Sylvia Barbara Soberton is a historian and author who joins me today for a discussion all about Anne Boleyn and witchcraft! Many historians refute claims that Anne was actually accused of being in a witch during her downfall in May 1536, but Sylvia has uncovered evidence which gives us pause for thought on this front, and that actually there is much more to the story than initially believed. Today we cover this all and much more as we explore the notions of exactly what witchcraft was in the context of Anne Boleyn’s story.

Hello and welcome back to the first episode of the tudor chest podcast for 2025! This week I am thrilled to welcome tudor food historian Brigitte Webster onto the show for a discussion all about how the tudors ate and drank. We look at table manners, Henry VIII’s favourite foods, what influence foreign cuisine had and even discuss the fact that the tudors had takeaways, yes, you heard that right! Brigitte is at the very top of her field and is remarkably knowledgeable, you’re in for quite a treat, so sit back and listen as we explore all things tudor food and drink!

This week I am thrilled to welcome tudor food historian Brigitte Webster onto the show for a discussion all about how the tudors ate and drank. We look at table manners, Henry VIII’s favourite foods, what influence foreign cuisine had and even discuss the fact that the tudors had takeaways, yes, you heard that right! Brigitte is at the very top of her field and is remarkably knowledgeable, you’re in for quite a treat, so sit back and listen as we explore all things tudor food and drink!

Jackson van Uden is a historian and one of the key personnel involved in the Katherine of Aragon festival which takes place each year at Peterborough Cathedral, the location of Katherine’s grave, and Peterborough Museum. From talks to tours, light displays and even a commemoration to Katherine with representatives from Rome involved, its a spectacular event and one that has been going on, surprisingly, for literally hundreds of years in one way or another! Today Jackson and I discuss this festival and more around Katherine’s story, and explore why we believe her story is one that is often misrepresented.

Dr Estelle Paranque is an associate professor in history at Northeastern University London and is also a historian, broadcaster and author, who joins me today for a discussion about Catherine de Medici and Queen Elizabeth I. Estelle’s book, Blood, Fire and Gold is the basis for todays conversation, so sit back and enjoy as we discuss how these two formidable women, one a queen regnant and the other a queen consort and then queen mother went head to head across their momentous reigns.

Today I am talking to historian and author Emily Murdoch Perkins about her latest book, Regina - the queens who could have been. In this book, Emily charts the lives of royal women from over 1,200 years of English history and asks the question, would any of them made good queens regnant? From very well known figures such as Empress Matilda and Elizabeth of York, to characters seldom explored or discussed, including a medieval princess who pleaded with her father to be able to lose her virginity and to another who appeared completely naked before the entire court to prove she did not suffer from leprosy. Buckle in to explore the lives of so many remarkable royal women, many of whom remained in the shadows, until now!

This week I am talking to historian and author Wendy Dunn all about Catherine Carey, the daughter of Mary Boleyn. Wendy has written a full length biography of Catherine Carey, and believes firmly that she was not the daughter of Mary Boleyn’s first husband William Stafford, but was, in fact, an illegitimate child of King Henry VIII’s. Wendy and I discuss Catherine’s upbringing, her role at the royal court, whether there is any truth in the legend that she accompanied her aunt Anne Boleyn to the scaffold and how she grew to be one of the most trusted and admired figures at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who, following Catherine’s death granted her a funeral so lavish that it may well prove the theory that Catherine was not Elizabeth’s cousin, but may have been her half-sister instead.

Dr Eleanor Jackson is a curator at the British Library, responsible for creating the incredible new exhibition they have on display, Medieval Women, Voices and Visions. This remarkable exhibition brings together artefacts including letters, statues, trial records, table wear and so much more, beautifully telling the stories of medieval women. Many of the items have ties to some of the most iconic women from history, including the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret of Anjou and even Joan of Arc. Equally, there are tales of your every day medieval woman, from a girl who broke a rib whilst ice-skating to a court case against a 14th century sex worker, who though born male, lived, identified and worked as a woman, so join me as we journey back through four hundred years of medieval history brought together in this remarkable exhibition.

Natalie Grueninger is a historian and author, known for her incredible podcast series, talking tudors. A couple of years ago Natalie released her book, the final year of Anne Boleyn, which as the title suggests, charts the final year of Anne Boleyn’s life and how many of the seeds that eventually brought her down were sown long before May 1536. In writing this book, Natalie uncovered aspects of Anne’s story that are either seldom explored, unknown or massively misunderstood, from Anne’s miscarriages, how her arrest played out and indeed what happened to Anne’s remains after she was beheaded. All will be covered in this episode!

Dr Helen Castor is a historian, author and broadcaster who is best known for her work on some of histories most fascinating women, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Joan of Arc, Isabella of France to Lady Jane Grey, however, her most recent book, published only a few weeks ago breaks the mould, for in it she explores the life of two of medieval England’s kings. The eagle and the hart, the tragedy of Richard ii and Henry iv is this book, a remarkable and highly detailed exploration of these very very different kings and how, as the title suggests, their lives and more accurately their reigns descended into tragedy. I am thrilled to welcome Helen onto the podcast today to discuss her book, this is a long episode folks, so buckle in as we hop out of the world of the Tudors and into that of the Plantagenets.