjoyed greater freedom. But how much of this is true and how much wishful thinking?

Leading historian Marc Morris is the presenter of Channel 4’s Castles and his book The Anglo-Saxons is described by Dan Snow as ‘an absolute masterpiece’. He joins us to tell the real story of the beginnings of England.

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Henry V, victor at the Battle of Agincourt, is one of the most intriguing characters in history. A sometimes brutal warrior, he was a leader who made many mistakes, yet always seemed to triumph when it mattered. He saved a shattered country from economic ruin, put down rebellions and secured England’s borders. In diplomacy, he made England a serious player once more. Yet his conquests in France led to the calamity of the Wars of the Roses.

Britain’s bestselling medieval historian and TV broadcaster Dan Jones paints a thrilling and unmissable portrait of England’s greatest king in this fascinating new talk.

‘A tour de force’ – Peter Frankopan

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How do Chinese dynasties collapse and will the Chinese Communist Party prove different? If China is the world’s only successful communist party, what does that mean for democracy – and how should we react? Former British Trade Commissioner China and All Party Parliamentary China Group Chair Richard Graham MP talks China with top historian and author Rana Mitter, Oxford University Professor of History and Politics of Modern China.

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Sathnam Sanghera’s award-winning Empireland started a national conversation about how we talk about race and imperial history in Britain. Now with Empireworld he traces the legacies of the British Empire across the globe exploring how 2.6 billion people live in former British colonies.

His journey takes him from Barbados and Mauritius to India, Nigeria and beyond, demonstrating just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world. And why it’s time Britain was finally honest with itself about empire. In conversation with historian and BBC broadcaster Kavita Puri.

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India is the forgotten heart of the ancient world. For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation creating a vast empire of Indian art, religion, astronomy, technology, music and mythology. It blazed a trail across the world from the Red Sea to the Pacific, from Angkor Wat to the Roman Empire.

Join William Dalrymple, the award-winning historian and co-host of the chart-topping podcast Empire, to hear a revolutionary and dazzling new history of India.

‘A master storyteller.’  – The Sunday Times

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Join Horrible Histories guru Greg Jenner, host of the chart-topping BBC podcast You’re Dead to Me, for a riotously fun journey through Roman Britain, from its brilliant beginnings to its epic ending.

From legionaries to baths and gladiators to hypocausts, this whirlwind tour will cover everything you need to know about Roman Britain and show you what it would really have been like to live through hundreds of years of Roman history. And where better to join Greg Jenner than in the heart of Roman Glevum!

For adults and youngsters: suitable for all history-lovers from 9 years up.

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From Hera and Demeter to The Furies, Natalie Haynes’ new book Divine Might overturns everything you thought you knew about the Greek goddesses to reveal them as complex, fearsome, powerful and beloved as their male counterparts.

The rockstar mythologist, star of Radio 4’s Natalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics and bestselling author brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age, full of fire, fury and devotion.

Join her for an electrifying one-woman show.

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Enjoy this Michael Wood double-bill, a double-length event within one single ticket

In Search of Æthelflæd

Warrior Queen Æthelflæd, buried in Gloucester in 918, is one of the most remarkable women in medieval Britain, but the fragmentary records of her career are a striking example of the erasure of women’s history. Eldest child of Alfred the Great, she governed the ancient kingdom of the Mercians for 32 years, the last eight as sole ruler. She founded cities, built fortresses and even led her troops into battle against the Danes, playing a crucial role in the creation of the kingdom of the English that emerged in the 920s under her foster son Athelstan. In this riveting illustrated talk, historian and broadcaster Michael Wood shares his latest new discoveries about the life, times and legacy of the Lady of the Mercians.

In Search of Du Fu

Join acclaimed historian and broadcaster Michael Wood for a dazzling journey across today’s China and back into the ancient world of the Tang Dynasty in the footsteps of the 8th century politician, poet and courtier Du Fu. Celebrated as China’s greatest poet, he travelled across the Tang Empire living an eventful life of highs and lows at the heart of the magnificent royal court. Witnessing war, famine and upheaval, he experienced one of the most riveting periods of China’s history.

Michael Wood’s classic BBC TV documentaries and books, including In Search of the Dark Ages and The Story of China, were groundbreaking and game-changing. There’s no one better to take us on a fascinating and hugely enjoyable journey along the rivers, through the cities and into the courts of a lost Chinese Empire.

Superb. Beautifully written and thoroughly researched.
– John Simpson BBC World Affairs Editor writing in The Guardian

This broadcast can be paused for an interval between events.

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Bestselling Cambridge historian Helen Castor, whose book She-Wolves became a major BBC2 series, explores her acclaimed new dual biography of Richard II and Henry IV.

The story of two cousins whose rivalry brought their nation to the brink of disintegration and back again, two men whose lives played out in extraordinary parallel, until Henry deposed the tyrant Richard and declared himself King of England in 1399.

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The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler, saw London burn as people desperately sought a better life. The events that followed represent a pivotal moment in England’s history, characterised by murder and mayhem, beheadings and betrayal, a boy-king and his absent uncle and a riot of destruction and death.

Who were the rebels and how close did they really come to ending the status quo? New research is shedding light on those involved both as perpetrators and as victims. Through their stories, bestselling medieval historian and chart-topping podcaster Matthew Lewis asks how close England came to seismic change and what resonance the Uprising has today.

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From The League Of Gentlemen to Doctor Who and Sherlock, writer, actor, director and novelist Mark Gatiss has been the creative genius behind some of the most iconic television and film productions of our time.

He is currently working on, and starring in, a new detective series set in the fascinating period between 1945 and 1950 when Britain was still recovering from the war.

He joins Janina Ramirez to discuss his acting, his writing and the fascinating relationship between television drama and its historical settings.

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Why did Renaissance Europeans draw north at the top of their maps? Why did the Aztecs use five compass directions? And why have no societies ever orientated themselves westwards?

North, south, east and west have been foundations of our navigation and exploration and central to virtually every culture’s imaginative and political geography. Yet they are far more subjective and contradictory than we might realise.

Award-winning historian Jerry Brotton, author of the international bestseller A History of the World in Twelve Maps, takes us on a thrilling illustrated journey of directional discovery as he explores the Four Points of The Compass.

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Former Defence Secretary Rt Hon Ben Wallace and former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Sir Tim Radford have been at the heart of NATO’s political and military decision-making when peace in Europe has broken down, the Middle East looks more precarious than ever and the whole world seems a lot more fragile. They join festival founder Richard Graham to explore how NATO is evolving. While it has two new members – Finland and Sweden – and looks more united, will current and future challenges prove its making or undoing?

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The Battle of the Imjin River in 1951 was a major turning point of the Korean War, when the communist advance from the North was met in the bloodiest battle endured by the British Army since WW2. 700 men of the Gloucester Regiment faced more than 10,000 Chinese. Marking the 75th anniversary of the Korean War, leading historian Dan Snow explores the history of the battle and is joined by veterans of the battle Brian Hamblett and Tommy Clough, who were Chinese prisoners of war for more than two years. They discuss their battle experiences, Tommy’s bid to escape the prison camp and the role of British soldiers in the Korean War.

We are showing this in memory of Tommy Clough who passed away in November 2024

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Cecily Neville, wife of Richard of York, mother of both Edward IV and Richard III, had a pivotal role in the Wars of the Roses in the years before Richard III gained power.

Philippa Langley, who discovered Richard III under a Leicester car park and last year published the controversial The Princes in the Tower, and Annie Garthwaite, author of The King’s Mother, explore the life and influence of the ruthless and determined Cecily Neville, one of the most important women at the heart of the Wars of the Roses. In a gripping discussion they restore her to her place at the centre of this turbulent period of English history.

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From Temple Guiting to Down Ampney, the Templars played a powerful yet mysterious role in Gloucestershire’s history. Established in the 12th century under Henry I to protect pilgrims and famous for their Crusader battles, the Order is remembered today for its heresy, fanaticism and violence both at home and abroad.

Leading medieval historian Steve Tibble offers a fascinating insight into the extraordinary story of the Knights Templar both here in England and on their Crusades though the Middle East.

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Gloucester’s iconic Cathedral and legendary Docks take centre stage when we think of Gloucester’s greatest buildings. But what about the glorious gems tucked away in hidden corners or nestling under our streets?

Join us for the event where we show the world premiere of Janina Ramirez’s short film for Historic England celebrating the buildings of Gloucester. Then watch as City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong, much-loved local historian Phil Moss and Femina author Janina Ramirez lock horns to present their favourite unsung buildings in the city and argue about which is Gloucester’s best.

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Did you know that Peter Scott was named after Peter Pan, a Stroud man invented instant custard, and a Cotswold manor house is designed to look exactly like the Palace of Westminster? And that the tales of Scrooge, Long John Silver and Dick Whittington were all inspired by real residents of Gloucestershire?

Legendary former Radio Gloucestershire presenter Mark Cummings and BBC broadcaster, bestselling Cotswold novelist Katie Fforde and The Archers’ farming and countryside advisor Sybil Ruscoe join Jo Durrant to share Gloucestershire characters, myths and legends from the worlds of history, sport, architecture, food and more. Join them for an eye-opening and hugely entertaining journey through the county’s chequered past.