CATEGORIES
'Maestro' Revealed
Bradley Cooper's transformation into Leonard Bernstein on film
The United State of America
Yes, we said 'United' -That's what Newsweek writers and readers told us
A kind of tree magic
When it comes to driving away witches or warding off evil, nothing beats the rowan tree, with its gleaming scarlet berries and pentagram markings. Aeneas Dennison walks into a forest of myths
7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE
Presidential historian Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky reveals some of the most surprising facts about the world-famous US residence
WHAT IF...CHARLES V HAD INVADED ENGLAND?
Nige Tassell asks Dr Owen Emmerson about the possible chain of events had Henry VIII been deposed by the Holy Roman Emperor
THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD
Dickens expanded his horizons and boosted his fan-base by venturing overseas - but global fame came with a cost
A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON
The works of Charles Dickens are synonymous with visions of Victorian London. We talk to Dr Lee Jackson about the author's love of the capital, and the locations that most inspired him
REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT
A Christmas Carol wasn't just a bestseller - it changed the way that Britons chose to mark the festive season
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
We explore the story behind an allegorical painting that celebrates the triumph of love over hate, peace over war
How to fall in love
Struggling to find that special someone? Justin Pollard looks at the ways in which our ancestors tried to woo would-be lovers - and deal with the consequences when things didn't quite go to plan
'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'
DR LEE JACKSON ON WHY CHARLES DICKENS REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY
GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING
We take a journey through the photo archives to reveal how Christmas and its many traditions have been celebrated over the years - and around the world
HELLISH NELL
Malcolm Gaskill delves into the life of Helen Duncan - the fraudulent Scottish medium whose ectoplasm-filled seances saw her ending up on the wrong side of the law
GIVING THE POOR A VOICE
From Hard Times to Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens used his pen to help illuminate the lives of the less fortunate
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Dr Lee Jackson chronicles Charles Dickens's journey from down-at-luck teenager to titan of Victorian literature
"A Personal Stab of Shock and Horror"
Chris Hallam looks back on the British reaction to President Kennedy's assassination
The Rise and Fall of Poole Pottery
Steve Annandale charts the history of what was, by the 1990s, Dorset's most significant tourist attraction
POSTCARD FROM CHESHIRE
Bob Barton finds out about subsidence, timber-framed buildings, boat lifts, waterways and Lewis Carroll, taking it all with a pinch of salt
THE ULTIMATE RESPONSE
Roger Harvey nominates a sculpture in his native Newcastle as the most poignant and powerful memorial to duty and heroism
DOCTOR HO-HO!
Robert Ross takes a swift spin through some of the comedy stars who have stumbled into the Tardis
ON TARGET
Russell Cook browses through 50 years of a publishing phenomenon
OVER HERE
Michael Foley looks back at how the people of East Anglia reacted to the American \"invasion\" during World War Two that saw the building of dozens of airfields
A BUILDING BONANZA
Claire Saul samples some of the entries in a new publication from the National Trust
The Three Ronnies
Martin Handley celebrates the talents of a trio of composers
A RARE OLD SCRAMBLE
Colin Allan has fond memories of tuning in to Grandstand to watch scrambling on winter afternoons in the sport's golden age of the 1960s
A Toast to the Past
Gregory Kerry on the memories provoked by food and drink
Who's Better...?
Simon Stabler speaks to classic Doctor Who companion Janet Fielding
9 EXTINCT ANIMALS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
From a lonely tortoise to a butterfly with a royal namesake, Megan Shersby tells the sad and surprising stories behind nine remarkable creatures that have been driven out of existence
LESSONS & LEARNING
We enter the classrooms of the past to discover how schooling, skills training and teaching materials have evolved over the centuries
UNEARTHING THE BOY KING
The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb is often regarded as one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. But how did Howard Carter and his team make their breakthrough?