Episodes

  • Tutankhamun’s Table: Food & Drink for a King
    Aug 29 2025

    In 1922, the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings astounded archaeologists and the public alike. Beyond the ornate treasures, the tomb of the famous pharaoh offered insight into the daily life and diet of Ancient Egyptians. In this 10-Minute talk, Salima Ikram FBA delves into the findings of Tutankhamun’s chamber and what these reveal about resources, culinary practices, and beliefs during his time

    Speaker: Professor Salima Ikram


    This podcast is for informative and educational purposes.

    The British Academy convenes research insights from across the disciplines we represent. The views expressed in our videos are those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of the British Academy.

    Comments are open to viewers and are governed by the policies of YouTube. We do not monitor or moderate comments and will not reply to them.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476


    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

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    10 mins
  • Judith Butler on Gender
    Aug 11 2025

    “Gender studies as a discipline is by definition interdisciplinary, drawing from several paradigms, and it is defined by a set of debates and problematics, not by statements of doctrine or settled truths.” In this 10-Minute Talk, Judith Butler FBA discusses the conceptual contributions of gender as a field of study to a wide range of areas of research and teaching, and to social analysis and movements from the 1970s to the present.

    Speaker: Professor Judith Butler FBA

    The British Academy convenes research insights from across the disciplines we represent. The views expressed in our videos are those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of the British Academy.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476

    This podcast was produced by https://www.haychdigital.com/

    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    12 mins
  • Who invented the potato? And why should we care?
    Jul 25 2025

    "How did Sir Walter Raleigh invent the potato?” In this 10-Minute Talk, Rebecca Earle FBA takes up Philomena Cunk’s question to explore the global history of the potato and explain why we should care.

    Speaker: Professor Rebecca Earle FBA


    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476

    This video was produced by https://www.haychdigital.com/


    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    10 mins
  • The Man Who Shot Nelson: A French Take on Trafalgar
    Jul 11 2025

    From a fake news report claiming a French victory to fictional memoirs and literary retellings, the Battle of Trafalgar’s legacy in France became shrouded in myth over the following years of the Nineteenth Century, particularly around the identity of the man who shot Nelson. In this 10-Minute Talk, Dr David McCallam recounts how the French responded to the crushing defeat in 1805 with satire and storytelling, offering a fascinating alternative perspective on a well-rehearsed historical event.


    Speaker: Dr David McCallam

    This podcast is for informative and educational purposes.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476

    This podcast was produced by https://www.haychdigital.com/


    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    12 mins
  • Why Truth is Not Enough
    Jun 27 2025

    In a post-truth world, can we always trust data? And what about our human biases? Walking us through ‘the ladder of misinference’, Alex Edmans FBA outlines how statistics and studies can feed misinformation, and the tools we need to resist and make informed choices.

    You can learn more from Professor Edmans on the subject in his recent book ‘May Contain Lies’ https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455479/may-contain-lies-by-edmans-alex/9780241630181

    Speaker: Alex Edmans FBA, Professor of Finance, London Business School

    This podcast is for informative and educational purposes.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476

    This podcast was produced by https://www.haychdigital.com/

    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    13 mins
  • The 21st Century Resurgence of Eugenics
    Jun 13 2025

    Eugenics is a coercive ideology with a destructive history over the course of the 19th and 20th Centuries. But did support for eugenics die out after the Second World War?

    Unpacking the movement and its roots in academia, Rebecca Sear FBA explores the question of whether we are witnessing a resurgence in eugenics today.

    Speaker: Rebecca Sear FBA, Professor and Director of the Centre for Culture and Evolution at Brunel University

    This podcast is for informative and educational purposes.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476

    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    11 mins
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls and Beginnings of Western Mysticism
    May 30 2025

    What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? Who discovered them? And why are they important? Professor Philip Alexander FBA explores the history of the scrolls, and their role in uncovering the beginnings of Western Mysticism.

    Want to learn more from the British Academy? Check out our Folklore Reimagined season on our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/seasons/folklore-reimagined/

    Speaker: Professor Philip Alexander FBA

    This podcast is for informative and educational purposes.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/10-minute-talks/id1530020476

    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    13 mins
  • The rise and fall of Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General
    Apr 11 2025

    What really happened when a breakdown of the legal system in the English Civil War fuelled a series of witch-hunts? In this 10-Minute Talk, Professor Ronald Hutton FBA delves into England's witch trials and Matthew Hopkins, the self-proclaimed Witchfinder General.

    For more from The British Academy’s Folklore Reimagined season, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/seasons/folklore-reimagined/

    Speaker: Professor Ronald Hutton FBA


    This podcast is for informative and educational purposes.

    10-Minute Talks are a series of pre-recorded talks from Fellows of the British Academy screened on YouTube and also available on all podcasting platforms.

    Find out more about the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

    For future events, visit our website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/

    Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://email.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/p/6P7Q-5PO/newsletter

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    13 mins