Harald Hardrada: Review
In the second part of the Harald Hardrada podcast, we review him and decide whether his exploits in Russia, Byzantium, Norway and his invasion of England will earn him the Rex Factor. (Unfortunately the camera pointed at...
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Harald Hardrada Biography
The legendary Viking ruler, Harald Hardrada, is our first two-parter of the series due to his remarkable life story. Russian exile, adventures in the Byzantine Emperor, and becoming King of Norway all before he invaded E...
Edward the Exil
One of the least famous nearly monarchs but perhaps the most pivotal, Edward the Exile was the son of Edmund Ironside and a nephew to Edward the Confessor and his survival might have meant the Norman Conquest would never...
Edith of Wilton
Our first female nearly monarch of the series, Edith of Wilton, was the daughter of Edgar the Peaceable and a potential rival to her half-brother, Æthelred the Unready. The question is, was she a political power player i...
Ælfweard and Edwin
It's a double-header this week with the brothers Ælfweard and Edwin - not a nearly ruling duo but both seem to have met mysteriously early ends amidst a rivalry with their older half-brother Æthelstan. We learn about div...
Æthelwold
Series 4 begins! We review our first nearly monarch, Æthelwold, a nephew to Alfred the Great (perhaps familiar to many from The Last Kingdom series) who challenged his cousin, Edward the Elder, for the throne. Largely di...
Ludlow Live News 2026
Just a quick update from us to let you know that we are going to be returning to Ludlow this year for another live show. Join us at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Friday 21 August at 19:00 for The Battle of 1066, as we pit...
Emily Murdoch Perkins - The Queens Who Could Have Been
As an introduction to our series on the nearly monarchs, we speak to Emily Perkins about her book Regina: The Queens Who Could Have Been, which looks at the queens who could have ruled if first-born daughters had been pr...
Series 4 Introduction
It's time for a new series of Rex Factor! In this introductory episode, we explain the concept of the series (what is a 'nearly monarch'?), who the nearly monarchs are (i.e. the individuals we will be reviewing in the se...
Offa of Mercia
This week, after an introduction to the podcast, we review Offa, the eighth century king of an early English kingdom called Mercia. We learn about why he was not the first king of England, links to Charlemagne and the bu...
David Woodman - Athelstan: First King of England
We chat to the historian David Woodman about his book The First King of England: Athelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom. He tells us about why Athelstan (not Alfred) should be considered England's first king, how Athelstan...
Messages & Previews 11
We respond to some of your messages about all elements of the podcast, as well as share some previews of our bonus content. Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400...
Battle of the Champions (Live at Ludlow 2025)
Available for all to listen, the recording of our live show at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Friday 15 August 2025 in which we pit the champions of the first three series of Rex Factor against each other: Henry II, Robert...
Queen James (Gareth Russell)
We welcome Gareth Russell back onto the podcast, this time to talk about his latest book Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain's First King, looking at the life and reign of King James VI (of Scots) / I (of England)...
Right to Reply 10: Grand Final Results Comments
We go through the comments from the public vote in the Grand Finals of the play-offs, talking through the perspectives on the Nearly Rexy Consorts, Round One and Semi-Final Losers, Series 4 and Grand Final votes. Sign up...
Grand Final Results Analysis
Following the Grand Final Results, we take an in-depth look at how the public voted and just how close some of the results were. Graham explains all the stats and ranked choice voting, while Ali tries to figure out who e...
Play-Offs: Grand Final Results
A champion is crowned... After six years and over 60 consorts reviewed, we are finally at the end. In today's episode, we reveal the results of the Nearly Rexy Consorts, Round One and Semi-Final Losers votes (deciding po...
Play-Offs: Semi-Final Results
For the first time, we are giving all the Rex Factor-winning consorts a final ranking for the series. In this episode, we are asking you to rank all of the consorts eliminated in the semi-finals of the play-offs, ranking...
Play-Offs: Round One Losers
For the first time, we are giving all the Rex Factor-winning consorts a final ranking for the series. In this episode, we are asking you to rank all of the consorts eliminated in the first round of the play-offs, ranking...
Play-Offs: Grand Final
It's crunch time! Just four consorts remain to do battle in the Grand Final for English consorts to be crowned the Series 3 champion of Rex Factor. Will it be Emma of Normandy, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France or...