Subject to Change Russell Hogg
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- History
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A lot of history episodes and a lot of film episodes. A few other subjects in between!
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The Sin Eater
I am a huge fan of Mike Dash's books. We have talked about Batavia's Graveyard and Tulipomania in past episodes. But Mike also has a fascination for weird semi folkloric stories and in this episode he unearths the truth about that remarkable creature, the Sin Eater.
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Ed West - From the Romans to Alfred the Great
Most people know Ed West for his journalism and in particular for his substack The Wrong Side of History. If you haven't found that yet then check it out - it is one of the best things of its kind out there. But Ed also writes book and in particular a series of short introductions to various periods of English history. If (like me) you sometimes find you need a good overview of something before diving into the detail these books are an absolute godsend. We talked about the period from when the Romans left Britain in the early 400's to the time of Alfred the Great. It was thoroughly entertaining to listen to Ed though it sounds as if the people living through these times had a lot less fun.
His book is called Saxons vs Vikings: Alfred the Great and England in the Dark Ages. It is a great introduction to the period. (And ideal for fans of Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom!) -
John McWhorter and Scott Sumner - talking movies
I am a huge fan of John McWhorter and have come to have great respect for Scott Sumner's knowledge and judgement when it comes to movies. It was a real pleasure to get them together to chat about favourite movies, directors and genres.
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Dikötter on Dictators
Frank Dikötter returns to the show to talk about dictators and in particular how they use the cult of personality to crush friends and enemies alike. HIs book on dictators is an elightening tour of some of the worst men of the 20th century - horribly enjoyable!
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The Lives of East Germans - Katja Hoyer
If, like me, your idea of East Germany is dominated by spy movies and and you think that perhaps it was nothing more than a open air prison with the Stasi round every corner then Katja Hoyer's remarkable book Beyond the Wall is an ideal corrective. Katja blends personal tales (some happy and some utterly tragic) with an analysis of the wider geopolitical scene. Above all it is fantastically readable and unsurprisingly is on pretty much every 'book of the year' list in the newspapers. She was a great guest and I very much hope you will enjoy listening to her.
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Britons never will be slaves?
Giles Milton is one of my favourite authors producing narrative history today. The stories he tells are just jaw dropping. We talked about his book White Gold which tells the stories of Thomas Pellow who was seized and taken off into slavery in 1714. Looming large in the story is the remarkable Moulay Ismail, ruler of Morroco at the time. He makes his entrance on his chariot pulled by some of his eunuchs and some of his 500 wives. A brutal and cruel ruler but a fascinating character.
The title of the podcast refers to the song Rule Britannia, written around this time. Its boast was that Britons never, never will be slaves. Well they were, and in large numbers.
Giles is in great form here - he is a compelling storyteller in his books and he repeats the trick for the podcast.
Customer Reviews
Excellent!
A great history-focused podcast. Guests are well picked and the host regularly asks questions or makes comments that lead to interesting and insightful discussion on topics left unaddressed in the typical book/subject review style podcast.
A Real Gem
Russell has such an engaging manner and is always well prepared for his guests. One of the best interviewers I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. I hope it never ends.
Great history podcast
I stumbled across this show and it’s fantastic. I really appreciate the wide variety of subjects. The guests are invariably fantastic and Russell does a skillful job of engaging them. Highly recommended.