Season's greetings! Welcome to the second of our Holy Trinity of festive specials, where we take our collected Christmas mini episodes from the archive and smush them together into full-length episodes to get you through the Yuletide period.

In this episode Douglas and Hugh tuck in to the history of Christmas food and drink throughout the ages, the world's weirdest Christmas rituals, the truth behind the Nativity and iconic Victorian Christmas traditions.

You'll finally discover the real difference between a current and a raisin, why egg nog is actually called egg nog and why there was rabid anti Ewok sentiment during much of the nineteenth century. Enjoy!

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

https://tinyurl.com/History4UBlueSky

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

Last Christmas we gave you our hearts. We recorded twelve mini-episodes all about different aspects of the festive period - and they were incredible.

So this year, because we're both going on holiday (separately, you understand), Hugh has asked his nephew Gavin to cut these episodes together into a trio of full-length episodes for your ears. And this is the first.

In this episode, expect a staggeringly incisive analysis of Christmas carols, the Roman origins of Christmas and everything we know - and don't know - about the big man himself: Father Christmas (or Santa Claus if you're a colonial).

Enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNING: If you don't like Christmas, this episode WILL offend. But if you don't like Christmas, there's obviously something wrong with you.

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

https://tinyurl.com/History4UBlueSky

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

In 1851, Prince Albert, Royal Consort to Queen Victoria, held a magnificent celebration of his adopted homeland. Think Cool Britannia only less cocaine and more things stolen from other countries. To house this Great Exhibition, he had built an enormous Crystal Palace, a marvel of Victorian architecture and a shrine to Empire, excess and elephants.

Today, not a single shard of glass from this vast building remains. Why? What happened? And what exactly was inside its shimmering walls? Don't get upset. Douglas and Hugh are about to open the doors and lead you inside this enormous nineteenth century monument dedicated to a decadent past. And you don't even need a ticket...

TRIGGER WARNING: fans of hedgehogs might find a part of this episode disturbing.

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

https://tinyurl.com/History4UBlueSky

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

Grab your pickaxe, we're going digging! Let Douglas and Hugh take you back to Egypt, at once thousands of years, and then just over a century ago, as we expose the life of the most famous Egyptian king Tutankhamen - a life tragically cut short. We then flash forward to Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon uncovering King Tut's majestic tomb in the Valley of the Kings, which came with all the mod cons you expect from a royal burial chamber - and a terrible TERRIBLE curse. Or so they say...

Talking of dangerous mummies, Douglas also reveals what happened when he confronted that oik Shenkley about whether or not their parents had enjoyed an illicit affair. It's monstrously exciting.

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

We're back for another Halloween special episode for the Spooky Season and Douglas and Hugh are delving into the mucky and grim history of witchcraft in Europe. Why were so many men so scared of women? Which King of England wrote arguably the definitive book on witches, warlocks, demons, goblins and imps? And what terrible secret has Douglas unearthed in his loft? All will be revealed if you lend us your ears...

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

This episode has divided Douglas and Hugh. The former believes it to be a Halloween special, the latter insists that it isn't. As ever, you be the judge!

Prepare for an unforgettable trip back to Tudor England as we guide you inside Hampton Court, arguably the most famous British royal palace that doesn't have an actual royal currently living in it.

We invite you to tiptoe nervously through its grand arches, mind-boggling maze, candlelit chapels, bustling kitchens and decadent chambers, you might just experience the odd ghostly apparition, mysterious sound and unexplained phenomenon. Listen. If you dare...

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

The term "genius" is banded around all too casually these days. Very few deserve the title. But this man definitely does. Artist. Anatomist. Engineer. Aviator. Gardener. There was nothing Leonardo da Vinci couldn't do. If he were alive today, he'd probably also be an excellent podcaster. But he isn't, so you're going to have to make do with Douglas and Hugh.

In this episode, we examine the world of Leonardo da Vinci. The Mona Lisa. The Last Supper. The helicopter. All singular creations, all from the same massive brain. Come join us as we probe into the life and works of one of the greatest ever-living humans. And talking of visionaries, you can also find out what happened when Hugh came back from the opticians with the wrong glasses. It doesn't end well.

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

In this obscenely violent episode, Douglas and Hugh become a pair of American wise guys as they blow the lid off bootlegging on the streets of New York and Chicago during the 1920s and 30s. A time where crime most definitely DID pay. A time of Prohibition.

Discover how Al Capone rose through the ranks of street hoodlums to become the most notorious gangster who ever lived, how Hugh managed a forty a day smoking habit before he was twelve, why Douglas has cancelled al plans for an extension to his extension, and why that man fell off the roof of the village hall.

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

We've all seen one. We've all been in one. Doulgas frequently crashes one. But who actually invented the car? And how the hell did we manage without them? From donkeys to horsepower, from Henry Ford's Model T to where all self-driving cars go to die, Douglas and Hugh take you on a crash course through the complete history of the car. So buckle up, it's a bumpy road ahead!

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder

As it's still the summer holidays, brace yourself. These are your captains speaking. Douglas and his co-pilot Hugh will now take your ears through the many thrilling attempts by humanity to take to the skies.

From trying to harness owls and heated air to the sheer misery of your average budget airline, strap yourself in for the flight of your life as we leave nothing behind in the terminal.

Oh and you'll never guess what Douglas found in the compost heap. The horror...the horror...

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History for You with Douglas and Hugh is a comedy podcast about history written, performed and produced by Adrian Mackinder and James Devonshire, with music by Mike Jones. 

Let us know your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes.

Connect with us here:

https://tinyurl.com/History4UTwitter

https://tinyurl.com/History4UFacebook 

Adrian and James are also published authors:

The Wonder 1: Blood Red

https://amzn.eu/d/0gk3Qiq

Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World

https://linktr.ee/stanleebook

Death and the Victorians

https://linktr.ee/deathandthevictorians

Adrian is also a stand-up comedian and improvisor. Here he is: https://linktr.ee/AdrianMackinder