We talk to comedian, writer and history buff Mike Shephard about the Medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia and its depiction in modern culture thanks to BBC's The Last Kingdom and History Channel's Vikings. Plus, we uncover the secret history of Alton Towers, the cost of a severed foot in Wergeld and Hitler makes a predictable cameo.

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Controversial wergeld price list comes via "Wergeld: Crime and the compensation culture in Medieval England" Prof Anthony Mussan, University of Exeter, which you can listen to here.