What can castle Acre tell us about the influence of the Cluniac Order on England? Who were the Cluniacs? And how did the complicated relationships between powerful individual men in this period impact on the revival of monasticism in England? How did monasteries impact on the political, economic and social fabric of this new, Norman state?

Buckle in, because it's a long one as we look at the site study for the 2021 exam and dig into the birth and development of Castle Acre Priory. 

The Historic Site Study for 2021 is Castle Acre Priory; but you can't understand why Castle Acre is so important without the context of monastisicm in Norman england. What is a monastery? Who do monks do?

The next episode will dig deeply into Castle Acre and how it links to the rest of Norman England. 

Alongside the economic and political stability of the Stresemann period came a flowering of Weimar Culture. What did this look like, how did it impact our world today and how did it give the Nazis a wedge issue they could use to gain political traction with people in the countryside?

The Weimar Republic seemed on the brink of collapse in 1923 - yet it survived for another ten years. Was this miracle a true recovery or merely papering over the cracks? Join us as we look at the career of Gustav Stresemann and struggle to agree on a single pronunciantion for his name. 

1066 is regarded as a watershed moment when all of life in England changed. How far is this accurate? In this episode we look at the various ways that life changed in Norman England - and the ways in which is changed. 

In this special episode for GCSE Film Studies students we are joined by John Rain, host of SMERSHPOD

And author of THUNDERBOOK to talk about the underlying aesthetic of Bond films. Unsuprisingly, we also veer off the topic a bit and end up talking about Marvel films and why Infinity War is better than Endgame and why Film Studies students should watch JFK. 

The Nazi state had very clear plans for the young men and women of Germany; these plans would be reflected in the changes to the education system and the creation of youth groups. In this episode we look at the interplay of these two factors and the overall impact of Nazi youth policies. 

For this episode we are joined by two colleagues from the English Department who are discussing two poems from the AQA anthology. Apologies for the sound quality - this episode was obviously recorded in lockdown. 

Germany was a totalitarian state - one where the government imposed control over every aspect of its citizens lives. One of the areas worth looking at in depth is now Nazi social policy effected women. What were the laws passed in relation to women and how was the role of women seen by the state - and how far did this role have the support of the german people?

This is our bumepr episode on the Tower of London, the White Tower. William I's residence, symbol of power, refuge of last resort... why was it built? How did it function? How does it fit in with other castles built across England? Why was it white?

This is key episode for the 2021 exam as there will be a 16 mark essay question on this.