While researching Billie Swift Takes Flight Iszi discovered the story of Diana Barnato Walker - a world record setting pilot who flew Spitfires during the second world war. Diana was one of many female pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary that features in iszi's new children's book. The RAF needed planes delivered and women like Diana were the ones who did the flying. The work was dangerous. Find out how a simple lack of cushion nearly cost her her life! x
Aug 23, 2021•37 min•Season 12Ep. 6
When a dinosaur obsession works out. Victoria Coules has the best PHD going. She is researching representations of Paleontology in media. This means she gets to look at dinosaurs all day as well as study why they were depicted the way they were. As part of her research she has been studying Winsor Mccay, the cartoonist who pioneered modern animation by drawing an interactive cartoon of a dinosaur. This was a pet project, and his contribution to animation isn't widely known. Thanks for listening ...
Jul 23, 2021•34 min•Season 12Ep. 5
Were all composers white men with powdered wigs? The shocking truth is no, of course they weren't. Iszi speaks to Elizabeth de Brito of The Daffodil Perspective about the most famous of the non-male and non - white composers, Florence Price. Who I guess is still Z List unless you are very much into your classical music, and only old white men with powdered wigs like that, right? ;) Thanks for listening do check out the links below and share this podcast with your friends. Links: x
Jun 13, 2021•27 min•Season 12Ep. 4
I worry I may have been too positive about Margery Kempe. I do find her fascinating, not just because she offers a glimpse into life in the early 15th Century but because of how modern she feels as a character. She's the sort of person you'd expect to find on Dr Phil. Everything is about her, and her faith. Most historians when I was asking for suggestions to title this podcast offered up titles suggesting she was a self obsessed whiner and malingerer... However it is because of her unquestioned...
May 12, 2021•31 min•Season 12Ep. 3
Kim Kardashian is now famously a billionaire, mostly from successful promoting and selling shapewear underwear which she promotes using her ass-sets. But was she the first person to commodify this particular body part and where has the idea of a large bottom being a sexual marker come from? Is it purely natural does actual idea of a large booty equating to being hypersexual have sinister undertones? I recorded this interview with Laura Snowling several years ago but found the story incredibly sa...
Apr 12, 2021•24 min•Season 12Ep. 2
'He was a shiftless person, roving and maggotty-headed, and sometimes a little better than crazed. And being exceedingly credulous would stuff his many letters with fooleries and misinformations which sometimes would guide him into paths of error.' - Anthony Wood on John Aubrey 31st August 1667 Books: Brief Lives (edited by Richard Barber) and John Aubrey My Own Life by Ruth Scurr. It has been a strange year that has me thinking a lot of the troubles of the 17th century. A hero flittered through...
Mar 04, 2021•32 min•Season 12Ep. 1
No episode this month BECAUSE I've been working on another podcast. I know. It is all about dinosaurs and this is just a small taster. Go to for more information. Thank you!
Jun 09, 2020•3 min•Season 11Ep. 20
Brill performance by Greg Jenner - author of the BRAND NEW book Dead Famous - and host of the You're Dead To Me Podcast. His performance is nearly as good as Edmund Kean. You know that hugely famous actor... you don't know Edmund Kean? Well listen up! For more information about The Z List Dead List please visit The Unstoppable Letty Pegg is available to buy now!
Apr 15, 2020•18 min•Season 11Ep. 19
Unusual episode where I guest on The Bechdel Cast where Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus put movies to the Bechdel Test. This episode was recorded live in London and is about The Favourite the story of the last few years of Queen Anne's reign and her love affair with Sarah Churchill. Olivia Colman won several awards for her performance and the film was critically acclaimed but just how historically accurate is it and does it pass the Bechdel Test? To find out more about The Bechal Cast visit and...
Mar 10, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 11Ep. 18
No violence, all charm, this podcast isn't about Marvel, but it is of a man who marvels at the smallest and least understood creatures. For more information about The Z List Dead List please visit The Unstoppable Letty Pegg is available to preorder now and released on 6th Feb 2020.
Jan 11, 2020•20 min•Season 11Ep. 17
History is full of criminals, and some are not human. Here is a tale of animals of the past, some guilty, some innocent all judged by the LAW. And all too would have been forgotten without that great academic Edward Payson Evans. 1831-1917 Neil Denny is interview Editor of @littleatoms Radio Show, podcast and magazine. l Radio show Monday 11am on @ResonanceFM Boothby Graffoe's albums are amazing. Buy them. Go see him live. Follow him. @boobygraffoe Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making Hi...
Oct 22, 2019•29 min•Season 11Ep. 16
If you live in Reading, you've probably heard of Amelia Dyer. She was the most prolific of all British serial killers and dumped the bodies in the canal. Iszi recently found her address, so took a short stroll down to Kensington Road and ponders whether this serial killer was a product of her own insanity or if it was government policy that really allowed her to kill so many. FEATURING Amelia Dyer Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast.and on twitt...
Sep 05, 2019•23 min•Season 11Ep. 15
The man who conquered all of Rome... although Rome at the time was the size of Deddington. Still it is nice to beat the Romans, despite their well trained* defence geese. In this episode iszi drunkenly chats to Stephen P Kershaw about one of the many characters in his enormous book. Barbarians Rebellion Resistance to The Roman Empire. *Not actually trained... FEATURING Dr Stephen P. Kershaw has been a Classics tutor for some thirty years, teaching at all levels from beginner to PhD, currently op...
Aug 13, 2019•27 min•Season 11Ep. 14
What does it take to be a hero? Nowadays rescuing others, not being a coward, or just standing up for you principles seems to be the key. In the Trojan war you could spend years in a tent sulking while everyone else fights simply because you were denied a sex slave, and STILL be considered a Hero. Natalie Haynes has released a novel about the silenced women of the Trojan War, and chats to Iszi about a not-so-famous Amazon warrior and debunks some of the myths surrounding her. Featuring: Penthesi...
Jul 18, 2019•38 min•Season 11Ep. 13
The odds are never a problem if you own half the racers. This is a story of a populist who brought down his own people. Born into wealth and unrivalled privilege, at least this particular politician fought in the wars alongside his friends. It didn't stop him turning on them to save his skin, or indeed turning on his new friends to do it again. Featuring: Alcibiades David Stuttard is a writer, lecturer, theatre director, dramaturg and Fellow of Goodenough College, London.His Nemesis: Alcibiades ...
Jun 11, 2019•50 min•Season 11Ep. 12
Accidentally predicting the future in her sci fi novels, Kage Baker's books set alight to the dork celebrator extraordinaire, comedian Jackie Kashian. In this episode we discuss the limits of fiction, and of shame. This podcast was 4 years in the making, all because iszi is an idiot. Featuring: Kage Baker Jackie Kashian is host of the Dork Forest Podcast, comedian and on tour RIGHT NOW Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast. and on twitter:
May 08, 2019•32 min•Season 11Ep. 11
Was Dr James Barry a pioneering transman or was she an insanely driven genius woman who sacrificed everything, even her own identity for her career? Iszi ponders the difficulty of trying to fit morden genders on people in the past. Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast. and on twitter: A new series of BBC Radio 4 Making History Presented by Iszi and Tom Holland is out now listen on BBC Sounds and here Please do check out more of iszi's podcasts on...
Apr 01, 2019•23 min•Season 11Ep. 10
Was Otto Overbeck an abject failure? A brilliant polymath? A Quack? An Abuser? Iszi and James Stark explore the curious career of a bizarre creature with an electric personality. Iszi Lawrenceis a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast. and on twitter: A new series of BBC Radio 4 Making History Presented by Iszi and Tom Holland is out now listen on BBC Sounds and here Please do check out more of iszi's podcasts onand support the show by donating to paypal here:
Mar 17, 2019•23 min•Season 11Ep. 9
Who knew laying cable could be so difficult? This isn't an episode about eating more fibre, it is about fibre optic's predecessor. The telegraph and how it is bloody difficult sending messages across the planet. Shouting might not work, but it is easier. Wildman Whitehouse Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Membercast. and on twitter: NEWS: A new series of BBC Radio 4 Making History Presented by Iszi and Tom Holland is out now listen on BBC Sounds and her...
Jan 30, 2019•16 min•Season 11Ep. 8
MERRY CHRISTMAS! And what could be more festive than talk of pious Christians finally overcoming their pagan occupiers by clever use of marrying enemy Earls, raising a kick-arse nephew and stealing a corpse in the name of patriotism. Featuring: Æthelflæd Tom Holland Historian. New biography of Athelstan out now! Herodotus translator. Dinosaur lover. Hedgehog conservator. A 'leading English cricketer' - The Times Iszi Lawrence is a presenter of BBC's Making History and The British Museum Memberca...
Dec 25, 2018•23 min•Season 11Ep. 7
She's Irish, Spanish, American and Mistress to the King of Bavaria married 3 times, Dancer, actress, lecturer, author and murderer? Iszi thinks so. Doug Segal isn't so sure. Meet Lola Montez AKA Eliza Rosanna Gilbert AKA Countess of Landsfeld... she has had more names than husbands. Massive apologies for the sound quality of this episode. But we thought the content is worth the echoes and condensed audio. Featuring Lola Montez - Doug Segal is a mind reading comedian. CHeck out his tour dates her...
Nov 25, 2018•30 min•Season 11Ep. 6
This is not a very Z List episode if you are already a Basketball fan but I'm guessing, not many of us history nerds are... Steve Cross is tho! He explains the magic formula to inventing a world-popular sport. (And it is more than just a random number generator with a soap opera attached.. but not that much more!) Everything has a history, and this one is particularly amusing. James Naismith Steve Cross is a comedian, consultant, trainer, Creator of . 'dementedly detailed... and very enjoyable' ...
Oct 10, 2018•29 min•Season 11Ep. 5
What has Pears Soap, a soprano, bell ringing orphans, a lesbian affair, ritual dowsing, litigation and a Monkey called Mr Titileehee have to do with the advancement of women's rights? Author, actor, comedian, hero Emma Kennedy will tell you from the BP Lecture Theatre at The British Museum and her very own back garden. And yes that is Sue Perkins providing snacks... Emma Kennedy is the author of 10 books. Writer of The Kennedys. Voice of Becky Butters. Writer Waffle the Wonderdog. Celeb Masterch...
Aug 29, 2018•36 min•Season 11Ep. 4
How do 6 stolen boots, a snake and drawing lots result in a man being eaten? Welcome to the horrible tale of Alexander Pearce 1790-1824. Who would eat humans... even when he strictly didn't 'need' to. Alice Fraser is a comedian and podcaster (Tea with Alice) Iszi Lawrence is a comedian and podcaster and contributor to BBC's Making History and presenter of The British Museum Membercast.and on twitter: Please do check out more of iszi's podcasts on and support the show by donating to paypal here:...
Aug 01, 2018•14 min•Season 11Ep. 3
The cry Mother Prodgers! echoes around the streets. Cab drivers flee, leaving the stand empty but for Mrs Caroline Giacometti Prodgers the nemesis of cabmen everywhere! Jo Caulfield takes the stage at The British Museum to tell you all about this famous litigant and seeker of justice: one cab bill at a time! Jo Caulfield is at The Edinburgh Fringe 19.40 at The Stand with her show Killing Time - she also is in a play called Brexit Iszi Lawrence is a comedian and podcaster and contributor to BBC's...
Jul 12, 2018•26 min•Season 11Ep. 2
Wilhelm Reich was an esteemed psychoanalyst who studied with Freud in the 1920s. So why was he deliberately written out of history? Mitch Benn explains! For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Wilhelm Reich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Reich Mitch Benn is a satirist, comedian, musician, podcaster, science fiction author... everything! He is up in Edinburgh this summer with his new show Doing It On Purpose at the Fringe; Also his Patreon page is here: Iszi Lawrence is...
Jun 13, 2018•23 min•Season 11Ep. 1
Think you're clever? Maybe you are: but are you a GENIUS? Irving Finkel doubts it. There is only one man this curator gives that label to and it is Edward Hincks... upstaged by the evil Rawlinson and with a blue plaque only dogs can see, it seems the only person left to champion him is a swearing beardy man with a passion for Cuneiform. For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Edward Hincks Dr Irving Finkel isa British and . He is the Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian s...
May 16, 2018•19 min•Season 10Ep. 9
Do you know the difference between a cryptogamist and a cryptogramist? No? Well it turns out that, during the Second World War, someone in the Ministry of Defence didn’t either. For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Geoffrey Tandy Florence Schechter is Scicomm-er and comedian and is making a vagina museum. Really. Iszi Lawrence is a comedian and podcaster and contributor to BBC's Making History and presenter of The British Museum Membercast. The Z List Dead List is a podcas...
Apr 19, 2018•12 min•Season 10Ep. 8
the most important woman in the history of mathematics... possibly the most important PERSON. So why have you never heard of her? For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Emmy Noether Michael Conterio is a Cambridge based comedian and Physicist and performs in a range of science and comedy events in Cambridge and beyond Iszi Lawrence is a comedian and podcaster and contributor to BBC's Making History and presenter of The British Museum Membercast. The Z List Dead List is a pod...
Apr 04, 2018•17 min•Season 10Ep. 7
Peggy Pollard's life sounds so made up its ridiculous... borne to the upper classes, a genius scholar, criminally minded fundraiser, a brilliant seamstress and deeply devout catholic. Her life is full of the tales of Narnia and metallic pineapples. Can it be true? Lucy Porter tells her story at The British Museum. For any questions suggestions and feedback get in touch via Margaret Steuart Pollard Lucy Porter is a an AMAZING comedian and is on tour go see her live! Iszi Lawrence is a comedian an...
Mar 15, 2018•26 min•Season 10Ep. 6
