Radio

Having the perfect face for radio and a head cluttered with arcane knowledge, I have been interviewed a few times on the wireless. The three programmes that are still accessible are all BBC Radio 4’s ‘Making History’.

Back in 2010, I was interviewed by Vanessa Collingridge about some ‘ghost graffiti’ dating back to 1936. This particular piece of graffiti had been daubed by some long-gone Blackshirt when the British Union of Fascists took the side of Edward VIII in the abdication crisis. The programme went on to discuss another piece of fascist graffiti, by the famous novelist and nature writer Henry Williamson. You can listen here.

I was a guest on ‘Making History’ again in June 2012, when I was interviewed by the renowned historian of the early modern period, Helen Castor. The topic was women and motor racing, specifically the almost forgotten Dorothy Levitt, who really does need some research done on her life. Her advice to early women drivers included the importance of carrying a revolver. We also discussed Fay Taylour, whose biography I am still working on. Listen to women of speed here.

My final ‘Making History’ appearance was on a programme which covered ordinary British people’s response to the threat of German invasion in 1940-41. Prof. Mark Connelly and I exchanged thoughts, under the watchful eye of the prolific historian of the Classical world, Tom Holland. Listen here.