The Star Chamber: Murder, Witch & Libel Trials

More from Not Just the Tudors

1. 

   E558 · 20 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

   James V: Scotland's Ambitious Renaissance King

   Was James V of Scotland a beleaguered child king or a brilliant Renaissance ruler who mastered the performance of power? Crowned before his second birthday, James curbed powerful magnates, strengthened royal authority and secured Scotland’s place in Europe, holding together a kingdom threatened by faction, England and religious upheaval. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Amy Blakeway to reassess a monarch who navigated politics, diplomacy and danger, while presiding over a dazzling court that embraced ceremony, humanist learning and spectacle. MORE Rise & Fall of James IV of…

2. 

   E557 · 17 Aug 2026 · 48 min

   True Crime: Mass Murderering Artist Cellini

   How did a murderous, swaggering, wildly unreliable goldsmith become one of the most celebrated artists of the 16th century? Does genius excuse monstrous behaviour? Benvenuto Cellini's story is as shocking as it is dazzling, taking him from the bloody streets of Florence to the Sack of Rome, papal prisons, accusations of sodomy, spectacular jailbreaks and timeless artistic masterpieces. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Noah Charney to explore Cellini's outrageous life. MORE Vasari: Inventor of Artistic Genius Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Michelangelo Listen on Apple Listen on…

3. 

   E556 · 13 Aug 2026 · 41 min

   C.S. Lewis & Narnia: Renaissance Origins

   Why does C.S. Lewis's Narnia - with its images of winter, sacrifice, kingship and renewal - continue to resonate with generations of readers? How did Lewis weave Renaissance symbolism and Christian imagination into one of literature’s best-loved fantasy worlds? Lewis’s deceptively simple children’s stories were shaped by his scholarship in classics, literature and theology. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alister McGrath, to uncover the intellectual and historical influences behind these much-loved books. MORE The Man who Wrote Robinson Crusoe Listen on Apple Listen on…

4. 

   E554 · 6 Aug 2026 · 39 min

   William Cecil: The Power Behind Elizabeth I

   Who really ruled Elizabethan England? For almost four decades, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, guided Queen Elizabeth I through religious turmoil, assassination plots, the threat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the unresolved question of succession. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Jon Culverhouse to explore the life and legacy of the meticulous, fiercely Protestant statesman who became the indispensable power behind the Tudor throne. More Royal Favourites: Hatton, Elizabeth I's Favourite Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Elizabeth I's Spymaster,…

5. 

   E553 · 3 Aug 2026 · 53 min

   Witnesses to the French Revolution

   What was the French Revolution like for those who lived through it? What can private journals reveal that speeches, pamphlets and official records cannot? From the storming of the Bastille to the Terror and the guillotine, ordinary witnesses recorded the personal impact of 1789, political violence, revolutionary identity and everyday life in Paris. In this final episode of our mini-series on the French Revolution, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from historian Michaela Kalcher. More: French Revolution: Storming of the Bastille Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Robespierre &…

6. 

   E552 · 30 Jul 2026 · 44 min

   New Discovery: Who Really Wrote Elizabeth I's Letters?

   Was Elizabeth I really as angry and bad tempered as history has always claimed? How did some of her most secret state letters come to be penned by a Spaniard, while England was at war with Spain? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb breaks the news of groundbreaking research that proves Elizabeth's secretaries - especially her 'spymaster' Francis Walsingham - put words into the Queen's mouth to amplify her tough image. Suzannah finds out more from Dr. Clodagh Murphy and Professor Nadine Akkerman. MORE Spycraft: From the Elizabethans to the Restoration Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Plots against…

7. 

   E572 · 8 Oct 2026 · 53 minNew

   Britain's Slave Traders

   How did a risky 16th-century venture evolve into a national enterprise that fuelled the rise of the British Empire? How did a vast network of royalty, politicians, cultural figures, and ordinary citizens finance human exploitation to expand British wealth and naval power? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor William Pettigrew to trace the nation's deep entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade and explore why its legacy was systematically obscured. MORE How Protestants Justified Slavery Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify British Barbary Slaves Listen on Apple Listen on…

8. 

   E571 · 5 Oct 2026 · 45 min

   John Dudley, The 'Wicked' Duke

   How did the son of an executed traitor rise to become the power behind young Edward VI? Was John Dudley a visionary patriot saving England from crisis or a ruthless opportunist who risked everything for ultimate power? Following the death of Henry VIII, Dudley seized control of the realm. However, his later gamble to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne condemned him to the executioner's block. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow explore John Dudley's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall. Watch Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow's new series How The Tudors Lost Their Heads now on Nat…

9. 

   E570 · 1 Oct 2026 · 58 min

   How the Americas Transformed Tudor England

   In 1588, mathematician Thomas Harriot mapped a doomed colony and drafted the playbook for English empire. But did Indigenous culture reshape Shakespeare's England just as profoundly? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lauren Working to explore how indigenous knowledge, labour, and resources, from Bolivian silver to North American beaver pelts, vibrant feather work, and Algonquin smoking customs, infiltrated Tudor fashion and society. MORE Elizabethans in America Listen on Appl Listen on Spotify Pocahontas & the Virginian Venture Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by…

10. 

    E569 · 28 Sep 2026 · 43 min

    Earl of Essex: Rise & Fall of Elizabeth I's Favourite

    How did a favourite of Elizabeth I go from royal darling to executed traitor? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alex Gajda and Dr. Will Tosh to explore the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, one of the most glamorous yet volatile figures in Elizabethan England. Together they unpack the true motives behind Essex's rebellion and the surprising propaganda role played by William Shakespeare. Watch Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb's new series How The Tudors Lost Their Heads now on Nat Geo and Disney+ MORE Henry Wotton: Outlaw and Royal Spy Listen on Apple…

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