BUNKER DAILY: Horrible Historian GREG JENNER on crisis, Corona and celebrity

He advises on the BBC’s Horrible Histories and now he’s podcasting to keep kids from going stir-crazy on lockdown. Historian GREG JENNER tells Ian Dunt what the Plague in 17th Century Florence can tell us about public emergencies, why past crises are no guide to what could happen in this one, and his new book Dead Famous: An Unexpected History Of Celebrity From Bronze Age To Silver Screen. It seems political celebrity is 300 years old, and one Dr Henry Sacheverell was the incendiary Nigel Farage of 1709…

“I’ve seen people on Twitter asking ‘Is this how socialism arrives?’ Are these the test conditions for things like Universal Basic Income? This is not a normal crash.”

“As a historian I’m fascinated, but as a person I have no idea what’s going to happen next.”

There’s a BUNKER DAILY every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and the main full-length panel show every Wednesday morning. Lockdown conditions mean we’re having to use available audio tech, so please bear with our variable sound quality. We’re working on it.

Presented by Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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