Episodes

  • The Battle of Lincoln, part 1: Will Prince Louis of France secure the crown of England?

    The Battle of Lincoln, part 1: Will Prince Louis of France secure the crown of England?
    Jul 4 2025
    On the occasion of President Macron's state visit to Britain, Suzanne retraces the background to a momentous clash between France and England – the definitive repelling of the French on 20th May 1217 at the Battle of Lincoln – throwing light on fierce rivalries for succession to the throne of England and for ownership of territories on the Norman side of the Channel, with much switching of allegiance, and on such formidable figures as Philip-Augustus, first to call himself King of France, and William Marshall, former child hostage and greatest English knight.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr
  • Orangina: How a home-grown Algerian drink became a French icon

    Orangina: How a home-grown Algerian drink became a French icon
    Jun 27 2025
    Muriel takes Suzanne – shaken, not stirred – back to the origins of the odd little yellow bottle, from sun-drenched Algerian orange groves to the smartest Parisian cafés, and into the heart of French escapism

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Pirates: Why the British treasure the Robin Hoods of the seas

    Pirates: Why the British treasure the Robin Hoods of the seas
    Jun 20 2025
    Ahoy! Suzanne sails off to the Spanish Main and the Barbary Coast, introducing Muriel to a cast of buccaneers, corsairs and privateers against a shifting background of enterprise, geopolitics - and marine insurance!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • French Theme Parks: Running the Gamut From Fun to Propaganda

    French Theme Parks: Running the Gamut From Fun to Propaganda
    Jun 13 2025

    What do France's homegrown theme parks tell us about Frenchness? asks Muriel. From the 'ethnographic exhibitions' at the Jardin d'Acclimatation to visionary vulcanologists in the Auvergne and spectacular historical romancing at Le Puy du Fou, controversy looms large!


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Pimms: The journey, joys and jeopardy of the quintessential British summer drink

    Pimms: The journey, joys and jeopardy of the quintessential British summer drink
    Jun 6 2025
    In time for Wimbledon, Suzanne encourages Muriel to celebrate the British season with a glass of Pimms, and the history, associations and meaning behind it. A tale of gin addiction, oyster houses, fashionable crazes and absurd traditions.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Identity Cards: A French story of the struggle between liberté and securité

    Identity Cards: A French story of the struggle between liberté and securité
    May 30 2025
    Why does France have ID cards while Britain does not? Muriel unpacks a national narrative of medieval identity theft, Revolutionary ideals of collective nationhood, policing under the German Occupation and contentious 21st-century bilingualism.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    56 mins
  • Bungalows: The perfect British design for living?

    Bungalows: The perfect British design for living?
    May 23 2025
    Britain has a lot of bungalows, but why and how did this begin? Suzanne goes enthusiastically utilitarian and modular and introduces Muriel to the history, charm and meaning of this revolutionary one-storey design, associated with the seaside and hygienic living, with pioneering architects and refinements of snobbery, with the temporary and permanent, and with the topical question of how best to house the nation.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    59 mins
  • Surrealism: How and why Paris became a vortex for artists unleashing the subconscious

    Surrealism: How and why Paris became a vortex for artists unleashing the subconscious
    May 16 2025

    Muriel surprises Suzanne with an enigmatic tea cup covered in fur – the Surrealist object par excellence. Who was Meret Oppenheim, the woman who made it, and what inspired her? This opens up a story of Parisian Surrealism, when a group of artists explored liminal dream-like inspiration in visual arts, writing and film. Why did this happen in Paris specifically? And why did Surrealism never really take root in Britain?


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 5 mins