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Time Travellers

Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough presents a collection of quirky tales from the corners of history, exploring a different theme in each weekly episode.

Radio 3,43 episodes

Episodes

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Carols, carouses, and ceasefires: Christmas special
Discover the strange stories behind the music of Christmas.
27 Dec 2019,24 mins
Music and food: a match made in heaven
Ice cream, honey and... uranium ore: four gourmet stories of music and food.
18 Dec 2019,20 mins
Four glorious eccentrics
Eleanor discovers the bizarre lives of four pretty zany musicians.
11 Dec 2019,16 mins
Lost at sea
Four salty stories of seafaring music and musicians from around the British Isles.
04 Dec 2019,17 mins
Folk music and musical folk
Four folky tales of unsung heroes, bladder fiddles and communal kitchenware bashing.
27 Nov 2019,17 mins
Myths, legends and supernannies
Four musical adventures featuring knights, viking saints and the world's greatest nanny.
20 Nov 2019,18 mins
Slave songs, pit songs, songs in dark times
Four stories of the power of music in times of hardship.
13 Nov 2019,16 mins
A quartet of musical superwomen
They mightn't be sporting spandex, but these four musical women deserve superhero status.
06 Nov 2019,18 mins
A whistle-stop tour of four intriguing instruments
The ear-catching stories behind four intriguing musical instruments.
30 Oct 2019,16 mins
Celeb-spotting stories: four tales of musical celebs from history
Snooping through the spy glasses of history for scoops on musical celebs from the past.
23 Oct 2019,17 mins
Five objects that tell the story of the River Thames
Get your boots on and join mudlark Lara Maiklem as she discovers history in river mud.
17 May 2019,19 mins
Feasts, festivals and Fat Tuesdays
Cream buns, holiday parks, alcoholic dragons: who doesn't love a festival?
08 May 2019,17 mins
Keeping up appearances
Get ready to face the world.
01 May 2019,17 mins
Smoke and mirrors
People, and elephants, are not always what they seem.
26 Apr 2019,16 mins
Objects of desire
Take a look at some of history's finest - and weirdest - collectors' pieces.
17 Apr 2019,18 mins
Very superstitious
Etheric vampires, Roman curses, and powerful fertility symbols...
10 Apr 2019,17 mins
Historical brainteasers
Can you solve these five bite-sized brainteasers from history?
03 Apr 2019,17 mins
Whatever the weather
Battles on ice, apocalyptic storms and a historical cloud craze.
27 Mar 2019,18 mins
A Time Traveller's dictionary
Travel through time and enhance your vocabulary.
20 Mar 2019,16 mins
Sporting endeavours
Here are some tips from the past for the optimum sporting performance.
13 Mar 2019,16 mins
Music everywhere
Marvel at the lengths folk will go to in order to make their music heard.
06 Mar 2019,25 mins
Treading the boards
Come and join us for a night at the theatre.
19 Dec 2018,15 mins
A glimpse of paradise
Experience visions of Utopia, some imagined; some real.
12 Dec 2018,17 mins
Retro technology
This is how they did IT in the olden days.
05 Dec 2018,17 mins
Grandiose designs
Admire some of history's most ambitious design projects.
28 Nov 2018,17 mins
A classical century
1920s rap, space opera and classical composers accused of espionage.
22 Nov 2018,21 mins
A historical tasting menu
Tuck in to a smorgasbord of delights from our foodie forebears.
14 Nov 2018,16 mins
Ancient trees and forest virgins
If you go down to the woods today...
07 Nov 2018,17 mins
A brief history of youth
Relive those carefree days with Viking children and Roman students.
31 Oct 2018,16 mins
Viking hipsters and Tudor yoga
Looking for the next big trend? Consult the history books.
25 Oct 2018,15 mins