Mary Mallon emigrated to America as teenager in 1883. She became famous for being the first person in the Untied States to be identified as an asymptomatic carrier of Typhoid Fever. Mary is believed to have infected 53 people over a period of time, although it's assumed the number is much higher, and out of those who caught it from Mary, 3 people d…

Although Constance Markiewicz had been elected to parliament before her but refused to take her seat, Nancy Astor was the American whirlwind who became the first female British MP in 1919. She did a heap of good, but life is complicated and HER life was not without a large dose of scandal and controversy. Opening music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuri…

In early 1817, a mystery woman showed up in the town of Almondsbury in Gloucester, England. She seemed disoriented, and when she spoke her words were incomprehensible to English ears. The only thing anyone could discern was that she called herself “Caraboo.” The young lady was taken in by a Mr. and Mrs Worrall, and several days after her arrival, a…

Von Donna McGlynn

Jessica Mitford was the communist ‘red sheep’ of the aristocratic, fascist sympathising Mitford clan. Known as ‘Decca’, she was the sister of novelist Nancy, Diana (who was the wife of fascist Oswald Mosley) and Unity, who was the subject of our last episode and who was obsessed with Hitler. Her own family, no strangers to bad behaviour and controv…

Although the rest of her family were fascist sympathisers of one sort or another, which was common among upper classes in inter-war Britain, Unity Mitford became an extreme right winger, a fanatical fascist who described herself as a "jew hater" and talked at length about how much she loved Hitler. Her life goal was to meet him, and she moved to Mu…

Described by some as "the Sarah Bernhardt of opera", Mary Garden was an actress, a talented singer, and quite the character. She was famous for her formidable vocal range and she first rose to success in Paris during the first decade of the 20th century. A few years later, she would be a household name in America as an operatic superstar, and starr…

We go back once again to Tudor times to look at the life of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. She has gone down in history (unfairly) as the ugly fat dim one, the one Henry was so repelled by, he couldn't consummate the marriage. Anne was Henry’s wife for just six months, making her the shortest reigning of all his queens and has subsequent…

Alexandra Feodorovna, formerly Princess Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice Von Hesse and By Rhine, was grand daughter to Queen Victoria, daughter of Princess Alice of Great Britain, and the last Tsarina of Russia. As a young woman, Alex fell in love with Nicholas, the heir to the Russian throne. The feelings were mutual, and they were married, bu…

One of the most beautiful and enigmatic actresses of Hollywood's first century, the words ‘dark angel’ summed up Merle’s hauntingly beautiful, exotic looks perfectly. She was, in fact, Anglo-Indian, something which back in those days would have put paid to any film career if it had been common knowledge. For most of her life, Merle claimed she was …

Rising from humble origins during a brutal and turbulent period of British history, Bess became the second most powerful woman in England after the Queen. She used her skills to navigate the risky world of the Tudor court and outlived monarchs and husbands along the way, as well as bearing 8 children and building an empire. Few royal courtiers woul…

Said to be Winston Churchill's favourite spy, Christine was an adrenaline junkie and a countess by birth whose jaw dropping bravery during the Second World War saved many many lives. Over the course of her wartime career, a knack for repeatedly escaping the deadliest of situations had given her almost mythical status. Christine died early at the ag…

When American-born English socialite Nancy Astor entered the House of Commons on 1 December 1919, she became the first female MP in British history to take a seat in parliament. But although Nancy was the first woman to take her seat, she wasn't the first to be elected. That was achieved the year before by one Constance Markievicz. Born into County…

Jane has always been portrayed as a meek and watery woman, the exact opposite of her predecessor Anne Boleyn, and whose only effect on the turbulent world in which she lived was to provide Henry VIII with the son he desired, then quietly fade away into the shadows. Saying that, we'll never know for sure whether Jane sought the king’s favour or was …

Although these five women - Mary Ann, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane - probably never met each other, they had some things in common, including grinding poverty, casual prostitution, the year of their murders, and the likely-hood that they were killed by the same person. The first "celebrity" serial killer, the Jack the Ripper became so …

Evelyn Dove was Britain's first black show business star. She was a true pioneer - she was the first black woman to sing on BBC radio, and the first black singer to move from Britain to make a splash in America. After the second world war, she had her own music series on British television, and was one of the most well loved personalities in what w…

Barbara Villiers, Lady Castlemaine, Duchess of Cleveland, was the most notorious mistress of The Merry Monarch, King Charles 2nd of England, who fathered 5 of her children. Her influence on the king was so great, and she was such a force to be reckoned with, that she has been referred to as "The Uncrowned Queen". Her greed, bad temper, adultery wit…

In 1746 a young woman, Flora MacDonald, sailed over the sea to Skye with her Irish "maid", Betty Burke. The "maid" was actually Prince Charles Edward Stuart, a fugitive from the forces of King George II who were hunting him following his escape after the disastrous Battle of Culloden. The grandson of James II of England, Prince Charles Edward Stuar…

Grace O'Mally, The Pirate Queen, was a flamboyant outlaw and the scourge of the Western Approaches. An unsung Celtic heroine, Grace's story is outrageous, involving kidnap, murder, piracy and intrigue. She lived in a time of great change - in 16th century Ireland, the old Gaelic way of life was being encroached upon by the English, and shifting loy…

Described by her enemies as a "goggle eyed whore",Anne Boleyn was the first English queen to be publicly executed. Five hundred years after her death, her tragic tale is still the subject of historians and the inspiration for films. Out of all of Henry VIII's wives, Anne is the without doubt the most famous, and most enigmatic. Join Donna and Tom a…

Enid Blyton's books were the height of escapism for children. She told stories of youngsters who were free to roam around unsupervised; children whose parents were conveniently absent, allowing them to explore the dens of smugglers, kidnappers and no-good Johnny-foreigners – who the plucky children would always outsmart and deliver into the hands o…

Lydia Thompson is one of the legends of the music hall and considered by many to be THE original Queen of Burlesque. Lydia and her chorus line, The British Blondes, electrified the stages of British Victorian Muisc Halls and introduced Burlesque to American audiences with their bawdy and sensational extravaganzas and they went on to become househol…

Fanny Cradock was one of the first tv chefs, terrifying viewers and employees alike from the fifties until the 1990s. Her on and off-screen shenanigans were the stuff of nightmares and she is still (in)famous over twenty years after her death. Join Donna and Tom as they talk about her life. Music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on …

Donna and Tom discuss the Victiorian poet, Christina Rossetti. A member of the remarkable Rossetti family (her brother was the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood) her most famous poem is probably "Goblin Market", which is still in print today. She spent much of her life unhappy, in emotional turmoil, wrest…

Welcome to Episode 8! Here we will talk about Catalina, or Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand, the King and Queen of Spain. Betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, from the age of 4, Catherine's fate would involve widowhood after only a few months of marriage and eventual marriage to Arthur's younger brother Henry, the future Kin…

Welcome to episode 7 of the show. Here, we talk about Elizabeth Ponsonby, one of the main characters of the so called Bright Young People of the Roaring 1920s. As the Jazz Age exploded, a set of young socialites issued in a short-lived era of 24 hour partying, drinking, drug-taking and gilded fun. This group of aristocrats, adventurers and bohemian…

Donna and Tom delve into the life of Mary Somerville, described in the 19th century as "The Queen of Science". Among other things they discuss nocturnal, covert algebra, the little Fife town of Burntisland, Beyoncé, and the normality of first cousins marrying each other. It's all good. Music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuring Dimitri Artmenko on strin…

This year is the centenary of Muriel Spark's birth. Join Donna and Tom as they talk about the life of one of the 20th century's greatest writers and the creator of one of literature's most iconic characters - Miss Jean Brodie. Excerpt is from "Appointment in Arezzo: A Friendship with Muriel Spark" by Alan Taylor. Music by Stefan Kartenburg, featuri…

Donna and Tom discuss what happens to Mary Queen of Scots on her return to her homeland. Spoiler: It doesn't end well. Music by Stefan Kartenburg.Von Donna McGlynn

Join us in the first of a two-parter as we look at Scotland in the reign of James V, the circumstances that saw his daughter Mary Stuart taken to France, and her golden childhood at the French court of Henri II. Music by Steve Kartenburg Poem by Rabbie BurnsVon Donna McGlynn

Join us as we delve into the life of Nell Gwynn, mistress of King Charles the II and superstar of the London working class. Music by Stefan Kartenburg.Von Donna McGlynn

Join Donna and Tom for a look back in time at the lives of famous (and not so famous)women of the British Isles.Opening and closing music by Stefan Kartenberg.Von Donna McGlynn