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Here For The History

BBC Sounds 1 Episodes Jul 16, 2026

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson reveal the surprising moments in history behind the traditions, customs and objects all around us.

Episodes

Stiff Upper Lip - Do Brits have emotions? Jul 16, 2026 2054 There’s a well known stereotype that Brits don’t show their emotions. George Gershwin even composed a song about the famous ‘Stiff Upper Lip’.This week Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson delve into the history of emotions and ask where the British stiff upper lip came from.We’ll hear how the French Revolution turned Brits against emotion, how the Victorians made repression a virtue, and why everything

Why don’t women’s clothes have pockets? Jul 9, 2026 2213 To the frustration of many, a lot of women’s clothes don’t have pockets. But why on Earth is that the case? Especially when men’s clothing seems to be full of pockets.Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson track the tumultuous and muddy history of women’s pockets. From capacious beginnings, through many fashion changes, to suffragette campaigning and societal expectations.Alice and Ben unpick the surprisi

Why are Brits so obsessed with football? Jul 2, 2026 2296 Why are Brits so obsessed with football?Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson explore the origins of football, how the game transformed from a gentleman’s hobby to the people’s game, and then how it became the most popular cultural phenomenon in the world.Key sources: The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football - David Goldblatt The Association Game: A History of British Football - Matthew Taylor

English Language: Why do we speak like that? Jun 25, 2026 1775 Why do our spellings not match our pronunciations? Why are so many words just really weird?Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take us on a whistle stop tour of some of the key moments that forged the English Language as we know it today.We’ll be looking at Germanic and French invasions, the impact of a period of history called the Great Vowel Shift and Caxton’s first printing press, our ever-increasin

Why does British food have such a bad reputation? Jun 18, 2026 2083 Is British cooking a crime against food? Or is this a foreign plot to do down Britain? Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton investigate the history behind Britain’s culinary reputation. They explore how British aristocrats turned towards French food from the 1600s, while Britain’s peasant cuisine was crushed by the industrial revolution and land enclosures. Finally, they examine the enduring legacy o

Why do British people love tea? Jun 18, 2026 1883 How and when did tea arrive in the UK? Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take a look at the mythological origins, the role of a Portuguese princess and even going to war for a cuppa. We’ll start our journey with the first appearance of tea in England in the 1600s and its popularisation in the English royal court thanks to the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza who married King Charles II.

Trailer Jun 15, 2026 140 Do you ever stop to think where the stereotypes, social norms, traditions, and beliefs that fill our everyday life come from?History lovers Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson uncover the origin stories behind all sorts of things - why we dress the way we do, why football is our national sport, why our cities look the way they do.Where does the idea of Britain’s stiff upper lip come from? And why does

Here For The History

Episodes

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