247 | Dan Snow on Covid History (and Cummings)

David and Helen talk to the historian Dan Snow about the parallels for the current crisis.  Is it like past pandemics or is it more like a war?  What has it exposed about the weak spots in our societies?  And what have we learned about the role of political leadership?  Plus we explore the value of Churchill comparisons on the 80th anniversary of his great WWII speeches and we dip our toes into the Cummings affair.

231 | From Cholera to Coronavirus

David talks to the historian Richard Evans about the history of cholera epidemics in the 19th century and what they can teach us for today.  How did contemporaries understand the spread of the disease? What impact did it have on growing demands for democracy?  And who tended to get the blame - foreigners, doctors or politicians?  Plus we discuss whether the political changes being driven by the current pandemic are likely to outlast the disease itself.