Catherine the Great

You're Dead to Me

BBC

Comedy, History

4.7 • 10.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2024

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the first episode of a new series, Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Julia Leikin and comedian David Mitchell to learn all about the life of Catherine II of Russia, better known as Catherine the Great. Catherine’s story is full of contradictions and ambiguities. She was a German princess who became empress of all Russia, a ruler who believed in Enlightenment philosophy but championed imperial expansion, and a sexually open woman in the patriarchal eighteenth century. From her childhood in Germany through her marriage to the heir to the Russian throne and eventual coup against his rule, this episode charts the twists and turns of Catherine’s life, and asks what kind of ruler she really was. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Jon Mason Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse

Transcript

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0:00.0	Does talking to strangers make you happier?
0:04.5	Could aging disgracefully help you live longer?
0:08.0	I'm Dr Michael Mosley and in my Just One Long Thing podcast series, I'll be chatting to doctors and scientists
0:15.1	we'll be covering topics like sleep exercise happiness and staying young with each of
0:20.9	our experts choosing a health hack they claim is the single most effective way you can improve your life
0:27.0	Just one long thing listen first on BBC Sounds
0:34.0	BBC Sounds BBC Sounds. Music Radio Podcasts.
0:36.0	Hello and welcome to You're dead to me.
0:40.0	The Radio 4 comedy Podcast that Takes History Seriously.
0:42.8	My name is Greg Jana.
0:44.0	I'm a public historian author and broadcaster.
0:46.4	And today we are sailing along the Niva River
0:48.9	to Sir John in 18th century St. Petersburg,
0:51.9	as we learn all about Empress Catherine the second of Russia
0:54.7	also known as Catherine the Great and to help us we have two great guests in history
1:00.1	corner she is based at Royal Holloway University of London where she lectures on
1:03.9	modern European and Russian history is Dr Julia Laken. Welcome Julia.
1:08.0	Hello, thank you for having me.
1:10.0	Pleasure. And in Comedy Corner, he's a Baff the winning comedy writer, performer and broadcaster.
1:14.8	You'd have seen him on all the telly, peep show, That Mitchell Web Look, Back.
1:17.8	Would I lie to you? Upstart Crow, as well as hosting the unbelievable truth on Radio 4.
1:21.4	And he's now a published historian because he's just
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