Rex Factor

Rex Factor is a fun podcast reviewing all the kings & queens of England & Scotland.

History
101
S3.08 Ælfgifu
Ælfgifu was part of one of the most (in)famous moments of Rex Factor scandal from our first series, but does she deserve her scandalous reputation or has Dunstan been besmirching her reputation? We find out who she was, what she was doing with King...
59 min
102
S3.07 Æthelflæd of Damerham
Æthelflæd of Damerham was (briefly) the second consort of Edmund I and a wealthy heiress in her own right. We have a deeper look into some of the rights and laws for Anglo-Saxon women and get to hear Æthelflæd's voice in the form of her own will.
58 min
103
S3.06 Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury was the first wife of Edmund I and found an unusual career path in becoming a saint! We review her life and time as consort/saint then have a deeper look at the role of women in early Anglo-Saxon Christianity and how this led to...
59 min
104
Game of Thrones
We take a brief break from our normal series to tackle the epic fantasy TV series and books, Game of Thrones. In this feature-length episode, we go through the story of the show and draw out comparisons between the characters and events in the show vs....
130 min
105
S3.05 Eadgifu of Kent
Eadgifu of Kent was the second consort to Edward the Elder, but it was as the mother of kings that her influence would truly be felt, demonstrating the potential opportunities that existed for consorts whose sons succeeded to the throne. Eadgifu...
59 min
106
S3.04 Ælfflæd
Ælfflæd was the second consort of Wessex/England and like her predecessor, Ealhswith, struggling against an opposition to consorts being granted power. However, succession struggles for both her husband and sons provides an opportunity for her to...
59 min
107
S3.03 Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians
Æthelflæd is one of the most remarkable and unfairly forgotten figures in English history. The eldest child of Alfred the Great and Ealhswith, she became consort to the Lord of the Mercians but really came to prominence after his death when she took...
59 min
108
S3.02 Ealhswith
We get the third series properly underway with out first consort: Ealhswith, who married King Alfred the Great. Biographical information is not extensive for Ealhswith, but we piece it all together and then find out from Alfred himself exactly why...
59 min
109
S3.01 Consort Introduction and Agrippina
Welcome to Series 3 of Rex Factor! This time we will be reviewing all the Queen and Prince Consorts of England from Ealhswith to Prince Philip. In this introductory episode, we explain how we will be reviewing consorts (as opposed to monarchs) in each...
77 min
110
Battle of the Queens (Live)
In our final live show of November 2018 we were in Glasgow for the Battle of the Queens where Mary Queen of Scots took on Elizabeth I, Queen of England. They were rivals in life but who would be the victor in history?
109 min
111
Battle of the Saxons (Live)
In our penultimate live show we came to Manchester for the Battle of the Saxons where Alfred the Great took on his grandson, Athelstan, to see which of these two Saxon kings truly deserves the epithet 'great'.
92 min
112
Battle of the So-Called Baddies (Live)
It was the turn of the baddies for our live show in Leeds with John taking on Richard III in a bid to be crowned England's best baddy of the monarchs. But do either of these much-maligned kings really deserve their reputations or are they good guy...
96 min
113
Battle of the Raucous Royals (Live)
Ali's scandal bell was getting a good workout in our live show in Oxford as Charles II competed against George IV in the Battle of the Raucous Royals. Both kings got up to plenty of high jinks but who was the most scandalicious of all?
63 min
114
Battle of the Favourites (Live)
In the second of our live shows in 2018, we had the Battle of the Favourites - Ali's favourite (Edward I) vs. Graham's favourite (Henry VIII). All pretence of neutrality went out of the window but who would the good people of Bristol vote as ...
98 min
115
Battle of the Champions (Live)
In November 2018, Rex Factor went on its first ever live tour, starting with this recording in London where we did the Battle of the Champions - Henry II (champion of the English monarchs) vs. Robert the Bruce (champion of the Scots). We present the...
98 min
116
A Royal Christmas Special
Originally planned for 2016, we have finally made a Christmas Special! From Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II, we take a stroll through history and see what some of our favourite monarchs were getting up to at Christmas - be it writing carols, ice...
119 min
117
The Making of the Animated Show
Excitingly, the pilot episode of Rex Factor: The Animated Show (crowdfunded by our wonderful listeners) is soon to be released! Ahead of the show's release on 12 September, we spoke to Tom Sanders and Mike Foster of Tinmouse Animation about how th...
51 min
118
Live Tour Announcement 2018
Hugely exciting news - Rex Factor is going on tour! This November (2018) we will be doing 6 dates in the UK where we bring the podcast into the live arena! We explain the details in this short news update but tickets are available now from this website...
10 min
119
Animated Show Update and Special Episode Previews
With the second series of the podcast complete, it's time for some news about Rex Factor: The Animated Show! There will be a new sizzle trailer coming out on 22 August with the finished show to follow in September, along with news of the premiere!...
24 min
120
Warwick Castle and Guy of Warwick
Rex Factor were lucky enough to be invited to spend a weekend at Warwick Castle - unfortunately, Ali was unlucky enough to fall ill, so in this special episode Graham tells an envious Ali everything he missed. Plus, we have our first ever interviews on...
85 min
121
S2.52 Scottish Grand Final Results
It's the final episode of the second series of Rex Factor as we reveal who will be crowned the Scottish Rex Factor Champion - Constantine II, Robert the Bruce, James IV or Mary Queen of Scots. We also reveal the winner of the best death in the ser...
50 min
122
S2.51 Scottish Play-Offs: Grand Final
Our second series is nearly over - it's the Scottish Rex Factor Grand Final and we need to decide who will be crowned the champion. However, Ali and Graham don't get to vote this time, so it's entirely down to you to pick the winner! You...
89 min
123
S2.50 Scottish Playoffs: First Round Results
We reveal the results of the first round of the Scottish Play-Offs - find out who will join top seed Robert the Bruce in the Grand Final from Group A (Constantine II, Malcolm III, Alexander III, James II), Group B (Kenneth II, Malcolm II, David I...
72 min
124
S2.49 Scottish Playoffs: Group C
It's the last of the play-off groups and one of the tastiest yet! We have our very first monarch, Kenneth MacAlpin (843-58) against our very last, James VI (1567-1625), as well as James VI facing off against his own mother, Mary Queen of Scots...
91 min
125
S2.48 Scottish Playoffs: Group B
It's another heavyweight contest in the second of our play-off bouts: Kenneth II (971-95), Malcolm II (1005-35), David I (1124-53) and James IV (1488-1513). There's the enticing prospect of a father/son battle with Kenneth II (killed by an el...
81 min