You're Dead to Me

Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Corin Throsby and Stuart Goldsmith to look at early cultural fandom in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although many consider Beatlemania to be the start of what is now considered fan culture, Greg and his guests consider some much earlier and often hilarious examples of the birth of fandom. This episode was recorded live at the 2022 Hay Festival.
This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.
Research by Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow
Written by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner
Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow
Project Management: Isla Matthews
Audio Producer: Abi Paterson

When Germany's biggest magazine Stern announced in 1983 that they'd found the long-lost diaries of Adolf Hitler, the world was poised to rewrite history. Unfortunately, they were fake.

In this new series of The History Podcast, The Hitler Diaries Scandal, Andrew Hunter Murray goes back to the 1980s to uncover last century’s biggest ever publishing scandal, a forgery which rocked the world and destroyed reputations. It’s a tale of greed, obsession and mass delusion. It includes Hermann Göring’s yacht, Nazi-themed honeymoons, Idi Amin’s underpants, and more details almost too unbelievable for words.

This is a teaser of episode one. If you enjoy it, you can hear the full series in The History Podcast on BBC Sounds.

Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Martha McGill and comedian Marjolein Robertson in early modern Scotland to learn all about beliefs in witches, fairies, ghosts and more. Jacobean Scotland is famous for witch trials, partly inspired by King James’ obsession with witches – he even published a book on the subject, ‘Daemonologie’. But beliefs in other supernatural beings existed in early modern Scotland too. Protestant ministers discouraged and then encouraged the telling of ghost stories to reinforce the faith of their congregations. One minister theorised that fairies were halfway between men and angels. People worried that the devil might enter through their pores or eyes. And at his trial, a man told a story about his voyage to fairyland and relationship with the Faerie Queen herself. This episode explores these myriad beliefs, asking what cultural and social purpose they served, and how they came to be recorded in the nineteenth century by writers like Sir Walter Scott.
If you’re a fan of gothic ghost stories, histories of magic and superstition, and scary fairies, you’ll love our episode on Scottish supernatural beliefs.

If you want more from Marjolein Robertson, listen to our episodes on Robert Bruce and the Epic of Gilgamesh. And for more Scottish history, check out our episodes on the Jacobites, and King James I and VI.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Siobhan-Michelle Smith
Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Studio and Edit Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Greg Jenner is joined in medieval England by Dr Erin Goeres and comedian Alison Spittle to learn all about the tumultuous events of 1066, famously depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, to celebrate its arrival in London. The death of Edward the Confessor without an heir in January 1066 kicked off a three-way battle for the English throne. The contenders? His brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, who had himself crowned before Edward’s body was cold. His cousin William, already duke of Normandy. And the Norwegian king and famed warrior, Harald. Over the course of just a few short weeks in early autumn, the fight between these three decided the fate of a nation. This episode explores the personalities of these men, taking in Harald’s dramatic life of exile in Constantinople, William’s illegitimacy, and Godwinson’s political credentials – and troublesome little brother, Tostig. And it tells the story of the battles they fought for the throne, at Fulford, Stamford Bridge, and most famously Hastings. And it asks, how accurate is the Bayeux Tapestry, and did Harold really get an arrow in the eye?
If you’re a fan of larger than life historical figures, bloody battles and messy medieval family drama, you’ll love our special episode on 1066.
The programme is part of Radio 4's Norman Day, marking the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in Britain with programmes reassessing the Norman Conquest and its meaning for us today.
If you want more on the events surrounding 1066, we’ve got episodes on Emma of Normandy and the Bayeux Tapestry. And for more from Alison Spittle, listen to our episode on the Early Medieval Papacy.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Dr Jon Norman Mason
Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Studio and Edit Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Greg Jenner is joined in medieval Korea by Dr John Lee and comedian Erika Ehler to learn all about the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. Nowadays, Korean culture has a global reach and international fanbase – but what about the country's medieval history? During the period known in Europe as the Middle Ages, the ancient kingdoms of Korea were unified, and the resulting polity ruled in turn by two dynasties, the Goryeo and the Joseon. This episode explores this period in Korea’s history, from the foundation of the Goryeo state in 918, through the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century and the coup that brought the Joseon dynasty to power, to the Japanese invasions of the 1590s. Along the way, we take in a foundation myth involving a garlic-eating bear, look at the position of women and enslaved people in Joseon society, explore the architectural styles of the period, and tell the story of Sejong the Great and the creation of Hangul.
If you’re a fan of Korean culture, palace coups and political intrigue, and the everyday details of life in the past, you’ll love our episode on medieval Korea.

If you want more East Asian history, listen to our episodes on Edo Japan and Tang Dynasty China. And for more on the Mongols, check out our episode on Genghis Khan.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Auréliane Perrin
Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Studio and Edit Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett
Series Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars