Anne Boleyn portraiture remains a fascinating but highly contentious subject! We are blind as to what Anne Boleyn truly, beyond all doubt looked like, due to a lack of confirmed contemporary portraits of her, but there is a sketch in the royal collection, drawn by Hans Holbein which for many historians is categorically Anne. I have always struggled to accept this conclusion and so I am thrilled that todays guest, Karen L Davies not only agrees, but has produced a mountain of extremely compelling evidence to back it up. In the process, she has also landed on a theory surrounding a sketch long suggested to portray Amalia of Cleves, that it could, in fact be the face of Anne Boleyn all along! So sit back and listen in as Karen dismantles much that has been said by historians, hopefully kickstarting a reassessment of Anne’s image.

Helen Carr joins me again today to discuss the rest of her most recent book, Sceptred Isle. Today we discuss the reigns of Kings Edward III and Richard II, from Edward’s early reign in which he was bullied by his mothers domineering lover to becoming viewed as the greatest Plantagenet king, through to his feckless grandson, Richard II, who all but destroyed trust in the monarch to such a degree that he was forced from the throne, acting as a pre-cursor to the momentous drama that would engulf England in the next century, a period known to us all as the wars of the roses

Historalia are changing the game when it comes to putting on large history themed musicals, hosting them in the grounds of historic buildings closely tied to the subjects of their plays. There latest and very first British musical is just around the corner and its all about everyones favourite Tudor MVP, Anne Boleyn! Anne Boleyn the Musical will take place in a specially designed theatre in the grounds of the stunning Hever Castle, Anne’s iconic childhood home. To discuss the musical with me, I am thrilled to welcome its director, Roxana Silbert and writer Rebecca night onto the show!