History

Here for the History

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson reveal the surprising moments in history behind the traditions, customs and objects all around us.

Latest Episodes:

Package Holiday: Why do Brits go to Benidorm? Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

For decades Brits have enjoyed package holidays in sunnier climes of Spain, in resort towns like Benidorm. But why is that? Where did the package holiday itself come from? Was it one person who invented it?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson unpack the stories which have all contributed to the success of the package holiday.

We’ll start our journey off in Victorian Britain, with a layover to visit a North London entrepreneur, before reaching our final destination of Franco-era Spain.

Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel.

Key Sources:

Thomas Cook: The Holiday-maker by Jill Hamilton A World Away: The British Package Holiday Boom, 1950-1974 by Michael John Law The New Elizabethans: Vladimir Raitz Witness History: The beginning of Benidorm

Stiff Upper Lip: Do Brits Have Emotions? Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

There’s a well known stereotype that Brits don’t show their emotions. George Gershwin even composed a song about the famous ‘Stiff Upper Lip’.

This week Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson delve into the history of emotions and ask where the British stiff upper lip came from.

We’ll hear how the French Revolution turned Brits against emotion, how the Victorians made repression a virtue, and why everything changed after World War II.

Key Sources Ian Hislop’s Stiff Upper Lip: An Emotional History of Britain, BBC Two Weeping Britannia: Portrait of a Nation in Tears, Prof Thomas Dixon History of Emotions Blog, Queen Mary Centre for the History of the Emotions Prof Julie-Marie Strange

Why Don’t Women’s Clothes Have Pockets? Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

To the frustration of many, a lot of women’s clothes don’t have pockets. But why on Earth is that the case? Especially when men’s clothing seems to be full of pockets.

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson track the tumultuous and muddy history of women’s pockets. From capacious beginnings, through many fashion changes, to suffragette campaigning and societal expectations.

Alice and Ben unpick the surprising moments of pocket history that have contributed to the inconsistency of these sewn-in marvels today.

KEY SOURCES: Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close by Hannah Carlson The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives by Arianne Fennetaux and Barbara Burman

Why Are Brits So Obsessed With Football? Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Why are Brits so obsessed with football?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson explore the origins of football, how the game transformed from a gentleman’s hobby to the people’s game, and then how it became the most popular cultural phenomenon in the world.

Key sources: The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football - David Goldblatt The Association Game: A History of British Football - Matthew Taylor

English Language: Why Do We Speak Like That? Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Why do our spellings not match our pronunciations? Why are so many words just really weird?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take us on a whistle stop tour of some of the key moments that forged the English Language as we know it today.

We’ll be looking at Germanic and French invasions, the impact of a period of history called the Great Vowel Shift and Caxton’s first printing press, our ever-increasing vocabulary and, of course, the dictionaries that go with it.

Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel.

Key Sources: The English Language: A Historical Introduction - Professor Joan Beal and Dr Philip Shaw The Adventure of the English - Melvynn Bragg

Why does British food have such a bad reputation? Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Is British cooking a crime against food? Or is this a foreign plot to do down Britain? Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton investigate the history behind Britain’s culinary reputation. They explore how British aristocrats turned towards French food from the 1600s, while Britain’s peasant cuisine was crushed by the industrial revolution and land enclosures. Finally, they examine the enduring legacy of World War Two rationing. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and on Here For The History’s YouTube channel. Key Sources: English Food: A People’s History - Diane Purkiss Much Ado About Cooking - Sam Bilton Cooking & Dining in the Victorian Country House - Peter Brears Beef and Liberty - Ben Rogers The English Table: Our Food Through the Ages - Jill Norman

Why do British people love tea? Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

How and when did tea arrive in the UK? Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson take a look at the mythological origins, the role of a Portuguese princess and even going to war for a cuppa. We’ll start our journey with the first appearance of tea in England in the 1600s and its popularisation in the English royal court thanks to the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza who married King Charles II. The story takes a dark turn as the British East India Company seeks to break China’s monopoly on tea production leading to the Opium Wars and corporate espionage. Finally, how tea fuelled Britain’s industrial revolution. Key Sources: A Social History of Tea - Jane Pettigrew A journey to the tea countries of China - Robert Fortune Dinner with Dickens - Penn Vogler

Are You Here For The History? Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Do you ever stop to think where the stereotypes, social norms, traditions, and beliefs that fill our everyday life come from?

History lovers Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson uncover the origin stories behind all sorts of things - why we dress the way we do, why football is our national sport, why our cities look the way they do.

Where does the idea of Britain’s stiff upper lip come from? And why does our food have such a bad reputation? The shadow of Second World War rationing still looms large.

We’ll explain how stories from history shaped our lives in the present.

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