In this episode, Charlie Higson delves into the life of a fascinating woman, Cecily Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, wife of Richard, Duke Of York.

As a Neville, she was a member of one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom and she had an extraordinary life. The youngest of her father's 22 children, she went on to have 12 children of her own, two of whom became King of England.

Helping us understand Cecily's place in The Wars Of The Roses, Charlie welcomes back Lacey Bonar Hull. Doctor of Medieval & Tudor History and a

historian & author based in Ohio, USA.

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As Charlie Higson continues his canter through history, he lands on Margaret Of Anjou, the powerful French woman who fought so hard for her husband, Henry VI when his rule was challenged in the Wars of the roses, and was called by Shakespeare "The She Wolf of France", in Henry VI part III.

As ever though, historical research tells a different story of a woman who was a better leader than many of her male contemporaries, as explained in this episode by Amy Licence, author of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou: A Marriage of Unequals.

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Whan that aprill with his shoures soote

The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

These lines, although difficult to understand, are from a key work in English literature. They have endured today, in part, thanks to a man called William Caxton, who chose a book called 'The Canterbury Tales' as the first book to be printed in England.

In this episode, Charlie Higson looks at the life and work of William Caxton - the founder of printing in England with his introduction of the printing press, the incredible invention that changed history in so many ways.

By homogenising regional dialects he changed the English language forever. His story affects us all.

To help Charlie cross the T's and dot the I's on Caxton's life, he is joined by Dr Kat Marchant, Postdoctoral researcher in early modern literature and culture and content creator for the Reading the Past YouTube channel.

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