Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence follow history’s lines and linkages to uncover connections and compelling stories. This week, with the imminent arrival of a new Royal baby, Tom and Iszi examine bloodlines - from some of the Queen’s own surprising ancestors, to the vagaries of dog breeding. Adam Rutherford discusses how DNA testing has informed the study of history and the programme asks if race really is a question of genetics, or a cultural construct. 
 
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Bloodlines

Popular history series where the past connects with the present.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence explore historical connections to today's big issues. Recent political convulsions have revealed a rift between the UK's capital and its regions. So this week Tom and Iszi consider other moments in history when London has been out of sync with the rest of the country - from the Romans to the 1700s. Examining how John Bull came into being and looking at the particular history of Northumbria, they look at the relationship between London and the rest of the UK.  Presenters: Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

London versus the Rest?

With this year's Oscars imminent, Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence meet the cineasts who help us understand history and the history of cinema. Hannah Grieg, historical consultant on the Oscar-winning film The Favourite, and the screenwriter of Churchill, Alex von Tunzelmann, discuss the portrayal of history on the big screen. Tom meets Kevin Brownlow, whose work finding and restoring film from the silent era earned him an Oscar in 2010.  And Matthew Sweet tells the story of Vic Kinson, a bookkeeper from Derbyshire, who created the IMDB of his day.  Produced by Craig Smith
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Film

Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence continue to explore the historical connections behind today's headlines.  As the first electric commercial aircraft takes flight in Vancouver, Tom and Iszi look at the lengths people have gone to over the past millennium to reach for the skies.
 
Tom goes to the spot where Eilmer of Malmesbury, an 11th century English monk, made one of the earliest attempts at flight in the British Isles. Inspired by the Greek fable of Daedalus, he strapped wings to his hands and feet and jumped from the abbey tower. He broke both his legs.  And Iszi visits the Science Museum to find out about the first woman in space. At the age of 26, Valentina Tereshkova, orbited the earth 48 times over 3 days and parachuted out of the capsule to land safely in Siberia.   Producer: Kim Normanton
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

High Flyers

Tom Holland and Iszi Lawrence present the show that explores the historical connections behind today's issues.
 
As fascination with genealogy and our own family history has become almost a national obsession, this week's programme looks at the historical aspects of what makes up a family and how attitudes to incestuous relationships have shifted over time and throughout cultures. From Ancient Egypt to the nuclear family, from the Victorians and the National Vigilance Association to Jacobean literature, how has incest been defined, discussed, outlawed and - occasionally - even encouraged?
 
Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Keeping It In The Family

After the feast of the festive season comes the pain of the January fast. Well, to help us better understand our relationship with the food we eat, Making History goes on the spice trail with historians Roger Michel and Matthew Cobb. Curator Victoria Avery tells us why pineapples were all the rage in Elizabethan times and Dominic Sandbrook offers up a potted history of fast food in the UK - with a side of fries and a banana milkshake.
 
Feast and Fast: The Art of Food in Europe, 1500 - 1800 at the Fitzwilliam Museum runs until 26th April.
  
Producer: Craig Smith
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

Bloodlines

Download our free app to listen on your phone