
The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. In each episode of You’re Dead to Me from BBC Radio 4, Greg Jenner is joined by a comedian and an expert historian to learn and laugh about the past.
History isn’t just about dates and textbooks – it’s about extraordinary characters, amazing stories, and some very questionable fashion choices. How long did it take to build an Egyptian pyramid? What does the Bayeux Tapestry reveal about medieval life? Why did it take nearly half a millennium for Joan of Arc to become a saint? And was Catherine the Great really all that great? Whether you want to explore ancient landmarks like Stonehenge and Machu Picchu, dance through the history of Broadway and Bollywood, or find out how the Tudors rose to power, Greg and his guests promise to teach you something new that you won’t have heard in history lessons.
Previous episodes of You’re Dead To Me have covered everything from royals to revolutionaries, actors to activists and divas to dictators. Take a stroll through the history of high-heeled shoes or get the scoop on the history of ice cream. Maybe you’d like to paint like the cave artists of the Palaeolithic era, work out like a Victorian bodybuilder, or fight like a Spartan? We’ve even hosted a special, live episode with the BBC Concert Orchestra to explore the dramatic life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Whatever your historical interests, Greg and his guests make even the trickiest topics easy to follow. Join them for a history lesson that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening – with no homework required.
Greg Jenner is joined in Regency England by historian Dr Lucy Worsley and actor Sally Phillips to learn all about the life and works of literary legend Jane Austen on the 250th anniversary of her birth in December 1775. It is a truth universally acknowledged that Austen is one of England’s best-loved authors, and the creator of such indelible characters as Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Emma Woodhouse and Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Whether you have read one of her six books – Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park – or seen one of the many adaptations, most of us have some experience with Austen. But her life story and how it influenced her writing is perhaps less well-known. This episode explores her early life as the daughter of a rural clergyman, takes a peek inside the books a teenage Jane was reading, and delves into her romantic and familial relationships to see what shaped Austen into the formidable literary talent she was. And it asks a key question: was Jane Austen, who wrote such wonderful women characters, a feminist?
If you’re a fan of iconic authors, Regency romances and women succeeding in a man’s world, you’ll love our episode on Jane Austen.
If you want more incredible women authors with Dr Lucy Worsley, check out our episode on Agatha Christie. For more from Sally Phillips, listen to our episode on Fairy Tales. And for more Regency romance, there’s our episode on Georgian Courtship.
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: Clara Chamberlain and Charlotte Emily Edgeshaw
Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Try these: Desert island discssaving gracenewlywedsparenting hellhappy placeinfinite monkey cagenews agentsrest is historydailyJoe Rogan ExperienceDiary Of A CEOSteven BartlettOff MenuEd GambleJames AcasterSh**ged Married AnnoyedPeter CrouchRest Is PoliticsNo Such Thing As A FishYou’re Dead to MeStuff You Should KnowMoney BoxThe FellasUncannyKermode & Mayos TakeImpaulsiveLogan Paul
Similar Audio content
- Stuff You Should Know
- Desert Island Discs
- Saving Grace
- NewlyWeds
- Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell
- Happy Place
- The Infinite Monkey Cage
- The News Agents
- The Rest is History
- The Daily
- The Therapy Crouch
- BBC Newscast
- No Such Thing As A Fish
- The Rest Is Politics
- That Peter Crouch Podcast
- Sh**ged Married Annoyed
- Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
- The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- Uncanny
- Money Box
- The Lie In With Producer Paul and Roisin
- Big John @ Breakfast – Fridays!
- They Don’t Teach This At School with Myleene Klass
- The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X Podcast
[…] Monkey Cage14 Happy Place15 Parenting Hell16 Newlyweds17 Saving Grace18 Desert Island Discs19 You’re Dead to Me20 Stuff You Should Know21 Money Box22 The Fellas23 Uncanny24 Kermode & Mayos Take25 Impaulsive […]