#168 Invasions & Why The British Invaded Iceland (Part 1)

#168 Invasions & Why The British Invaded Iceland (Part 1)

Author: Pop! Pop! March 23, 2026 Duration: 36:02

This week we’re looking at various invasions and subsequent occupations through history; we’ve got Nordic allied invasions in WW2 (including Iceland!), the Norman occupation of Sicily and the story of how Gibraltar became British!


Elsewhere, we’re marvelling at how turning things off and on again really seems to work. And are you a Safari guy or girl? Who likes Internet Explorer? Anyone for Chrome? 


And what technological invention did you assume would be bigger than it was? You know what to do: hello@ohwhatatime.com


And from now on Part 1 is released on Monday and Part 2 on Wednesday - but if you want more Oh What A Time and both parts at once, you should sign up for our Patreon! On there you’ll now find:

•The full archive of bonus episodes

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•PLUS ad-free episodes earlier than everyone else


Join us at 👉 patreon.com/ohwhatatime


And as a special thank you for joining, use the code CUSTARD for 25% off your first month.


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Thank you to Dan Evans for the artwork (idrawforfood.co.uk).


Chris, Elis and Tom x


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Ever wondered if people in the 18th century had worse holidays than you do, or if being a child in Victorian times was genuinely as grim as it sounds? That’s the kind of territory explored in Oh What A Time..., a podcast where history is less about dusty dates and more about the bizarre, often terrible, human experiences across the ages. Each episode, comedians Elis James and Tom Craine join award-winning podcaster Chris Scull to take a deep, funny dive into a new theme-whether it’s marriage, life at sea, or countless other facets of existence. They sift through the strangest and most surprising stories from our collective past, all while trying to settle a central, burning query: just how awful was it back then? The tone is conversational and packed with curiosity, blending genuine historical insight with the hosts’ comedic perspectives. You’ll find yourself learning about the peculiar realities of daily life in different eras, all delivered with a warmth and humor that makes the past feel immediately relevant. This isn’t a lecture; it’s a lively discussion between friends who are equally fascinated and horrified by what they uncover. For anyone who enjoys a good story, a laugh, and a fresh take on the people who came before us, this podcast offers a consistently entertaining and oddly comforting look at the shared struggles and absurdities of human history.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Oh What A Time...
Podcast Episodes
#121 Silent Films (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:43
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!Time to go back to the golden age of cinema; this week we’ll tell the story of how sport first burst onto the big screen, how the first silent films were soundtracked and how F…
#121 Silent Films (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:49
Time to go back to the golden age of cinema; this week we’ll tell the story of how sport first burst onto the big screen, how the first silent films were soundtracked and how F Scott Fitzgerald fell in and out of love wi…
#120 Scandals (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:58
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!This week we are trawling the archives for scandals! (And let’s attempt this episode description in true tabloid fashion). Hear all about Lord Byron’s saucy behaviour! The black…
#120 Scandals (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:44
This week we are trawling the archives for scandals! (And let’s attempt this episode description in true tabloid fashion). Hear all about Lord Byron’s saucy behaviour! The blackmail of Alexander Hamilton! And (one of the…
#119 Daft Deaths (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:33
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!This week we’re turning to history to find people unfortunate enough to have had a really daft death. We’ve got sixteenth-century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, Alexander Pushki…
#119 Daft Deaths (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:08
This week we’re turning to history to find people unfortunate enough to have had a really daft death. We’ve got sixteenth-century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, Alexander Pushkin’s totally avoidable end and we’ll hear al…
#118 Motoring (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:12
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!Let’s get behind the podcasting wheel and drive through a history of motoring. We’ll hear about the birth of the service station, the dawn of motorways and breakdown services an…
#118 Motoring (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:59
Let’s get behind the podcasting wheel and drive through a history of motoring. We’ll hear about the birth of the service station, the dawn of motorways and breakdown services and - and this really is a huge one - the ris…
#115 Weird Wars (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:31
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed!This week on the show we’re looking at wars that were, frankly, weird. We’ve got the Bulgarians and Greeks booting off over a dog, the great emu war in Australia, and how about…
#115 Weird Wars (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:36
This week on the show we’re looking at wars that were, frankly, weird. We’ve got the Bulgarians and Greeks booting off over a dog, the great emu war in Australia, and how about Honduras and El Salvador kicking off on the…