The Tudor Chest Podcast

Queen Mary I is England’s first true queen regnant, and yet her reign is invariably considered a mere blip in the wider Tudor story, a short lived window in which an intolerant zealot went around burning people alive with undiluted pleasure. The truth is, of course, far more complex. Many misconceptions surround Queen Mary I, and so to unpack them I am pleased to welcome back Dr Peter Stiffell onto the podcast. From his annoyance at the term Mary Tudor, to Mary’s own commitment to the good treatment of her household, to one of the most controversial topics, Mary’s pregnancies, in this episode we will uproot much of what people think they know of Mary’s reign, and so prepare to hopefully have some of your opinions altered!

Given the brevity of her time as queen of England, we often overlook the fact that Anne of Cleves was indeed that, a queen, and thus her tenure came with all of the benefits, mores and facets of queenship just as much as it did for the many other queens of Henry VIII. We seldom explore what kind of queen she was, how did she spend her money, was she a good landlady, was she a good queen?! Well to discuss all of this and more, I am pleased to welcome back James Taffe onto the podcast for a discussion based on his latest book, Accounting for Anne, The Tudor Queen who could have been, so, settle in to find out precisely what kind of queen she was!

The Tudors are perhaps our most famous royal dynasty, everyone knows that Henry VIII had six wives and that he had two of them made a head shorter, we all know Lizzie the first loved fashion and spent loads, or did she, was it in fact another queen for whom the term shopaholic would apply? Today, I am pleased to welcome back historian Elizabeth Goff onto the podcast for a discussion based around her very first book, coming out next month, Bloody Brilliant Tudors, 100 tales of gowns, gossip and gory ends. Sadly we can’t cover 100 stories, and so I hand picked 20 to discuss, from the surprising role the groom of the stool performed to two of Jane Seymour's ladies in waiting turning up for work in completely the wrong clothes to Elizabeth I stuffing her cheeks with silk, all will be discussed, so settle in for a thoroughly fun jaunt through some of the more random or overlooked parts of our favourite and often bonkers royal dynasty!

In this, the first episode of the year I am pleased to be welcoming Craig Lightoller onto the podcast for the first time. Craig is a historical re-enactor and a playwright. He is here today to speak about his upcoming play, The Falcon’s Last Flight, in which Craig will play King Henry VIII. This play dares to ask the question, what would a conversation between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on the eve of Anne’s execution have looked like. Playing Anne Boleyn opposite Craig is Karen L Davies. In this chat, Craig explains the basis for the play, what viewers can expect to see, how it strips away king and queen, refocusing them as two human beings whose legendary relationship altered the course of history.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and so it was for the Tudors as well. Yes, its Christmas, and so I thought it would be the ideal opportunity to examine how the Tudors spent the most festive time of year. To join me, I am pleased to welcome back Tudor food and gardening historian, Brigitte Webster onto the podcast. She and I examine how the Tudors decorated the home, from the poorest of subjects right up to the royal family, we look into some of the major foods popular across the Tudor period, explore some traditions and also delve into what aspects of Tudor Christmas are still very much part of the way we celebrate today!