Trapped History

As we close out Season 7, Trapped History takes a long dark walk down one of the most uncomfortable roads in history, going deep into the story of one British family which owned and traded in slaves.

We are joined by the journalist and writer Alex Renton who has tried to make sense of his family's past ever since he uncovered the shameful history. It is a hard story, a painful one but it is a story which we all need to hear – Black and White, British and Caribbean – if we are ever to free ourselves from the history which traps us.
Head over to www.trappedhistory.com to sign up to the award-winning podcast, get our newsletter, bonus episodes and much, much more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After pulling the curtain away from James Bond, writer Mark O'Connell chose Bond's book designer for his Hall of Fame nominee.

Richard Chopping was Ian Fleming's choice too, and he created the template for Bond which we are all familiar with from the films, even if we've never read or seen one of the books. He was also a fiercely proud gay man at a time when it was still illegal. So tune in to hear all about Dickie's magnificently dissolute life and times. Not only did he live twice, I think he lived a thousand times!
Head over to www.trappedhistory.com to sign up to the award-winning podcast, get our newsletter, bonus episodes and much, much more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's the man's man, the lady's man, the pinnacle of heterosexual hyper-masculinity. His name is Bond.

But you know what? Maybe James Bond is not as straight as you think. Because the origin story of 007 is a very queer one. From Ian Fleming's gay coterie and literary touchstones through to the creation of the Bond template on film, there's more to the world's favourite spy than meets the eye. And that's before we even mention the music.

So tune in for a romp through 007's backpages in the company of cultural historian Mark O'Connell, whose new book, Bond, Queer Bond pulls the spy firmly out of the closet.

Pull on your dancing shoes, get out that glitter, raise an eyebrow and if a vodka martini doesn't stir you in this heat, take advantage of this episode's sponsor, Brulo non-alcoholic beer, and treat yourself to £10 off one of their mixed cases. Just visit https://www.brulobeer.com/collections/shop and use the coupon TRAPPEDHISTORY at checkout.
Head over to www.trappedhistory.com to sign up to the award-winning podcast, get our newsletter, bonus episodes and much, much more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we've got a special Trapped History short for you. It felt wrong to ask Jocelyn to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame (Vera Rubin, anyone?) and so today we've got some choice gems which didn't make it into the main show.

Starter for ten: have you ever wondered about the pop cultural impact of Jocelyn's pulsars? Well, it's huge and it has adorned the bedroom walls of many a teenager down the years. Following that – Jocelyn's a poet herself and has compiled poetry books and given poetry readings. Again, ask yourself why . . .

And finally, listen in as Oswin – in true 'don't mention the war' style – well and truly puts his foot in it! Enjoy.
Head over to www.trappedhistory.com to sign up to the award-winning podcast, get our newsletter, bonus episodes and much, much more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In its 120 year history, nearly 1,000 people have won a Nobel Prize. And we're going to ask you a simple question: how many of those Nobel laureates are women? What, half of them maybe? Or perhaps more realistically, one in four? One in ten even?

Nope. Of 990 Nobels, 67 are women. That's just 7%. And when we turn to scientific Nobels, then out of 659 awardees, only 26 are women. That's not even 4%.

And so today on Trapped History, we're recognising two women in particular whose names really should be on that list. Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter, and Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, who found pulsars. Don't worry – you don't need a physics degree to tune in. Because we're actually in the room with Jocelyn herself, as she holds our hand and gently leads us through the mind-boggling world of stars, space and sexism. As Oswin says at the end of the show, he's learnt a lot but he's 'unlearnt' even more!
Head over to www.trappedhistory.com to sign up to the award-winning podcast, get our newsletter, bonus episodes and much, much more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.