Episode 4: Never Mind the Tudors - It's Hampton Court Palace, 17th-century Style

1666 and All That

Gareth Russell's latest book charts the 500-year history of Hampton Court Palace near London, best known for its place in the high melodrama of Henry VIII and his wives. Yet as Gareth reveals to Miranda and Paul, the part of the book he most enjoyed writing was not Tudor turmoil, but the extraordinary role Hampton Court played in 17th-century political, religious and cultural life. Music to the ears of our presenters, who are determined to draw this crucial period out of the historical shadows.

Over the Stuart century, as Gareth tells us, Hampton Court was by turns renovated, neglected, mothballed and saved from sale. It hosted religious scholars and royal mistresses. Within its walls, Shakespeare performed his plays and a prisoner king plotted his escape. And perhaps surprisingly, the leader who showed the most affection for Hampton Court was not a royal, but Oliver Cromwell.

Gareth Russell's 'The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of Royal History at Hampton Court' is published by William Collins.

'1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.