Stonehenge is Tony’s favourite piece of archaeology – he’s had so many adventures there over his long and varied career digging up history, so the second of two Cunningcast launch episodes is all about Stonehenge. Around 5,000 years ago, ancient people began construction on this Neolithic monument and Stonehenge has been a mystery ever since - the big questions of why did they do it and how still leave us guessing. Whoever built it left no written record and few clues for us to piece together, but clues there are. In this episode, Tony is inviting some old friends onto the podcast - fellow Time Team presenter Raksha Dave, Professor Mike Parker Pearson and archaeologist Alison Sheriden - to find out more about the world’s most famous stone circle, which never stops surprising us.   Hosted by Tony Robinson @Tony_Robinson Featuring: Raksha Dave @Raksha_Digs Field Archaeologist, Public Archaeologist and Broadcaster, recently appointed as President of the Council for British Archaeology London. Raksha's experience spans prehistoric times to the Second World War with primetime documentaries and series on BBC, Channel 5 and Channel 4. Mike Parker Pearson Professor of British Later Prehistory, University College London. Mike specialises in British and European prehistory from the Neolithic to the Iron Age; Stonehenge and the British Neolithic; the Beaker people of Bronze Age Europe; the archaeology of the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides); the archaeology of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean; the archaeology of death and burial; public archaeology and heritage. Dr. Alison Sheriden Research Associate, Department of Scottish History and Archaeology, NMS; Honorary Research Fellow in Archaeology, University of Edinburgh; Vice President, Archaeology Scotland. Credits Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald        Exec Producer: Dominic de Terville Cover Art: The Brightside A Zinc Media Group production Follow: Twitter: @cunningcastpod Instagram: @cunningcastpod YouTube If you enjoyed my podcast, please leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year is the 40th anniversary of Blackadder, the cult TV show that changed Tony’s life. He famously played the ‘turnip brained’ Baldrick, who always had ‘a cunning plan’. To celebrate this year's special birthday, Tony welcomes fellow Blackadder alumni, and dear friend of almost 60 years, onto the launch episode of Cunningcast - yes, it’s the legend that is Miriam Margolyes. Back in the day, before she was a national treasure, Miriam made a handful of standout appearances on Blackadder, including the Spanish Infanta in Series 1, Lady Whiteadder in Series 2, and Queen Victoria in Blackadder's Christmas Carol. In this special episode, Tony and Miriam recount stories from the series and discuss: where they first met, how she built her hugely successful career, the joys of travelling late in life, her new book, and most importantly… does she have a cunning plan?   Health warning: this being Miriam, the language does get a little fruity at times! Hosted by Tony Robinson @Tony_Robinson Featuring Miriam Margolyes Writer, political activist, TV and screen personality, Miriam Margolyes received a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993) and portrayed Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series (2002–2011). She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for Services to Drama. Miriam has spent many years dividing her time between the United Kingdom, Australia and Italy. She became an Australian citizen in 2013. She has also written two books, Dickens' Women (2012) and her autobiography This Much is True (2021). Credits Series Producer: Melissa FitzGerald        Exec Producer: Dominic de Terville Cover Art: The Brightside A Zinc Media Group production Follow: Twitter: @cunningcastpod Instagram: @cunningcastpod YouTube If you enjoyed my podcast, please leave us a rating or review. Thank you, Love Tony x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Robinson is best-known for playing turnip-brained Baldrick who always had 'a cunning plan' in the iconic TV show Blackadder. He's presented countless documentaries throughout his 50-year career, including 20-years on Channel 4's Time Team, inspired by his passion for history and for digging deep into the past to understand more about the present. That's his thing! In his new cunningly curated podcast, Tony takes the long view on the big stories of the day and delves into other weird and wonderful stories that grab him and make him want to know more about the world around us. He’ll be asking: Why was Stonehenge built? What did the past smell like, was it horrible? Why were pies invented? Why do our dogs love us so much? Amongst other intriguing questions. Along the way, Tony will be joined by experts and special guests, such as Miriam Margolyes, Stephen Fry, Raksha Dave and John Lloyd who help provide some answers. So join Tony Robinson as he hosts his new cunningly curated podcast. New episodes every Thursday from March 23rd 2023. A Zinc Media Group production. Twitter: @cunningcastpod Instagram: @cunningcastpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.