Margery Kempe: Ministry of Tears

Margery Kempe always tells it like it is. But in Medieval England, such straight-talking can get a woman killed...

In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone tells ten true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors who lived life on the edge.

Born in Kings Lynne in around 1373, Margery Kempe was destined for a typical medieval life. But after the birth of her first child, and a terrifying nine months of diabolical visons of the devil and hell which meant she was tied to the bed for her own safety, she had an altogether more soothing experience. A vision of a man with whom she’d fall deeply, passionately in love - Jesus Christ. After that, despite being full of lustful feelings, she swore off sex with her husband and forged her own path – speaking her mind and getting out of endless scrapes thanks to her indefatigable ferocity.

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Suniti Somaiya

Development Producer: Georgina Leslie

Executive Producer: Paul Smith

Written by Imogen Robertson

Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts