Greg Jenner

Hello and welcome to You're Dead to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously.

My name is Greg Jenner.

I'm a public historian, author and broadcaster.

And today we're bouncing back to the Chinese imperial court and bowing our heads in deference as we learn all about one of the 19th century's most formidable rulers, Empress Dowager Zixi.

And to help us, we have two very special guests.

In History Corner, she's Professor of Chinese History at the University of Manchester, where she specialises in Ming and Qing era trade and economic history.

She's the author of numerous books, including the recent Railway Imperialism in China, a political biography.

It's Professor Yang Wen-Jung.

Welcome, Yang Wen.

Thank you.

And in Comedy Corner, she's an award-winning comedian and writer.

You'll recognise her from loads of TV, including her glorious victory on Taskmaster, and maybe you've seen her recent set-out stand-up show, But Daddy, I Love Her.

And you'll certainly remember her from our back catalogue, including episodes on Ashanti Garner, The Naughty Nun, Benedetta Carlini, and The History of Coffee.

It's Sophie Duker.

Welcome back, Sophie.

That's pretty good.

Sophie, your seventh appearance on the show.

Yeah.

I mean, you don't get a medal or anything, but you know, thanks.

Yeah.