Trapped History

Eric Williams was Trinidad and Tobago's first Prime Minister after independence. Pretty consequential stuff. But for us, and for this week's guest Alex Renton, Eric was so much more.Because in the 1940s, he became the first historian to forensically question the economics of slavery. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has dubbed his masterpiece, Capitalism and Slavery, "the most influential book" on the history of the subject in the 20th century. It aligns the slave economy not only with the expansion of the British Empire, but also with the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution – and it questions the motives behind the abolitionist movement.Heady stuff. But also great fun and we thoroughly recommend this week's listen. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you soon!

As we close out Season 7, Trapped History takes a long dark walk down one of the most uncomfortable roads in history, going deep into the story of one British family which owned and traded in slaves.We are joined by the journalist and writer Alex Renton who has tried to make sense of his family's past ever since he uncovered the shameful history. It is a hard story, a painful one but it is a story which we all need to hear – Black and White, British and Caribbean – if we are ever to free ourselves from the history which traps us.

After pulling the curtain away from James Bond, writer Mark O'Connell chose Bond's book designer for his Hall of Fame nominee.Richard Chopping was Ian Fleming's choice too, and he created the template for Bond which we are all familiar with from the films, even if we've never read or seen one of the books. He was also a fiercely proud gay man at a time when it was still illegal. So tune in to hear all about Dickie's magnificently dissolute life and times. Not only did he live twice, I think he lived a thousand times!

He's the man's man, the lady's man, the pinnacle of heterosexual hyper-masculinity. His name is Bond.But you know what? Maybe James Bond is not as straight as you think. Because the origin story of 007 is a very queer one. From Ian Fleming's gay coterie and literary touchstones through to the creation of the Bond template on film, there's more to the world's favourite spy than meets the eye. And that's before we even mention the music.So tune in for a romp through 007's backpages in the company of cultural historian Mark O'Connell, whose new book, Bond, Queer Bond pulls the spy firmly out of the closet.Pull on your dancing shoes, get out that glitter, raise an eyebrow and if a vodka martini doesn't stir you in this heat, take advantage of this episode's sponsor, Brulo non-alcoholic beer, and treat yourself to £10 off one of their mixed cases. Just visit https://www.brulobeer.com/collections/shop and use the coupon TRAPPEDHISTORY at checkout.

This week, we've got a special Trapped History short for you. It felt wrong to ask Jocelyn to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame (Vera Rubin, anyone?) and so today we've got some choice gems which didn't make it into the main show. Starter for ten: have you ever wondered about the pop cultural impact of Jocelyn's pulsars? Well, it's huge and it has adorned the bedroom walls of many a teenager down the years. Following that – Jocelyn's a poet herself and has compiled poetry books and given poetry readings. Again, ask yourself why . . .And finally, listen in as Oswin – in true 'don't mention the war' style – well and truly puts his foot in it! Enjoy.

In its 120 year history, nearly 1,000 people have won a Nobel Prize. And we're going to ask you a simple question: how many of those Nobel laureates are women? What, half of them maybe? Or perhaps more realistically, one in four? One in ten even?Nope. Of 990 Nobels, 67 are women. That's just 7%. And when we turn to scientific Nobels, then out of 659 awardees, only 26 are women. That's not even 4%.And so today on Trapped History, we're recognising two women in particular whose names really should be on that list. Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter, and Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, who found pulsars. Don't worry – you don't need a physics degree to tune in. Because we're actually in the room with Jocelyn herself, as she holds our hand and gently leads us through the mind-boggling world of stars, space and sexism. As Oswin says at the end of the show, he's learnt a lot but he's 'unlearnt' even more!

For this week's Hall of Fame, the author Joe Dunthorne presents the writer's writer: Heinrich von Kleist. A contemporary of Goethe, Byron and Shelley he was perhaps even more jaded, world-weary and downright depressed than a whole inkwell of Doomed Romantic poets.And that, ironically, is what makes him so modern. His stories don't resolve. There are no happy endings. No-one gets their comeuppance. A writer for our times, perhaps? And a writer for Joe too, because in researching Children of Radium he also wasn't in control of the story. If you've not heard his episode yet, find it now. And in the meantime, wallow with us in the modernist romance of Heinrich von Kleist.

Wouldn't it be nice if the stories we're told were all true, were all heroic and inspiring? But that's not always the case. Because more often than not, family histories – all our family histories – are messy, complicated, disappointing and sometimes even shameful.This season on Trapped History, we're looking at some of those stories. And today, we're joined by the writer Joe Dunthorne, whose critically acclaimed book Children of Radium and BBC radio series, Half Life, tell the story of his great-grandfather, Siegfried – and his troubling past which is both visible and hidden at the same time. It is a must listen.

On this week's Hall of Fame, prepare to bask in the glorious Provençal sunshine, as you sit under grapevines, drinking Rosé and tucking into the most delicious goat's cheese salad. This is the world of Richard Olney, writer of perhaps the greatest cookbook ever, The French Menu Cookbook. And we are introduced to it today by Claire Thomson, food writer extraordinaire, who as 5 O'Clock Apron has a quarter of a million Instagram followers gobbling up her recipes.Feel the sun on your face and the food on your tongue and pray, just pray, that it's not going to rain . . .