Throughout the history of cinema, nuns have been a recurring source of inspiration for film-makers: from The Sound of Music to Sister Act. Today we’re looking at The Nun’s Story (1959), in which Audrey Hepburn plays a nun: from initiation in a 1920s Belgian convent, to missionary life in the Congo, ending with her involvement in the resistance to Nazi Germany.

But what can The Nun’s Story tell us about life in and outside of the convent? In this episode we ask special guest Dr Bridget Harrison, expert in cultural representations of nuns, to answer this question.

The Smallest Show on Earth, released in 1957, depicts a young couple, plucked from their day jobs in the south of England, and required to operate a failing cinema in the north Midlands. The result is a gentle, fish out of water, Ealing-style comedy.

But what does it tell us about cinemas and cinema-going in post-war Britain?

Featuring historians Dr Morris Brodie and Dr Sam Manning, author of 'Cinemas and Cinema-going in the United Kingdom: Decades of Decline 1945-1965'.

Judy and Punch is a 2019 Australian-made black comedy that recasts the (in)famous puppet duo as a pair of struggling puppeteers in a faux-16th century England.

But what can the film Judy and Punch tell us about the history of Punch and Judy?

Featuring Dr Morris Brodie, Dr Sam Manning and specialist in oral traditions Phil Heaton (MRes).

The film is available to watch on Netflix (UK).

Death and Nightingales is a 2018 three-part mini series that first aired on BBC Two (UK) and RTÉ (Ireland). Set on a country estate in Fermanagh, it tells the story of Beth Winters and her relationship with two men: her Protestant stepfather and her Catholic lover.

But what can Death and Nightingales tell us about life in 19th-century rural Ulster?

Featuring historians Dr Morris Brodie, Dr Sam Manning and special guest Dr Shannon Devlin, expert in 19th century Irish history.

Already acclaimed as the creators of the much-loved animated duo Wallace and Gromit, in 2000 Aardman Animation joined forces with Dreamworks for their feature length debut. For their setting they chose a chicken farm in the north of England; for action, the chickens’ attempt to escape from their compound; for inspiration a myriad of films from the post-war period. The result was Chicken Run.

But what can Chicken Run tell about war films in the post-war period, and post-war Britain more generally?

Featuring Dr Sam Manning, whose publications include: 'Cinemas and Cinema-going in the United Kingdom: Decades of Decline. 1945-1965'.

Pan’s Labyrinth is Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece in which a young girl’s fantasy world, populated by fauns, giant frogs, and a man with eyes in his hands, and the realities of 1940s war torn Spain intertwine.

But what can Pan’s Labyrinth tell us about life in Franco’s Spain?

Featuring historians Dr Sam Manning and Dr Morris Brodie, author of “Transatlantic Anarchism during the Spanish Civil War and Revolution, 1936-1939: Fury over Spain”.

Dr Sam Manning introduces the new podcast: the Historian's Cut