22 - 28 June 2026 - Broad Chalke, Salisbury
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Our live online talks series has now finished for this year and will return with a new programme after the Festival.
When the talks resume, you will be able to purchase tickets for individual events, or enjoy the whole series by joining the Chalke History Club. Membership gives you access to all online talks throughout the year, along with exclusive content from leading historians and Festival speakers, plus early updates and insider news from Chalke.
Join the Chalke History Club and enjoy the Festival spirit all year round.
11 February, 7pm – 8pm. Live Online Talk.
In February 1950, a single speech changed America. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s explosive claims of communist infiltration ignited a wave of fear, suspicion and persecution that reshaped US politics and culture, and whose echoes are still felt today.
Join Clay Risen, New York Times reporter and acclaimed historian, in conversation with Jackson Van Uden as they unpack the truth behind McCarthyism, the infamous Wheeling speech, and how the Red Scare helped create the divided, conspiratorial America we recognise today. Drawing on his latest book Red Scare, Risen reveals striking parallels between the 1950s and our own turbulent times; from culture wars and censorship to the erosion of political trust.
Book your tickets now for this timely, gripping talk on power, fear and the making of modern America.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
About the Speakers:
Clay Risen
Clay Risen is a reporter and editor at The New York Times, is the author of The Crowded Hour, a New York Times Notable Book of 2019 and a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Prize in Military History. He is a member of the Society of American Historians and a fellow at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the author of two other acclaimed books on American history, A Nation on Fire and The Bill of the Century, as well as his most recent book on McCarthyism, Red Scare.
Jackson van Uden
Jackson van Uden is a historian and political theorist specialising in dictators and power, and an incoming History PhD Candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London. Founder of History with Jackson, he creates accessible history content viewed by millions. A BBC History Extra 30 Under 30 historian, he also curates talks for the Katharine of Aragon Festival.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
Dr. Owen Emmerson and Jackson van Uden will be discussing the life and legacy of Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England and first wife of King Henry VIII, 490 years after her death.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Dr Owen Emmerson is a social and cultural historian, a co-author of five books/ exhibition catalogues, a regular contributor to television documentaries, and is an Assistant Curator at Hever Castle in Kent.
Jackson van Uden
Jackson van Uden is a historian and political theorist specialising in dictators and power, and an incoming History PhD Candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London. Founder of History with Jackson, he creates accessible history content viewed by millions. A BBC History Extra 30 Under 30 historian, he also curates talks for the Katharine of Aragon Festival.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
Join us on Jane Austen’s birthday for a very special live Chalke Talk, celebrating 250 years since the birth of one of Britain’s most beloved authors.
We’re thrilled to be joined by Alice Boorman, Writer of BBC’s Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius, and Emily Thompson, the series’ Producer; both acclaimed filmmakers with a passion for bringing history’s most fascinating figures to life. In discussion with Jackson Van Uden, they’ll explore the making of the BBC series, what Austen’s genius means to modern audiences, and the enduring legacy of her storytelling.
Don’t miss this opportunity to step behind the scenes of Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius and celebrate the wit, wisdom, and brilliance of an author whose work continues to inspire 250 years on.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Alice Boorman is a Writer, Producer/Director, and Development Executive, with a specialism in historical and currents affairs documentaries. She has a decades worth of experience originating factual television ideas, taking them from their very first pitch, through production, and all the way to your TV screens. Her most recent work includes BBC’s Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius and the Grierson-nominated Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius, where she had the privilege of interviewing historians and legends alike, including Dame Judi Dench. Her films span multiple broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4, Amazon and Netflix, totalling over 100 hours of television.
Emily Thompson is a BAFTA, RTS, and Grierson nominated producer, creating factual programmes across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Netflix. With a specialism in history, she has produced and collaborated with some of the world’s leading academics and historians, to bring new audiences to both well-trodden and forgotten subjects. She has interviewed a range of extraordinary individuals; from ex-MI6 and CIA agents to human rights advocates like Cherie Blair and bestselling authors like Colm Tóibín and Helen Fielding. She is motivated by powerful retrospective stories that speak to modern anxieties, and how we can transform them for everyday audiences.
Jackson van Uden is a historian and political theorist specialising in dictators and power, and an incoming History PhD Candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London. Founder of History with Jackson, he creates accessible history content viewed by millions. A BBC History Extra 30 Under 30 historian, he also curates talks for the Katharine of Aragon Festival.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
Join Dr Anne Irfan, a leading historian of Palestine-Israel (Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the international refugee system and A Short History of the Gaza Strip) for a live Chalke Talk exploring the legacy of the Balfour Declaration, the 1917 British statement that set the stage for over a century of conflict and displacement in the region.
Drawing on her deep historical research, Dr Irfan will trace how this pivotal moment shaped the politics, borders, and lived experiences of Palestinians and Israelis alike, offering crucial insight into the roots of today’s realities.
Dr Irfan will be in conversation with Jackson van Uden and the discussion will be followed be a live Q & A session.
Dr Anne Irfan is a lecturer and historian at University College London (UCL) who has contributed to The Washington Post, BBC, The Nation and +972 magazine. She is author of the books Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the international refugee system (Columbia University Press, 2023) and A Short History of the Gaza Strip (Simon & Schuster, 2025).
Jackson van Uden is a historian and political theorist specialising in dictators and power, and an incoming History PhD Candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London. Founder of History with Jackson, he creates accessible history content viewed by millions. A BBC History Extra 30 Under 30 historian, he also curates talks for the Katharine of Aragon Festival.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click here
Join us for our first live Chalke Talk of the autumn as acclaimed historian and author Michael Livingston (Agincourt: Battle of the Scarred King and The Two Hundred Years War: The Bloody Crowns of England and France, 1292-1492) discusses the enduring legend and complex legacy of the Battle of Agincourt with Jackson van Uden.
Drawing on insights from his groundbreaking book, Livingston challenges the traditional English narrative of the Hundred Years War, exploring a broader and more nuanced history of Anglo-French conflict. Expect fresh perspectives, myth-busting discussion, and a fascinating re-examination of one of Europe’s most famous battles.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Michael Livingston, PhD, FRHistS, is the author of multiple prize-winning works of history, including ‘Agincourt: Battle of the Scarred King’ (Osprey, 2023). His latest book is ‘The Two Hundred Years War: The Bloody Crowns of England and France, 1292-1492’ (Head of Zeus, 2025). At present, he serves as Citadel Distinguished Professor at The Citadel.
Jackson van Uden
Jackson van Uden is a historian and political theorist specialising in dictators and power, and an incoming History PhD Candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London. Founder of History with Jackson, he creates accessible history content viewed by millions. A BBC History Extra 30 Under 30 historian, he also curates talks for the Katharine of Aragon Festival.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
29 April, 7pm – 8pm. Live Online Talk.
Join us for a live online Chalke Talk as award-winning investigative journalist Cathy Scott-Clark discusses her gripping new book, Russia’s Man of War: The Extraordinary Viktor Bout, with journalist and author Owen Matthews (Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin’s War Against Ukraine). Together, they unravel the extraordinary life of Viktor Bout – the enigmatic Russian arms dealer infamously dubbed the ‘Merchant of Death’ by Western intelligence.
Once the world’s most wanted arms trafficker, Bout was jailed by the U.S. but controversially released in a 2022 prisoner swap. Now back in Russia and linked to key Kremlin figures, his story raises urgent questions: Did the West’s decision to free him backfire? Is he back in business?
Through exclusive interviews with U.S. investigators and Bout himself, Scott-Clark explores the myths, the truths, and the lingering consequences of his release.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Cathy Scott-Clark is an award-winning investigative journalist and author, and an Emmy-winning filmmaker. She has worked with HBO, the BBC, The Sunday Times and The Guardian, and has co-authored books with Adrian Levy including The Exile: The Flight of Osama bin Laden; The Siege: The Attack on the Taj; and CIA exposé The Forever Prisoner. Her latest book, Russia’s Man of War: The Extraordinary Viktor Bout, is out now.
Owen Matthews
Owen Matthews, is a journalist and author. He has reported for Newsweek on Russian politics and global conflicts. His book Stalin’s Children was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and translated into 20 languages. His book, Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin and Russia’s War Against Ukraine is an astonishing investigation into the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
3 April, 6.30pm – 7.30pm. Live Online Talk.
Inventing the Renaissance: Myths of a Golden Age.
Join us for the next Chalke Talk Live online event with acclaimed historian Ada Palmer.
The Renaissance has long been romanticised as an era of intellectual rebirth and artistic genius, but Palmer takes us on a witty and irreverent journey through the myths that have shaped our modern view of this so-called golden age. Was it truly a time of progress and enlightenment, or have centuries of storytelling obscured a more chaotic and desperate reality?
From Machiavelli’s political cunning to the Medici’s rise, from the artistic brilliance of Michelangelo and Leonardo to the power struggles of the Inquisition, Palmer explores the real lives behind the legend. She also reveals how wealth and privilege shaped the era – where a single book could cost as much as a house, and innovation often relied on the patronage of the ultra-rich.
With her signature energy, sharp humour, and deep scholarship, Palmer will challenge everything you thought you knew about the Renaissance. Expect to be surprised, entertained, and inspired.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Ada Palmer is an internationally acclaimed science fiction and fantasy novelist, historian and composer. She completed her PhD at Harvard, teaches History at the University of Chicago, blogs and podcasts at ExUrbe.com, and composes and performs close harmony a cappella music with the group Sassafrass.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click here.
13 March, 7pm – 8pm. Live Online Talk.
Join us for an exclusive Chalke Talk with renowned world affairs author Robert D. Kaplan, in conversation with esteemed journalist Jason Cowley. They will discuss Kaplan’s latest book, Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis – an urgent exploration of our turbulent global landscape.
In Waste Land, Kaplan examines how war, climate change, technological upheaval, and geopolitical tensions are reshaping our world. Drawing parallels to Germany’s interwar Weimar Republic, he questions whether stability, rather than mass democracy, could be the key to avoiding global collapse.
This discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
About the Speakers:
Robert D. Kaplan
A celebrated author and geopolitical expert, Kaplan has written 22 books on world affairs, served on the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board, and was named one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers. His works include The Revenge of Geography and Balkan Ghosts.
Jason Cowley
An award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of the New Statesman, Cowley is a distinguished writer and commentator on politics and culture. His books include Who Are We Now? and Reaching for Utopia.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click the link below.
Auschwitz: 80 Years On From Liberation
6 February, 7pm – 8pm. Live Online Talk.
Join us for a compelling Chalke Talk marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Esteemed historians Dr. Alexandra Richie and Dr. Waitman Wade Beorn will explore the history and legacy of the camp in a thought-provoking discussion, followed by a live Q&A session.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Alexandra Richie
A leading authority on European history and defence studies, Dr. Richie is a Professor of History at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw and a Presidential Counsellor at the National WWII Museum. She is the award-winning author of Warsaw 1944 and has contributed to numerous acclaimed documentaries, including WWII in Color and The Rise of the Nazis.
Dr. Waitman Wade Beorn
An Associate Professor at Northumbria University, Dr. Beorn specialises in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. His notable works include Marching Into Darkness: The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust in Belarus and The Holocaust in Eastern Europe. He has also served as Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click the link below.
2 December, 7pm – 8pm
Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World with Anne Applebaum
In the 20th century most autocrats were brutal dictators whose main goal was to control a domestic population. But in the 21st century autocracy has become much more sophisticated and ambitious in its scope. Having reported on different forms of authoritarian power over the past three decades, from the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe to the threat of 21st-century disinformation, Pulitzer-Prize winning author Anne Applebaum is a leading authority on autocracy. Join Anne Applebaum, in conversation with Ali Ansari, for an alarming account of the rise of the autocrats, how they work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organise to defeat them.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
Speakers :
Anne Applebaum
Anne Applebaum is a historian and journalist. She is a staff writer for the Atlantic as well as a Senior Fellow at the Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of several history books, including Gulag: A History, which won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction; Iron Curtain, Red Famine and the bestselling Twilight of Democracy. Anne has been writing about Eastern Europe and Russia since 1989, when she covered the collapse of communism in Poland for the Economist magazine. She has also covered US, UK and European politics for a wide range of American and British publications. She is a former Washington Post columnist and a former deputy editor of the Spectator magazine.
Ali Ansari
Ali M Ansari is Professor of Iranian History and Founding Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews; Senior Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute. In 2016 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2018 he was elected Hon Vice President of the British Institute for Persian Studies, and re-elected President of BIPS in 2023. In 2020 he was awarded a two-year Knowledge Exchange Fellowship at the FCDO. His publications include These Islands: A Letter to Britain, The Politics of Nationalism in Modern Iran; Confronting Iran: the failure of US policy and the roots of mistrust. His latest book is a short history of Iran for Polity Press, published in 2024.
When: 2 December, 7pm – 8pm
Where: The 40 minute talk will be hosted online, with the opportunity for Q&A after. Ticket holders will be sent a link when they purchase their ticket, to watch the live talk online.
Price: Individual talk tickets are £5. Chalke History Club memberships start from £5 per month.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click here.
Winston Churchill towers over twentieth-century British history. By the time of his death at the age of 90 in 1965, many thought him to be the greatest man in the world. Today, his reputation is more controversial. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Churchill’s birth on 30 November, his biographer Andrew Roberts in conversation with Peter Caddick-Adams, will discuss Churchill, his life, his virtues and his faults to provide an intimate portrait of this fascinating yet complex figure. With information drawn from over forty new sources, including the private diaries of King George VI, used in no previous Churchill biography, be prepared for a totally unique event.
To mark Churchill’s 150th anniversary, a signed and numbered limited edition of Andrew Roberts’s acclaimed biography, Churchill: Walking With Destiny, can be purchased.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A.
The talk is free for members. £5 for non-members.
Speakers:
Andrew Roberts
Andrew Roberts is a biographer and historian of international renown whose books include Salisbury: Victorian Titan (winner of the Wolfson Prize for History), Masters and Commanders (winner of the Emery Reves Award), The Storm of War (winner of the British Army Book Prize), Napoleon the Great (winner of the Grand Prix of the Fondation Napoléon and the Los Angeles Times Biography Prize), and George III (winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography). Roberts is a Fellow of the Royal Societies of Literature and the Royal Historical Society, and a Trustee of the International Churchill Society. He is currently Visiting Professor at the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, and the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His website is www.andrew-roberts.net
Peter Caddick-Adams
Peter Caddick-Adams is a writer and broadcaster who specialises in military history, defence and security issues. He previously lectured in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy for twenty years, and in Air Power for the Royal Air Force. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, he also spent thirty-five years as an officer in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, and has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. His books include Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives, Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell, Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge 1944-5, Sand and Steel: A New History of D-Day and 1945: Victory in the West.
When: 14 November, 7pm – 8pm
Where: The 40 minute talk will be hosted online, with the opportunity for Q&A after. Ticket holders will be sent a link when they purchase their ticket, to watch the live talk online.
Price: Individual talk tickets are £5. Chalke History Club memberships start from £5 per month.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click the link below.
For the first of our Chalke online events, we are extraordinarily fortunate to welcome former senator Jim Webb, who has been a combat Marine, a counsel in the Congress, an assistant secretary of defense and Secretary of the Navy and is a highly regarded national security and foreign policy specialist. In conversation with James Holland, Jim will discuss his life at the heart of American politics, giving an unparalleled insight into America today and how November’s historic election could impact the United States and its future role in the world.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q & A. Free for members. £5 for non-members.
Speakers:
Jim Webb
Jim Webb is a decorated Vietnam Marine combat veteran who has served as the US Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary for Defense for Reserve Affairs. While in the Senate, he served on several committees, notably the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services and wrote, introduced, and guided to passage the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the most significant veterans legislation since World War II. Webb’s leadership and public service have been recognized with more than 30 national awards. Webb is also an Emmy Award-winning journalist, best-selling author of ten books and writer and executive producer of the movie, Rules of Engagement. He is the inaugural distinguished fellow at Notre Dame International Security Center.
James Holland
James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. He has presented – and written – many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic, History and Discovery Channels. He is also co-founder of the Chalke History Festival and presents the much-loved Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, alongside Al Murray.
When: 1st October, 7pm – 8pm
Where: The 40 minute talk will be hosted online, with the opportunity for Q&A after. Ticket holders will be sent a link in advance of the talk, to watch the live talk online.
Price: Individual talk tickets are £5. Chalke History Club memberships start from £5 per month.
To join the Chalke History Club, to enjoy this talk for FREE and many more benefits, please click here.
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