Radio 4's History Of Private Life

Synopsis

Professor Amanda Vickery is one of the most charismatic historians in Britain today. In 'A History of Private Life' she reveals the intimate secrets of life at home, from the Tudor mansion to the modern bedsit. Through letters, diaries and other first-person accounts, we hear the voices of men and women from very different backgrounds telling their stories. Men behaving badly, adulterers on the sofa, servants running amok, bashful bachelors and glamorous widows - all are revealed in their own words, providing a revealing portrait of how these long-dead people lived day to day, and illuminating the problems, pleasures, successes and catastrophes of domestic life. Among the actors bringing this history to life are Deborah Findlay, John Sessions, Jasmine Hyde, Jeremy Young, Simon Tcherniak and Madeleine Brolly. The series also features songs from the 18th and 19th century specially arranged and performed by David Owen Norris, who is accompanied on keyboards by singers Gwyneth Herbert and Thomas Guthrie.