Britain’s hidden private life is revealed over the next six weeks as Amanda Vickery, reader in history at Royal Holloway, University of London and holder of an AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellowship, takes Radio 4 listeners through a vivid and compelling account of the domestic lives of British people over the last 500 years.

Each weekday for the next six weeks, Professor Vickery will unlock many of the secrets unearthed over 30 years of research through letters, diaries, notebooks, household accounts, business papers and much else. Themes covered in the series include homes as sanctuaries from evil and defences against witchcraft, cleanliness, cookery, courtship, violence and taste and decoration.

Mark Damazer, controller of Radio 4 said: ‘It is a boon for Radio 4 to broadcast a big history series with so much original research. Amanda Vickery’s work will be on the highlights of the Radio 4 year and will be distinctive and important.’

In an AHRC podcast launched to mark the start of the series, Amanda Vickery talks about how the series came about, how it’s bringing to life the everyday stories of ordinary people and the wider challenges of working closely with non-academic collaborators.