Who laid the fuse for the Gunpowder Plot?

Historian John Cooper introduces us to the conspirators behind the infamous plot to blow up king and parliament

Two men in historical clothing crouch in a small boat on a river, one pouring from a barrel while the other gestures urgently toward him, with distant buildings and ships in the background

Published: October 19, 2025 at 8:00 AM

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In the autumn of 1605, Robert Catesby and Guy Fawkes led a desperate band of Catholic gentlemen in one of history's most daring conspiracies. Having smuggled 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the Palace of Westminster, their plan was to blow up James VI & I, along with the majority of England’s Protestant elite, paving the way for the restoration of Catholicism. In this first episode of our four-part series on the plot, Danny Bird speaks to historian John Cooper to uncover a world of persecution, espionage and faith-driven extremism. They unfurl the conspirators’ bold plan and interrogate the powerful spy networks of late Elizabethan and early Jacobean England that set the scene for an explosive act of treason.

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Want to know more about the Gunpowder Plot? Danny Bird has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the religious tensions, political intrigue and lasting impact of this infamous act of treason. Go beyond the podcast.

John Cooper is the author of The Lost Chapel of Westminster: How a Royal Chapel Became the House of Commons (Apollo, 2024).

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Authors

Danny BirdContent producer

Danny Bird is a content producer at HistoryExtra

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