That Time When

Sometimes you hear about those precocious people who just really annoy you because they've achieved more by the age of seventeen than you ever have. Enter Ivor Montagu, the founder of modern table tennis, filmmaker, and probable communist spy. Also hear about why the name ping-pong had to be changed, and why the Wombles are far more sinister than you ever imagined.

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The day we recorded this was the day of the G7 Summit where President Biden said that something needed to be done about the rise of China. Perhaps he could take a leaf out of history and organise some friendly ping-pong games? This week on That Time When, Amelia tells us about how ping-pong softened relations between America and China in the 1970s, and we ask if it was truly a spur of the moment gesture, or perhaps a carefully planned PR stunt.

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Barnaby goes full Suetonius in this episode and talks a lot about the terrible things Caligula did. But maybe there was another reason? Maybe there was a cynical joke in there? Also hear how Amelia likens Caligula to Henry VIII, King Canute, and Dr Frasier Crane.

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Didn't think we'd be feeling sorry for a man considered a brutal tyrant and one of the maddest emperors the Romans ever had. This week Barnaby looks at the early life of Caligula to see what happened that made the little booted boy a notorious villain, and how he actually did some good before... everything changed.

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You think social distancing is a new thing? Think again! This week on That Time When, Amelia tells us about the village of Eyam and how they managed to prevent the spread of bubonic plague, and also about how many catapults you might need to get rid of puritans.

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Do you think you're as brave as some Glaswegian schoolboys? This week on That Time When, Barnaby tells us the tale of the Gorbals Vampire and the boys who decided to hunt it down. We also learn why children should go to sleep when they're told to, and why Pennywise the Clown might have visited Scotland.

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After a week's break we're back with episode 50! We go full circle, going back to the story in our first episode where Amelia tells us about Richard the Lionheart getting captured on his way back from the crusade. Was he found by a minstrel singing at castle walls? Or was it just a spy network? And why was everyone incompetent apart from Richard's mother? Find out here.

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Step into the shoes of a Roman detective and help Emperor Tiberius solve the mystery of the death of Aponia... OK the actual murder is pretty easy to solve but it's cool that you get to spend time with the Emperor, right? Was Emperor Tiberius a proto-Fox Mulder? Did Apronia just accidentally fall out of a window? Does Apronius deserve even more titles and accolades? Solve the mystery here.

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This is a title to send Nigel Farage seething with rage, but we're not withdrawing the statement yet. In a time when the British government is known for making *cough* questionable choices, we can look back at a time when they actually were very considerate of other races and cultures. So have a listen and find out why having surgery in a kitchen might not be so bad, why getting cremated was illegal, and how many people is too many for a country?

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Part 2 of our episode on the lost Franklin expedition and we finally get to the Arctic! Only to lose track of the expedition pretty much immediately. But you can find out why your water distillation may not be as healthy as you think, why you shouldn't freeze your lemon juice, and why you really shouldn't tell a widow that her dead husband may have been a cannibal.

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