{"podcast":{"title":"History's Heroes","slug":"history-s-heroes-6396729","podcast_index_feed_id":6396729,"rss_url":"https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/m001mcbp.rss","website_url":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mcbp","image_url":"http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0mq65jd.jpg","author":"BBC","episode_count":90,"summary":"History's Heroes: the BBC's breathtaking, high stakes, story-led history podcast feed that shines a light on extraordinary people from across history. Series include 'History's Heroes' with narration from Historian Alex von Tunzelmann, 'History's Toughest Heroes' with narration from Ray Winstone, 'History's Youngest Heroes' with narration from Nicola Coughlan and 'History's Secret Heroes' with narration from Helena Bonham Carter. In History's Heroes, Historian Alex von Tunzelmann (Radio 4's The History Podcast: The Lucan Obsession/writer of all the History's Heroes series) shines a light on the inspiring and unusual stories of courage, pioneering and people who used their voice to spark change. Heroes covered include groundbreaking surgeon Harold Gillies, composers Rodgers and Hammerstein and swimming champion Gertrude Ederle. Join Alex for stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone reveals wild, true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors. Heroes covered include arctic explorer Peter Freuchen, Hollywood stunt woman Kitty O'Neil and medieval knight William Marshal. Join Ray for tales of fearsome heroes…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T00:17:38.974873+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729"},"episode":{"title":"History's Toughest Heroes: Margery Kempe: Ministry of Tears","slug":"history-s-toughest-heroes-margery-kempe-ministry-of-tears","published_at":"2025-11-25T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729/history-s-toughest-heroes-margery-kempe-ministry-of-tears","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729","url":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002mbmv","audio_url":"http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0mfbchz.mp3","summary":"Margery Kempe always tells it like it is. But in Medieval England, such straight-talking can get a woman killed... In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winstone tells ten true stories of adventurers, rebels and survivors who lived life on the edge. Born in Kings Lynne in around 1373, Margery Kempe was destined for a typical medieval life. But after the birth of her first child, and a terrifying nine months of diabolical visons of the devil and hell which meant she was tied to the bed for her own safety, she had an altogether more soothing experience. A vision of a man with whom she’d fall deeply, passionately in love - Jesus Christ. After that, despite being full of lustful feelings, she swore off sex with her husband and forged her own path – speaking her mind and getting out of endless scrapes thanks to her indefatigable ferocity. A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Producer: Suniti Somaiya Development Producer: Georgina Leslie Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Imogen Robertson Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts","meta_description":"Margery Kempe always tells it like it is. But in Medieval England, such straight-talking can get a woman killed... In History's Toughest Heroes, Ray Winst…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1702,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-s-heroes-6396729/episodes/history-s-toughest-heroes-margery-kempe-ministry-of-tears/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-s-heroes-6396729/history-s-toughest-heroes-margery-kempe-ministry-of-tears.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}