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...

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?

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

The Scottish Rex Factor play-offs kick off in style with Constantine II (900-43), Malcolm III (1058-93), Alexander III (1249-86) and James II (1437-60) do battle for a place in the Grand Final. Listen to the episode to hear the four monarchs compared...

We have reviewed all the Kings and Queens of Scots from Kenneth MacAlpin to James VI and found 13 Rex Factor winners, but who was the greatest of them all? In this episode, we explain our play-off system and make the draw to see which monarchs will be...

For the first time ever, we review a monarch for the second time! James VI is the last monarch in our Scottish series, coming to the throne in the midst of his civil war with his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, trying to reclaim her throne. Scotland is a...

Mary Queen of Scots had one of the most dramatic lives and reigns (and, unusually, post-reigns) in Scottish history, taking in a French upbringing, the Reformation, three husbands, civil war and English imprisonment. But when this is all put together...

In our first episode, Mary had escaped Henry VIII, briefly been Queen Consort of France and ruled pretty successfully as Queen of Scots. By 1565, she had married the dashing Lord Darnley (who, like Mary, had a claim to the English throne) and seen off...

Mary Queen of Scots is one of (if not the) most famous names in Scottish and British history, and with good reason. A dramatic reign that began when she was only six days old which saw her and Scotland dragged into international conflicts between...

Scotland's imagination in naming royal babies had really run out by 1513 when the fifth successive became king. At just 17 months old, and following the disaster of Flodden, once again it would be tricky for the new king to make his mark. Would Ja...

We reveal the (amazing) results of our Kickstarter campaign and share some clips from our recent special episodes on Brunel, Boudica and Tea.

For the fourth time in a row, Scotland has a minority under a king named James. However, James IV is older than his predecessors and shows a lot of promise as a charming and gifted Renaissance king who proves a highly effective ruler in Scotland and a...

Rex Factor needs your help! All through August 2017 we are doing a Kickstarter to fund the production of the pilot episode of Rex Factor the Animated Show, an animated version of the podcast produced by the brilliant Tinmouse Animation Studios. We need...

In 1460, for the third time in a row, the new Scottish king was a boy called James. Unlike his predecessors, however, there were no overmighty nobles or domineering family members to contend with and England was in the throes of the Wars of the Roses....