Most people, deep down, have an interest in or curiosity about history. Exploring the past can lead us to fascinating stories, inform our present and help us understand the constantly changing world around us. We spoke to Greg Jenner – public historian, author, podcaster and historical consultant for BBC’s Horrible Histories – about our understanding of history, the importance of public history and how humour makes history memorable.
JL: What sparked your passion for history?
GJ: Many people growing up fall into history through family stories and anecdotes. My granddad had been in the RAF in the war and my grandma had been building bombers. I’m also half French so I had a whole other side of the story, the Parisian story and, sadly, the Holocaust story. Growing up, I was aware of that. I always liked history because it was about people and I’m innately curious and fascinated by other people.
“Many people growing up fall into history through family stories and anecdotes”
I was also switched on to history through comedy. I’m a historian but I use jokes and comedy in my podcast, books and on . I fell into that way of thinking because of people like Eddie Izzard, a lot of classic comedy from before I was even born. Those shows were very funny and ridiculous, but they often had history in them and I ended up trying to figure
