Passwords and codes are something we take for granted in the digital age, but this is such a new development and today Tony is going back to a time when making and breaking codes was an almost exclusively high-level military activity: most famously done behind closed doors by the brains at Bletchley Park. He is joined by two people who are giving him the long view on codes and codebreaking: the Bletchley Park military historian David Kenyon and the Chief Information Security Officer at the BBC, Helen Rabe.
Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson
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With
Dr David Kenyon   David is responsible for historical research in support of all public content at Bletchley Park, the Second World War code-breaking site in Buckinghamshire, now a museum. He has published two books on BP; Bletchley Park and D-Day in 2019, and Arctic Convoys, Bletchley Park and the War for the Seas in 2023.   https://bletchleypark.org.uk/  | X @bletchleypark | IG @bletchleyparkuk   Helen Rabe   Chief Information Security Officer at the BBC, Helen has a proven track record of developing, executing, and maturing bespoke ISMS strategies. She has managed successful high performing teams to mitigate risk, counter threats and deliver world-class security & data privacy management solutions across varied industry sectors ranging from financial services, life sciences & more recently, broadcasting & media.
Cover photo courtesy of the Bletchley Park Trust
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Credits:
Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald X @melissafitzg   Executive Producer: Dominic de Terville   A Zinc Media Group production X @zinc_media
If you enjoyed my 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.

BLETCHLEY PARK: Codebreaking Then and Now

Tony Robinson is best-known for playing turnip-brained Baldrick who always had 'a cunning plan' in the iconic TV show Blackadder. He's presented countless documentaries throughout his 50-year career, including 20-years on Channel 4's Time Team, inspired by his passion for history and for digging deep into the past to understand more about the present. That's his thing!
In his cunningly curated history podcast, Tony is delving into the weird and wonderful stories that grab him and make him want to know more about the world around us.&nbsp;He’s asking: Why was Stonehenge built? What did the past smell like, was it horrible? Why were pies invented? Why do our dogs love us so much? When did tattoos stop being taboo? What do bones tell us about past humanity? Amongst other intriguing questions... &nbsp; Along the way, Tony is joined by experts and special guests, including Miriam Margolyes, Stephen Fry, Raksha Dave, John Lloyd, Alice Roberts, Grace Neutral and David Mitchell who help provide some answers.
So join Tony Robinson&nbsp;as he&nbsp;hosts his cunningly curated&nbsp;history podcast. New episodes drop Thursdays.
Tony Robinson's Cunningcast is part of the Acast Creator Network and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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A Zinc Media Group production  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Society & Culture

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Philosophy

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Arts

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Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

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 Robinson
With
Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society.   X @alzheimersoc | FB @alzheimers society | IG @alzheimerssoc
If 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 3456
Follow:   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.

DEMENTIA ACTION WEEK: A Defining Year

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 Robinson
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With
Ben 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.

BEN ELTON | Blackadder: The Lost Pilot

Fresh off the back of celebrating 60 years of Dr Who last year and looking ahead to welcoming the 15th Doctor to the blockbuster show, Tony is joined by Sophie Aldred who played Dr Who’s assistant Ace and the writer, broadcaster and Dr Who superfan, Matthew Sweet. Together they look back over an incredible history of this abidingly successful show, sharing all the Whoniverse gossip from the very first episode starring William Hartnell as the Doctor; the cutting-edge soundtrack created by Delia Derbyshire; hearing how Sophie got the role as Ace aged just 24; though to the show getting cancelled in 1989 and the creative ‘wilderness years’ of Dr Who when it was off air but not out of mind; Russell T Davis’s reboot and the new Doctors for a new generation. We also get answers to the popular questions: was Tony ever in Dr Who? What kind of Doctor would he have made and is Baldrick the ultimate time traveller?   Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | @Tony_Robinson 
With
Sophie Aldred | @sophie_aldred   Sophie played The Doctor’s companion Ace in the original television series (to Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor). She later reprised her role in ‘Ascend From Darkness’. She was in the last episode of Dr Who ‘Survival’, before it was cancelled in 1989.   Matthew Sweet | @DrMatthewSweet        Journalist, broadcaster, author, and cultural historian. Matthew presented 'Dr Who: The Wilderness Years' on Radio 4 to mark its 60th anniversary
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Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | @melissafitzg
Episode Producer: Simon Hollis   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.

A Cunning History of Dr WHO and the WHONIVERSE

20 years after playing Baldrick, Tony is still stopped in the street and asked where my turnip is!  Turnips made him famous, so today Tony is talking turnips in history: have they always been so unloved, a food fit only for animals and peasants like Baldrick, or is this a recent British bugbear? And when did the potato steal their veggie crown? Tony’s guests today are food historians Rebecca Earle and Serin Quinn alongside a chef for all seasons who loves to cook with turnips, Oliver Rowe.
Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson
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With
Professor Rebecca Earle | www.rebeccaearle.co.uk   An historian of food at the University of Warwick, Rebecca is interested in how ordinary, every-day activities such as eating or dressing shape how we think about the world and how others view us.   https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/people/staff_index/earle
Oliver Rowe | www.oliver-rowe.co.uk/ | IG: @oliver_rowe_london
Chef and author whose work focuses on local and seasonal food. Oliver’s book, Food for All Seasons, a personal wander through the food year is published by Faber and available online and from all good bookshops.   Serin Quinn   PhD student in the Department of History at the University of Warwick, interested in all things vegetable!   https://theconversation.com/turnips-how-britain-fell-out-of-love-with-the-much-maligned-vegetable-201007   Follow the Show:   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.

A Totally Tremendous History of the TURNIP (Baldrick’s Favourite Vegetable)

Today Tony is talking to the composer Howard Goodall CBE, who wrote the now iconic Blackadder theme tune. Howard is one of Britain’s best-known composers of choral music, stage musicals, TV and film scores. He wrote the themes tunes for many hit comedy shows including Red Dwarf, Mr. Bean, The Vicar of Dibley, The Catherine Tate Show, 2point4 Children and Q.I. but like so many of the talent who worked on the show, it all started with Blackadder.
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. You are hearing Tony’s unedited, behind the scenes chat with Howard Goodall recorded for the programme. The show is called Blackadder: The Lost Pilot and you can watch it on Sky, Virgin & Now
Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson
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With
Howard Goodall CBE | www.howardgoodall.co.uk | @Howard_Goodall   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.

BLETCHLEY PARK: Codebreaking Then and Now

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