Beyond the podcast: the Gunpowder Plot
Want to delve further into the world of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot? HistoryExtra's Danny Bird rounds up some essential reading to help you explore the religious tensions, political intrigue and lasting impact of this infamous act of treason
- Danny Bird
Published: October 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
11 items
- Share on facebook
- Share on twitter
- Share on whatsapp
- Email to a friend
"Remember, remember the 5th of November…’ The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 ranks among the most audacious acts of treason in British history – a dramatic attempt by a small group of disaffected Catholics to blow up King James I and parliament, not long after the new Stuart regime took the throne.
In a new HistoryExtra podcast series, available weekly from Sunday 19 October 2025, I join Professor John Cooper for a four-part series that brings this fraught, combustible moment into sharp relief, exploring the motives, betrayals and what-could-have-been consequences of this explosive act of treason.
Below I've selected some essential further reading from the BBC History Magazine and HistoryExtra archives that is intended to deepen your understanding of the religious tensions, political intrigue, and continuing legacy surrounding the plot. Whether you want to trace the conspirators’ inner motivations, follow how the scheme unraveled, or explore its echoes in later British culture, these articles will guide you further into one of early modern England’s most fascinating stories.
Showing 1 to 11 of 11 results
-
John Cooper and Hannah Greig, historical advisors on the 2017 BBC drama Gunpowder, answer the biggest questions on the Catholic conspiracy to obliterate king and parliament in 1605...
-
Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot: everything you need to know
Every year on 5 November people mark the anniversary of the failure of the gunpowder plot, in which 13 men plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in the hope of killing the Protestant king, James I and VI. But how much is known about Guy Fawkes, the conspirator most closely associated with the foiled scheme? Here we bring you the facts…
-
The experiences that shaped Guy Fawkes and his Gunpowder Plot co-conspirators into violent extremists seem all too familiar today. Lucy Worsley tells a story of religious clashes, state-sanctioned torture and comrades-in-arms willing to die for the cause
-
King James VI and I: your guide to the first Stuart monarch of England
How did James VI of Scotland come to rule as King James I of England? Who were his personal favourites? And what was his role in the witch hunts at the turn of the 17th century? Historian and author Tracy Borman presents a comprehensive guide…
-
Dr John Cooper, a specialist in early modern history at the University of York, speculates about what would have happened if Guy Fawkes had succeeded in blowing up parliament in 1605
-
A perilous game of hide and seekThe history of priest holes and hunters
Amid the religious tensions of Tudor England, a new architectural phenomenon emerged: secret hiding spots built into people’s homes known as ‘priest holes’. Their purpose? For Catholic priests to take refuge and avoid execution. Lauren Good explains the history behind these curious places – as well as those who sought to find them…
-
Who wrote the words that prevented Guy Fawkes from lighting the fuse? Daniel Hahn rereads the letter that betrayed the 1605 plotters...
-
Anne Boleyn, Beefeaters, Guy Fawkes and the princes: a brief history of the Tower of London
One of the most iconic historic sites in the world, the Tower of London was not just the backdrop but the lead actor in some of the most momentous events in British history. Exploring its long and fascinating history reveals a cast of characters from the well-known (such as Anne Boleyn and the princes in the Tower) to the more unexpected (spies, jewel thieves and polar bears). Here, author and historian Tracy Borman investigates
-
The passing of the English crown from Elizabeth I to James VI & I was welcomed by a nation hungry for change. But, writes Susan Doran, it wasn’t long before tensions began to rise between the incoming king and his new subjects
-
‘Godly butchery’: the horrifying history of hanging, drawing and quartering
In medieval England, the crime of treason was so heinous, and so against the normal social order, that it required a punishment that would horrify as much as it would deter. Historian Rebecca Simon reveals the details of a gruesome method of execution reserved only for the worst of the worst…
-
In 1605 a small group of disaffected Catholics came within a whisker of blowing the king and parliament to smithereens. We visit nine places associated with this bloody scheme
See more Gunpowder plot content
Authors
Danny BirdContent producer
Danny Bird is a content producer at HistoryExtra
Ad
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Ad
Loading...