Greg Jenner

So we've covered all sorts of stuff together. Marvel episode. It was. If you've enjoyed the podcast, please share the show with your friends. Subscribe to You're Dead to Me on BBC Sounds to hear new episodes 28 days earlier than anywhere else. Lucky you. If you're outside the UK, you can listen at bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts. I'd just like to say a huge thank you to our guests in History Corner. We had the brilliant professor Nora Berend from the University of Cambridge. Thank you, Nora.

Thank you for inviting me. It was an absolute hoot. What fun we had. And in Comedy Corner we have the terrific Toussaint Douglas. Thanks, Toussaint. Thank you so much for having me, Greg. It was a pleasure. Very, very good. And to you, lovely listener, join me next time as we peel back the layers on another larger-than-life historical mural. But for now, I'm off to go and beg some monks to write flattering fan fiction about me after I die. Bye!

Yötetimi on BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4. This episode was researched by Adam Simcox. It was written by Adam Simcox, Dr. Emmy Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr. Emma Neguse and me. The audio producer was Steve Hankey and our production coordinator was Jill Huggett. It was produced by Dr. Emmy Rose Price-Goodfellow, me and senior producer Dr. Emma Neguse and our executive editor was Philip Sellers.

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.