Episode notes
By the time she died in 2005, Rosa Parks was known around the world as an icon of activism. Her act of defiance one ordinary Thursday afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama catapulted her to the forefront of the battle for racial equality in America. But what was her story before that fateful moment in 1955? And what course did her life take afterward? This is a biography of Rosa Parks. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by Paul McGann. Written by Kate Simants. With thanks to Dr. Danielle McGuire, historian and author of At the Dark End of the Street , and Kim Trent, President of the Rosa Parks…
Biography
History is shaped by extraordinary people. Visionary writers like Agatha Christie. Fearless pioneers such as Amelia Earhart. Ruthless rulers including Henry VIII and Cleopatra. Groundbreaking musicians, inventors, revolutionaries, explorers and leaders whose ambition, talent and influence transfor
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S1 · E6 · 24 Jun 2026 · 54 min
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In 1509, at just seventeen years old, Henry VIII was crowned King of England. Over the next four decades, he would burn through six marriages, bankrupt the nation, and vandalise his country’s cultural heritage in his quest for supreme power. But how did England’s most eligible bachelor degenerate into a bloated despot, and one of the worst husbands in history? Was Henry simply a psychopath, or a complex man who dragged Britain from the Dark Ages into the modern era? This is a biography of Henry VIII. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by Paul McGann. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Dr…
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S1 · E4 · 10 Jun 2026 · 41 min
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S1 · E2 · 27 May 2026 · 55 min
Blackbeard
In the early eighteenth century, one man made his name as the most notorious pirate of all time. The legend of Edward Thatch, aka "Blackbeard", has spawned television shows, novels, and major motion pictures. Stories abound of his wild eyes striking fear into enemy hearts, of the six pistols strapped to his chest, and of his arrival in battle with his jet-black beard set ablaze. But how much is fact and how much fiction? This is a biography of Blackbeard. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by Paul McGann. Written by Luke Kuhns. With thanks to Colin Woodard, author of The Republic of Pirates…
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S1 · E1 · 20 May 2026 · 54 min
Agatha Christie
The so-called “Queen of Crime”, Agatha Christie remains the best-selling novelist of all time, as well as one of the most prolific. Across 66 novels, 14 short-story collections, and 20 stage plays, she depicted the evil lurking in the hearts of ordinary people with forensic precision. But how did this homeschooled daughter of a privileged English family learn so much about poisons, psychopaths and murder? What in her personal life informed such a sinister view of ordinary people? And how did she manage to trigger a real-life mystery in 1926, which saw the whole country turn amateur…
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S1 · E21 · 7 Oct 2026 · 47 minNew
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Marilyn Monroe was one of the most famous screen actors of all time. Known for her charisma and beauty, her private life and turbulent health made headlines throughout her career, and her early death cemented her iconic status. But how was she shaped by her disrupted childhood? Did she change Hollywood – or did it destroy her? And why does her legend still inspire and exert such power, sixty years after her death? A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Kate Harrison. With thanks to Michelle Morgan, author of Marilyn Monroe – Private and Undisclosed . This episode was…
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S1 · E20 · 30 Sep 2026 · 52 min
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S1 · E19 · 23 Sep 2026 · 55 min
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Thomas Edison was one of history’s greatest inventors, a man who gave the world not only electric light but other landmark innovations in sound recording and moving pictures. He accumulated more patents in his lifetime than anyone had before, and filled over 4,000 notebooks with his work. But how did this ordinary, home-schooled boy from the American mid-West overcome ill-health and hearing loss to change the world? And was he really a lone genius, or did he rely on the work of others? This is a biography of Thomas Edison. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Dan…
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S1 · E18 · 16 Sep 2026 · 44 min
Alexander the Great
Though he ruled for just thirteen years, Alexander the Great casts a long shadow, famed as much for his hedonistic lifestyle as his military genius. But how did he become one of the best known military leaders in history? What inspired such loyalty among his troops? And what drove this young man in his endless quest to conquer the known world? This is a biography of Alexander the Great. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Linda Harrison. With thanks to author Philip Freeman, a professor of humanities at Pepperdine University, Malibu. This episode was originally…
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S1 · E17 · 9 Sep 2026 · 49 min
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From the day he burst onto the scene, Muhammad Ali changed boxing history. But he also influenced the American civil rights movement, the perception of Islam, the view of the war in Vietnam, and the self-branding of athletes themselves. So how did his beliefs affect his career? What drove him to keep fighting for so long – even when boxing itself was taking away the gifts that made him famous? And was he really the greatest of all time? This is a biography of Muhammad Ali. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Kate Harrison. With thanks to Jonathan Eig, author of…
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