This week, Simon and Bruce check out the future - or at least the various ways of predicting it. From the Soothsayers to the Simpsons,...

Bruce waves the skull and crossbones. Simon scintillates about Semaphore. A History of Chinese Flags. Notice how many claws the Qing...

Tree rings explained Bruce's log cabin Building a Viking Longship The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest The Ankerwycke Yew The world's largest...

Parts of a bottle Opening a bottle of champagne with a sabre. The Traditional Method of making sparkling wine Top Champagnes Sizes of...

This one's about fonts and typefaces (and not confusing them - PLEASE)

This is a plug for Factoraly! ...And this is a plug for a canal. Jack Rothwell and his workmates were dredging a busy stretch of the...

Simon goes potty. Bruce is flushed with success. An ancient Egyptian toilet. It's rather fancy, isn't it? Here's a replica of a...

As with much in the civilised first world, potatoes were not native to our shores. Walt R in typically understated pose with his hand...

On a bar of modern Wrights Coal Tar Soap, you'll find the words "Perseverando Vinces" which means Perseverance Conquers All. Once the...

Here are some show notes to accompany the podcast. Have you 'shotgunned' the front passenger seat? This one is self-explanatory... Mrs...

Some notes to get your tails wagging! (Unless you're Simon...) Dogs weren't always domesticated... First aired almost 50 years ago, one...

Tell the cavemen about the honey! And the front of the Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup tin: It's true! Jelly babies are all in different...

Yummy or pretty? Here's a fish kettle English is funny, isn't it? Did you know that you can spell a word that sounds like 'fish' like...

Please excuse us for giggling at the use of the word ‘Tool’ as we’re British and there’s a slang definition of ‘Tool’ that refers to a...

Believe it or not, Simon and Bruce first played the Kazoo together at the Royal Albert Hall! This week we talk about cucumber. Or is it...

Let's start with the world's most famous Cypher. Here's an Enigma Machine. You can see a real one at Bletchley Park. And here's how it...