BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts

Hello and welcome to Home School History.

I'm Greg Jenner and I've spent my whole career making history fun on the TV show Horrible

Histories and more recently on the BBC Podcast Your Dead To Me, although that one's mostly

for the grownups.

With everyone being cooped up in the house, I thought I'd deliver a snappy history lesson

to entertain and educate the whole family, who says that homeschooling can't be a bit

of fun.

Today, we are taking a literary leap to Victorian England to learn all about one of the most

famous writers who's ever lived.

Charles Dickens, the author of Awesome Classics like Oliver Twist and a Christmas Carol.

And listen up, because at the end of the episode, there'll be a quick quiz to see how much

you can remember.

Little Charles was born in Portsmouth in 1812.

His family were lower class, but they had dreams of being a bit posh up, especially Charles's

dad, who cheekily borrowed a posh family's crest and used it for himself.

That was quite embarrassing, it was a bit like spray painting the family car's gold and

claiming it's a lambighini.

Charlie was the second oldest of eight kids, and he certainly wasn't the favourite child.

His parents sent his sister off to the Royal Academy of Music, hoping that she would

be the family's great success story.

More Charles grew up in her shadow.

...