Skip to content
Melo Podcasts Home
CategoriesLanguagesFollowing

Season 1, Episode 8 · Biography

Queen Elizabeth the Second, Part 2 of 2

8 Jul 2026 · 51 min

Play episode WhatsApp Download

Episode notes

As the Queen’s family life grew more complex, the relationship between palace and press intensified. But balancing the need for security and privacy against her very public responsibilities was never simple. So who was the real woman beneath the crown? How did she deal with the darkest years of her reign, and the grief of losing her beloved husband? And how will history remember her extraordinary seven-decade reign? This is the second in a special two-part biography of Queen Elizabeth II. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by Paul McGann. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Dr. Tracy…

Podcast

Biography

NOISER · History · English

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

More from Biography All episodes →

  1. S1 · E13 · 12 Aug 2026 · 59 min

    Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln’s life reads like an American folk tale: the story of a boy born into poverty, whose drive and determination saw him become the most powerful man in the nation. But how did he navigate a path for a youthful country so deeply divided over slavery? What was his role in the devastating civil war? And how did one man attract both public adoration and murderous wrath all at the same time? This is a biography of Abraham Lincoln. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to David S Reynolds, Distinguished Professor at the City University…

  2. S1 · E12 · 5 Aug 2026 · 48 min

    Vincent Van Gogh

    Vincent van Gogh was one of the most important and influential figures in the history of art. But though he created thousands of drawings and paintings, his life was one of commercial failure, instability and unhappiness. Who was Van Gogh before he discovered his passion for art? What caused him so much suffering? And who were the people who supported him, right up to his tragic death at the age of just 37? This is a biography of Vincent Van Gogh. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by David Jackson. With thanks to Steven Naifeh, Pulitzer Prize-winning co-author of…

  3. S1 · E11 · 29 Jul 2026 · 51 min

    Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein overhauled our understanding of the universe—from the sub-atomic level to beyond the edges of the cosmos. Today his ideas are in evidence everywhere, from televisions and GPS systems, to our understanding of black holes and the Big Bang. But who was Einstein as a person? What were his theories that upended established scientific beliefs? And how did his work inadvertently contribute to some of the twentieth century’s most devastating acts of warfare? This is a biography of Albert Einstein. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Dan Smith. With thanks…

  4. S1 · E10 · 22 Jul 2026 · 53 min

    Cleopatra

    The last of the Ptolemaic Pharoahs, Cleopatra has captivated our imaginations for centuries. Though some write her off as a manipulative femme fatale, her competence as a ruler restored her country to superpower status. But what were the early experiences that shaped her? How did she form both political and personal alliances with two great Roman generals? And what is the true story of her dramatic death? This is a biography of Cleopatra. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Lindsay Galvin. With thanks to Joyce Tyldesley, archaeologist and author of Cleopatra: Last…

  5. S1 · E9 · 15 Jul 2026 · 52 min

    Amelia Earhart

    As one of the great pioneers of air travel, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She pushed aviation technology to its limits, broke countless records, and became famous throughout the world for her skill, bravery and determination. But what prompted her to take to the skies, despite the overwhelming risks? And what really happened on her mysteriuos final flight—an enduring puzzle that has spawned countless conspiracy theories? This is a biography of Amelia Earhart. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Jo Furniss. With thanks to Susan…

  6. S1 · E7 · 1 Jul 2026 · 53 min

    Queen Elizabeth the Second, Part 1 of 2

    Spanning seventy years, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign saw the world change beyond recognition. From her earliest public appearances, representing her father King George VI, to her roles as sister, wife, mother, and mother-in-law, she was never far from the headlines. But what was life like for the young princess, who dreamed of a baby brother who might take the throne instead? How did she modernize an ancient role to fit a changing world, while managing a family so often overshadowed by scandal? This is the first in a special two-part biography of Queen Elizabeth the Second. This is a biography…

  7. S1 · E6 · 24 Jun 2026 · 54 min

    Henry VIII

    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…

  8. S1 · E5 · 17 Jun 2026 · 56 min

    Bonnie and Clyde

    Forged by the Great Depression, Bonnie and Clyde became icons of lawlessness, thrilling and shocking America with their crime sprees and doomed romance. But what drove them to lives of such violence? How did they evade the full might of the police for so long? And what finally brought their adventure to an end? This is a biography of Bonnie and Clyde. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by Paul McGann. Written by Danny Marshall, with thanks to Paul Schneider, journalist and author of Bonnie and Clyde – The Lives Behind The Legend . This episode was originally featured on Short History Of...…

  9. S1 · E4 · 10 Jun 2026 · 41 min

    William Wallace

    Despised by the English, mistrusted by the Scottish nobles, and revered by his countrymen, William Wallace is synonymous with the battle for Scottish freedom. But scratch away at the legend, and even the most basic details are disputed. Where he was born, who he married, and what he did after his famous battle at Stirling Bridge. Thanks to the brutal nature of his death, he doesn’t even have a grave. What can we really know about the man immortalised by the poets? Was he anything like the warrior depicted in ‘Braveheart’? And what does his legacy tell us about the people of Scotland who…

  10. S1 · E3 · 3 Jun 2026 · 56 min

    Rosa Parks

    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…

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.

Get it on Google Play