John Cheke: Scholar of Kings, Prisoner of Queens
Tudors Dynasty & Beyond
RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson
4.4 • 869 Ratings
🗓️ 31 May 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
John Cheke is often remembered as one of the greatest scholars of Tudor England, but his story is about far more than books and learning.
In this episode, I'm joined by Amy McElroy as both co-host and guest as we explore the remarkable life of Sir John Cheke. From his rise as a brilliant humanist scholar and the first Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge, to his role as tutor to the future Edward VI, Cheke found himself at the very heart of Tudor power.
But the Tudor court could be a dangerous place. We follow Cheke's journey from trusted advisor and royal servant to exile, imprisonment, and ultimately the Tower of London. Along the way, we discuss his influence on education, religion, and politics, as well as his support for Lady Jane Grey and the devastating consequences that followed.
How did one of the most respected minds of the Tudor age become a prisoner of the crown? Join us as we uncover the fascinating rise and fall of Sir John Cheke.
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Host: Rebecca Larson
Guest/Host: Amy McElroy
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome back to Off the Record on Tudor's Dynasty and Beyond. |
| 0:09.3 | I'm Rebecca Larson. |
| 0:10.5 | And I'm Amy McElroy. |
| 0:12.7 | And you know what day it is, right? |
| 0:14.7 | Together, it's Sunday. |
| 0:16.4 | It's Sunday. |
| 0:18.4 | Okay, we didn't practice. |
| 0:20.2 | No. You didn't practice. |
| 0:25.2 | You didn't even tell me we were going to do that. |
| 0:29.3 | You know what? |
| 0:31.7 | I'm just flying by the seat of my pants today. |
| 0:33.8 | You just don't know what I'm going to do. |
| 0:54.4 | This is going to be an interesting one, isn't it? Oh my gosh. It's hot. It's hot where you are. It's hot where I am. And clearly it's frying our brain cells. Yes. We are in a lot of trouble today. No, not we. You guys. You guys are in a lot of trouble today. No, not we. |
| 0:55.1 | You guys. |
| 0:56.7 | You guys are in a lot of trouble today. |
| 0:57.0 | Yeah. Everyone else has got to listen to us. |
| 0:59.2 | Yeah. |
| 0:59.9 | Just blather on about nothing. |
| 1:02.0 | In advance. |
| 1:06.5 | Oh, my gosh. |
| 1:08.0 | Okay. |
| 1:08.5 | So last week, we did the third part in our historical TV series series. |
... |
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