A medieval countess swoons over tales of courtly love. Georgian families amuse themselves by playing ‘bullet pudding’. Victorian writers do their best to crack down on saucy party games. And on a windswept island in the Bristol Channel, radio is born…

A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.

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A miniature sundial survives the destruction of Pompeii. The most elaborate clock the world has ever seen is constructed in 11th-century China. In medieval Normandy, mechanical clocks rouse monks in the middle of the night. And an opportunistic Londoner starts a business that literally sells time…

A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris.

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Fleas spell disaster for people living in the Middle Ages. The inhabitants of an ancient Iraqi city hurl scorpions at an invading army. In Victorian London, a rat catcher turns his unsavoury profession into a form of street entertainment. And a miracle new pesticide turns out to have deadly unintended consequences…

A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.

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A Roman emperor terrifies his guests with a macabre dining room display. At a feast in Norway, drunk Vikings engage in a rap battle. A teenage Alexander the Great makes a scene at his dad’s dinner party. And partygoers in Victorian London get up close and personal with an unusual guest - an Egyptian mummy…

A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris.

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In medieval Ghana, an exhausted traveller stares in wonder at panes of glass glistening in walls. Craftsmen in 15th-century York assemble an intricate work of art, fit for the divine. A tax on windows leads to some interesting architectural solutions. And in World War II, covering your windows becomes a matter of life and death…

A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.

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A gaggle of geese stands guard outside a whisky distillery in Scotland. Ninjas tread carefully over creaky floorboards in Japan. A nurse in New York invents a revolutionary surveillance system. And in Ancient Greece, a guard dog’s warning goes unheeded… with disastrous consequences…

A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.

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Ruth lifts the lid on the surprising history of toilets. A cesspit proves deadly for a noble assembly in 12th-century Germany. Pigs form an unlikely part of the sewage system in ancient China. And the world’s first flushing toilet is invented… four and a half thousand years ago…

A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris.

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Roman women get creative, and violent, with their hair pins. In the Middle Ages, poison rings are used to covertly contaminate food and drink. A ring seals the deal on a scandalous marriage in 16th century Germany. And in Antwerp, a gang of jewellery thieves pull off the heist of the century…

A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.

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Landscape gardening leads to the downfall of a powerful politician in 17th century France. In the 1820s, two Englishmen test their new lawn mowing invention in the middle of the night, much to the displeasure of their neighbours. A camel helps to cut the grass at London Zoo. And in America, a man resorts to an unconventional mode of transport when his brother falls ill hundreds of miles away…

A Noiser production, written by Roger Morris.

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In Neolithic Croatia, the world’s oldest oven provides around the clock perks to the locals. In Dublin, a celebrity chef sets up an innovative soup kitchen during the Great Irish Famine. And in Mughal India, an emperor just can’t do without his favourite tandoori meals… even during a fight to the death with his own son…

A Noiser production, written by Nicole Edmunds.

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