The Essay Episodes Available now
Law-Makers—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
18/30 Geoffrey Robertson assesses the ideas, influence and legacy of Anglo-Saxon lawmakers.
Wilfred, the Bishop—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
17/30 Clare Stancliffe discusses Wilfred, the bishop who introduced music into the liturgy.
Alcuin, the Scholar—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
16/30 Mary Garrison discusses the scholar Alcuin, regarded as 'the most learned man anywhere'.
Offa, King of the Mercians—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
15/30 Professor Thomas Charles-Edwards discusses Offa, who was King of Mercia from 757 to 796 AD
The Court of King Alfred—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
14/30 Jinty Nelson explains how the court of King Alfred was run and how he rewarded his thegns.
Caedmon, the Oldest Surviving English Poet—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
13/30 Writer David Almond discusses Caedmon, the earliest English poet whose name is known.
Bede, the Father of English History—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
12/30 Scholar of the Anglo-Saxons Lilian Groves explores the life and times of St Bede.
The Beowulf Bard—Anglo-Saxon Portraits
11/30 Nobel Prize-winner the late Seamus Heaney's portrait of the great Anglo-Saxon Beowulf bard
Albert Einstein—Five Portraits of Science
5/5 Writer Richard Hamblyn considers the cultural afterlife of Albert Einstein.
Marie Curie—Five Portraits of Science
4/5 Sunetra Gupta considers Marie Curie's reputation as self-sacrificing scientific saint.
