Gareth Russell

You do see that a lot.

I remember talking to Gareth Russell about his book on James I and VI, which he called Queen James.

And, and he said that, like, like, how much evidence do you need that they're writing, the king and his lovers are writing to one another saying, "I want to be your dog.

I want to be..." [laughs]

Welcome to Single Malt History with Gareth Russell pouring out your serving of pure, distilled, intoxicating and occasionally delicious history.

Good afternoon from Northern Ireland, where this is a little bit of a corrective episode, I suppose, certainly a jumble one.

I'll explain.

Thank you for joining me for these tales of dark deeds, splendid deeds, memory, suffering, sorrow, hope and humanity in 19th century Belfast.

My thanks too to our singers and to our actors who brought the sounds of the 1800s to life for us in the words of those who were alive at the time.

Until next time, I've been Gareth Russell.

Thank you and take care.

There is, of course, some debate among historians about the exact nature of James' relationship to his favorites.

I would direct readers and lovers of great books, though, to the new biography of James I by British historian and past Savage Lovecast guest Gareth Russell, published in England under the title Queen James, but for some reason that makes no sense.

Published in the United States under the much less entertaining title, The Six Loves of James I. Why? Queen James is a much better title, and Queen James is what James I's contemporaries called him behind his blown-out back.

So this debate, was James I gay, is ridiculous, as his own letters to his male favorites prove.

He was clearly one of us, one of us gays.

There is no other possible interpretation.

Please go read Gareth Russell's Queen James if you are still a doubter.

Now, how is any of this relevant? Well, this week, I found myself reading about Dolly Parton's death, reading about her amazing life, what an amazing, giving, generous person she was, and at some point, I started to think, "Oh my God.

On the show, we're revealing the rich stories, past and present, of Balmoral Castle, the beloved Highland home of the royal family.

Joining me in the studio to unlock the secrets and scandals of this much-loved residence are historians Professor Kate Williams and Gareth Russell.

Great to have you both on the show.

I mean, this place, Balmoral, it's, it's basically their, their holiday home, isn't it, Kate? I mean, it's, it's like a kind of a static caravan in Rill for them.

Intimate, and actually really very, very powerful at the same time.

That's all we've got time for on this show.

Thank you so much to my guests, Professor Kate Williams and Gareth Russell, and to you for tuning in.

Do keep the conversation going on our socials.

But aside from whether she did have room on her little raft and what the hell she thought she was doing throwing the blue diamond into the sea, what scandals really did happen on board the Titanic? I mean, apart from the obvious one, it sank.

What stories unraveled after it disappeared into the icy waters in 1912? Joining me on today's episode is the ridiculously talented historian, author, and friend of the show, Gareth Russell, to help us find out more.

Without further ado, let's crack on.

[upbeat music] Well, hello, and welcome to the new Betwixt the Sheets studio.

It's only Gareth Russell.

How you doing, darling?

Very, very well.

[laughs]

And that, of course, is Gareth Russell, who is the historian and author of Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII, here to tell us about the tragic death of Catherine Howard.

Welcome to After Dark, Gareth.

Yay.