Audio recordings of some of our talks from previous festivals, released throughout the years.

The Great Adventurer: Patrick Leigh Fermor

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A recording from the talk ‘The Great Adventurer: Patrick Leigh Fermor by Artemis Cooper at CVHF on Thursday 27th June 2013.

Patrick Leigh Fermor led an extraordinary life. A war hero whose exploits in Crete are legendary, he was also widely acclaimed as one of the greatest travel writers of our times, notably for his books about his walk across pre-war Europe, A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. He was a self-educated polymath, a lover of Greece and the best company in the world. Artemis Cooper has drawn on years of interviews and conversations with Paddy and his closest friends as well as having complete access to his archives. Her beautifully crafted biography became a best-seller and was widely praised. Here she tells Paddy Leigh Fermor’s story and explains why this man of such extraordinary gifts was such a wonderful personality and why he inspired such passionate friendships.

This year Artemis Cooper returns to CVHF on 26 June. Her talk, Cairo in the War, 1939 – 1945 she will relate the progress and fortunes of the war in the desert against the background of legendary parties and a hotbed of spies and intrigue.

The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Leading Millions Into The Abyss

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Recording from Laurence Rees’ talk for CVHF, Monday, 24th June 2013.

Adolf Hitler was an unlikely leader – fuelled by hate, incapable of forming normal human relationships, unwilling to debate political issues – and yet he commanded enormous support. So how was it possible that Hitler became such an attractive figure to millions of people? That is the important question at the core of this talk by award-winning filmmaker and historian, Laurence Rees. The Holocaust, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, the outbreak of World War 2 – all these cataclysmic events and more can be laid at Hitler’s door. Hitler was a war criminal arguably without precedent in the history of the world. Yet, as many who knew him confirm, Hitler was still able to exert a powerful influence over the people who encountered him. In this absorbing talk, based on the work done for his acclaimed BBC series, Laurence Rees examines the nature of Hitler’s appeal, and reveals the role Hitler’s supposed ‘charisma’ played in his success.

Live Theatre & Dead People

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Recording from Tom Stoppard’s talk, ‘Live Theatre & Dead People’ for CVHF, Sunday, 30th June 2013.

We were thrilled to welcome Britain’s greatest living playwright to the Chalke Valley. The author of award-winning plays such as Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Jumpers and The Real Thing as well as the screenplays for Empire of the Sun, Anna Karenina and Shakespeare in Love, will discuss the idea of dramatic licence in theatre and film. What does drama owe to history? After all, a biographical play is not a biography. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the greatest writers in the world.

The Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1842

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‘It’s easier to go in than to come out.’ Someone might well have been remembering the British withdrawal in 1842 when delivering that advice to the Russians, the Americans or anyone else who has become embroiled in Afghanistan’s complex tribal system. The retreat from Kabul in 1842 was one of the greatest disasters suffered in the history of the British army but it could have been avoided. In this fascinating talk, laced with accounts of the lives of those who were there, best-selling author William Dalrymple tells the shocking story of Imperial Britain’s most humiliating defeat at the hands of poorly-equipped tribesmen who had responded to the call for jihad. This is a story that provides a powerful and important parable of colonial ambition and cultural collusion, folly and hubris, for our times.

Leonardo Da Vinci & The Last Supper

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Recording from Ross King’s talk, ‘Leonardo Da Vinci & The Last Supper’ for CVHF, Thursday, 27th June 2013.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper took three years to complete and stands fifteen feet high by twenty feet wide – a vast mural, which, for more than five centuries, has been an artistic, religious and cultural icon. The art historian Kenneth Clark called it ‘the keystone of European art’ and, for a century after its creation, it was regarded as nothing less than a miraculous image. And yet there is a very human story behind this artistic ‘miracle’, which was created against the backdrop of momentous events both in Milan and in the life of Leonardo himself. In this talk, Ross King tells the complete story of the creation of this astonishing mural: the adversities suffered by the artist during its execution; the experimental techniques he employed; the models for Christ and the Apostles that he used; and the numerous personalities involved. This is the compelling human story of one of the most famous paintings ever created.

Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain

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Recording from the Horrible Histories, Barmy Britain show on 26th June 2013.

Have you ever wondered why the Romans never won MasterChef? What if a Viking moved in next door? Would you lose your heart or head to horrible Henry? Will Parliament escape Gunpowder Guy? Enrol yourself at Georgian Crime School, dare to dance the Tyburn jig and find out what a baby farmer did!

Shaped By War

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Recording of Don McCullin in conversation with Tom Bradby, at CVHF Sunday 30th June 2013.

No other photographer in modern times has recorded war and its aftermath as widely and unsparingly as Don McCullin. He is responsible for many of the most iconic war photographs of the last fifty years and is widely regarded as one of the finest war photographers ever. Having covered most of the major conflicts around the world during his career, he recently travelled to Syria to record the civil war there. The Festival was fortunate to have this living legend in conversation about his life and career on the front line with award-winning journalist and writer, Tom Bradby.

STIFF UPPER LIP: An Emotional History of Britain

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Recording from Ian Hislop’s talk, ‘Stiff Upper Lip: An Emotional History of Britain’ for CVHF, Saturday, 29th June 2013

The stiff upper lip: the quintessential mark of British stoicism in adversity. Ian
Hislop’s three-part BBC series presented us with ‘an emotional history of Britain’ over the past 300 years, finally asking whether the British lip is still firm and whether indeed it can or should be in a world awash with sentiment. With his habitual wit, Ian Hislop reveals why the stiff upper lip emerged at all, who its greatest proponents and detractors were, (with fascinating insights into two of our greatest heroes, Wellington and Nelson), and why we ended up with the bulldog rather than the cock for our national symbol. This talk is as thought-provoking as it was funny.

Histrionics Quiz Show 2013

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Recording from the CVHF Histrionics Quiz Show, Friday, 28th June 2013.

Our very own history quiz show which combines deep historical knowledge with razor-sharp wit. Devised by Justin Pollard (historian and writer of QI), Dan Snow and James Holland, this all-new comedy panel show will see Charlie Higson in the Chair, and two teams that include Ian Hislop, Dan Snow, Neil Oliver and Natalie Haynes. A hysterical historical quiz that will go down in our Festival history as one of the more outrageous and irreverent events we have put on..

THE INTERESTING BITS: The History You Might Have Missed

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Recording from Justin Pollard’s talk, ‘The Interesting Bits: The History You Might Have Missed’ for CVHF, Sunday, 30th June 2013.

Did you give school history lessons your undivided attention? Even if you did, you’re probably none the wiser as to how exactly Henry II of France came to have a two-foot splinter in his head or why Alexandra of Bavaria believed she had swallowed a piano. Or where terms like bunkum, maverick, John Bull and taking the mickey come from; or how the Tsarina of Russia once saved a life with a comma; or why Robert Pate hit Queen Victoria on the head with a walking stick. For some unknown reason the most interesting bits of history are kept out of lessons and away from syllabuses. In this hugely entertaining talk, Justin Pollard rights this wrong with a veritable treasure trove of those surprising, eccentric, chaotic asides that do not fit neatly into history’s official narrative.