Willy Willy Harry Stee...

Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three. One Two Three Neds, Richard Two........ Charlie Higson's canter through the Monarchy takes us to Richard The 2nd.

You'd think by now that they'd have got the hang of this whole King thing. What to do. What not to do. Well, they hadn't and Richard II is a good example of the 'What Not To Do' category.

Charlie's proper historian this episode sees the return of Helen Castor, author of 'She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth' who is also working on a new book which looks at Richard II.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds..... Yes, Charlie Higson reaches the third of his Neds, Edward III and for once in our story he actually turned out to be a half decent king, or so it was thought at the time.

Find out how he contended with fighting the Scots, the French and the Black Death.

Charlie's proper historian this episode is Helen Carr, author of the best-selling The Red Prince: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

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In a special side edition of Willy Willy Harry Stee, Charlie Higson chats with the excellent Ian Mortimer author of The Time Travellers Guide To Medieval England.

As Charlie navigates the Medieval Monarchs, this episode asks the question, what was life really like in The Middle Ages for ordinary folk? Were Monty Python right all along?

Well, no. It's a tale of medical ingenuity, religion and buttons.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds..... So goes the rhyme Charlie Higson learnt at school, each a Monarch and each seemingly unable to learn any lessons from their predecessor, as ably demonstrated by this episode's King, Edward The 2nd.

Find out how his disastrous relationships, especially with Piers Gaveston gave rise to his downfall at the hands of his own wife Queen Isabella which led to a particularly unpleasant end.

Charlie's proper historian this episode is Dr Rory Cox, author of Origins of the Just War: Military Ethics and Culture in the Ancient Near East

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry Three, One Two Three Neds.........Well in this episode Charlie Higson concerns himself with Ned No.1..Edward The 1st, Edward Longshanks or The Hammer Of The Scots although whilst he did a lot of hammering, the nails weren't really driven home very well.

Charlie's 'Proper Historian' for this episode is the excellent Marc Morris, author of A Great & Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry Three.........Charlie Higson continues his canter through the Monarchy and along with Henry, comes Simon De Montfort.

Was Henry weak and inept while Simon held the real power?

We'll find out as Charlie welcomes this week's proper historian, Sophie Therese Ambler  author of a biography of Simon de Montfort called - The Song of Simon de Montfort: England's First Revolutionary and the Death of Chivalry.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John.........Charlie Higson's romp through the middle ages lands on King John, who hasn't been fondly remembered.

BUT...was he really that bad a King?

Well, yes. He really was. In fact he was worse than we thought.

Find out just how rubbish a monarch he was as Charlie digs into his hopeless life, together with this episode's proper historian, Professor Nick Vincent.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick....... In this episode, Charlie Higson explores Richard I, or to give him his popular name Richard The Lionheart.

Noble, considerate and fair.....according to Walt Disney, however Charlie digs a little deeper and finds a King of England who, well, wasn't in England very much.

With guest proper historian, the excellent Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets & Essex Dogs to help him, Charlie uncovers the REAL Richard I.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry......yes, Charlie Higson reaches Monarch number 5 in the shape of Henry II, a man who fought and married his way to the top only for his wife and sons to rebel against him and start a revolt.

What would you do?

Well in this episode you'll find out exactly what Henry II did and how he did it.

Helen Castor, author of 'She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth' is Charlie's guest 'proper' historian.

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The saga continues as Charlie Higson brings you the story of Stephen & Matilda.

When Henry I died, the crown should have fallen to his daughter, the Empress Matilda.

BUT

Stephen of Blois got there first to claim the crown and together with his wife, a different Matilda, Matilda of Boulogne.....it all went horribly wrong as you'll hear.

Charlie's proper historian guest is Cath Hanley author of Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior.

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