Happened Here

Dec 30 2023 112

Happened Here Podcast artwork

At the heart of HappenedHere.com are 4-5 minute stories that transport you to another era, answering the wonderfully simple question: “I wonder what happened here?”. We help you imagine “what happened here,” in this very location, on this very ground, to imagine in whose footsteps you might be treading, to be intrigued by people and their stories from the very recent to the very distant past.

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New York New Year

Dec 30 2023 5 mins

For New Year's Eve, we present a story of the origins of a New York Perennial! New York’s Times Square New Year’s Ball Drop is an annual ‘must see’ event for people in the USA and beyond. Harry Tucker looks back at its origins.Hosted by Robbie StampPerformed by Sarah BeebeSound Edited by Will Jacob

Silent Night

Dec 23 2023 5 mins

In this Christmas Story Single Story we hear a retelling of the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 - of kindness and compassion amidst the horrors of war.

Stir Up Sunday is Saved

Dec 22 2023 5 mins

In this Special Christmas Story Single Story, we learn a little about the making of Christmas Puddings in the Seventeenth Century and how the ‘Littlest Scullery Maid” saved Stir Up Sunday!

A Single Story: Theatre of Blood

Oct 30 2023 5 mins

Bram Stoker worked for the charismatic actor and theatre manager Henry Irving in the 1890s. In gothic style, Becky Stamp considers how Irving’s overbearing presence inspired the character of Count Dracula.

Burials, Bequests and Boundaries

Jul 06 2023 31 mins

In this special episode, recorded live in front of an audience at the Chalke Valley History Festival, Robbie Stamp introduces three stories from Britain's Anglo Saxon past:Friends Live on Earth - Winflaed’s Will - written and performed by Olivia BellThey Borrowed a Barrow - written and performed by Robbie StampBefore You Can Beat the Bounds, You Have to Read Them - introduced by

Across the Centuries

Jun 26 2023 18 mins

This episode links events that happened in different eras; two actors perform Othello 100 years apart, two musical geniuses live next door, two centuries apart, and one murder leads to ghostly apparitions for over a century. Hosted by Neil Fleming: The Golden Earrings written by Milo Harries, performed by Stephen Fry [The Savoy Theatre, The Strand, and The Theatre Royal, Covent Gar

Heaven, Hell and Subterranean Homesick Blues

Jun 19 2023 16 mins

In this episode medieval monks try to make a heaven-sent garden, drugs drag a writer to hell, and Bob Dylan creates a now-iconic short film. Hosted by Kate ReidGardening for God, written by Sarah Fleming and performed by Kate Reid [Covent Garden]Tales of the Odious Opium Eater, written by Zak Ghazi-Torbati and performed by Stephen Fry [4 York Place, and around Covent Garden]The Ant

Inigo's Covent Garden

Jun 12 2023 18 mins

In this episode, travel back to the seventeenth century and meet master-builder Inigo Jones, who has been summoned for a meeting with the Earl of Bedford. Performed by Stephen Fry, hosted by Lulu Freeman and written by Hamish Roberts, this episode charts the conception of the Covent Garden piazza. How would YOU change London [Bedford House, Covent Garden, London]Walking in the Air

Mixed Fortunes

Jun 05 2023 14 mins

In this week’s podcast, Dame Joanna Lumley introduces stories about punishment, prostitution and pugilism:Ritual Humiliation written by Joanna Clarke and performed by Lulu Freeman [Charing Cross, Central London]An Unlikely Purchase written by Sarah Fleming and performed by Olivia Bell [A Coffee House in Bedfordbury, Covent Garden, a Theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Field, and Hol

Joseph Grimaldi

May 29 2023 15 mins

In this week's episode of HappenedHere, hosted by Stephen Fry, we explore the life of the man who changed the face of clowning forever - Joseph Grimaldi, with three stories written by James Rampton and performed by Dame Joanna Lumley:He Swung Joseph with the Utmost Velocity [Sadlers Wells Theatre, Roseberry Avenue, Clerkenwell, London]Make ‘Em Laugh [Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Lo