I know you were thinking: What if your audio-only podcasts were ALSO available on a video platform? Good news: Our Youtube channel is now fixed, even though I had to hide all of our previous uploads and lost all of the "likes". www.youtube.com/@PrimeFactor... #ukhistory

We at Prime Factors HQ have been slowly watching The Simpsons. We just landed on the famous debate where Barney debates whether Palmerston or Pitt the Elder is the better Prime Minister. (S3's "Homer at the Bat") We have half the answer! Only 21 more PMs before we can solve this totally. #ukhistory

Our next episode involves a lot of sex scandals. I asked Abram if that were okay: “I’ve seen Hamilton, Dad.” Well… okay then. They grow up so fast…

I agreed to watch some Pokemon with Abram if today could be... RECORDING DAY Little does he realize that I spent too much of my 20s hanging out with Ash, Brock, and Misty. (And Pikachu, of course.)

The notes for Pitt are done. Unless I decide to read another source book. Which I should.

I'm not supposed to make a big deal out of William Pitt being Prime Minister in 17... *6* *7*. Because that would be "uncool". Son, I've been uncool for a VERY long time. #67

Who should we REALLY thank for Thanksgiving? King James I. His "No Bishop, No King" policy drove the Separatists out of England. Without his authoritarian view of religion, the Pilgrims never would have landed in Plymouth: desperate, unprepared, and in dire need of that first harvest feast.

I usually think that when I work on a script, it's the best one I've ever done. But I'm pretty sure this one is.

Getting close to the end of an era.

Taking a break on research to play some Final Fantasy 11. I guess I still have prime ministers on my mind…

Hey look! @primetimepod.bsky.social is on BlueSky now. Alas, our time as the only Prime Minister-rating podcast on BlueSky has come to an end. You now have a choice: A 12-year old that sings about Bath or "adults" that repeatedly reference Newcastle on the toilet. I choose both, of course.

After a brief detour into Italian history, we are back with Pitt Part Two. Marvel as we debate which animals Pitt and Fox should be in a Disney animated adaptation! And he saves Britain. bit.ly/43V27w3

After recording our episode yesterday, two 12-year olds decided to try to make a “Hamilton”-style song about William Pitt and Newcastle. That is winning as a history parent.

I completely forgot that I created this! Should I make "Silver Spoon" guides like this for the website or is this something that only interests crazy people like me?

Recording day! So glad to be back on William Pitt.

Abram made a "do a barrel roll!" joke today. I'm amazed that kids still have that meme. But he had never even heard of Starfox 64. It's like his education is somehow slanted towards British history and not video games.

At Cavour's death, the dream of a united Italy was incomplete. Garibaldi cried out for Rome, but it would take the rise of one empire and the fall of another before the ancient Aurelian walls fell and Italy was again whole. Link: bit.ly/42XH7En With special guest @italiastoria.bsky.social !

Recording day! It has been too long, but we recorded most of “Italian Unification - Part 2” with a special guest host: Marco from Storia d’Italia! We’ll need another session to finish this fantastic episode but we’ll do it soon. (And Pitt Part 2 is progressing as well.)

It's our first birthday as a podcast! We celebrate with a special episode featuring a 3-minute summary of our story so far, some chat about favourite moments and what we're looking forward to in future episodes - next week's 2-parter being top of that list.👑 histvenicepod.podbean.com/e/first-birt...

My beach reading today. I read boring books do you don’t have to. (Prepping for Italian Unification Part 2, with a special guest host.)

(Or maybe you are just interested in Abram showing off just how many Roman Emperors he can name… That’s okay too. bit.ly/4fVwbfE)

Wow. Our episode on Cavour has had the best "release day" of any of our Prime Ministers so far. Maybe we're podcasting about the wrong country!? 😅😅 Thank you to everyone that has listened so far. #italy #history bit.ly/4fVwbfE

Very impressive remembering of emperors here!

@totalusrankium.bsky.social Very much aligned with your (and your listeners') interest. Check out starting at around 9:15 in our most recent episode on Cavour, the first Prime Minister of Italy. There is no cheating, no prep, no reading from a list. Just a kid who loves Roman history. bit.ly/4fVwbfE

Italy was a divided nation, a pawn of empires. As a journalist, Cavour fought for a constitution. As a statesman, he needed all his cunning to make friends, scheme with emperors, and pull the parts of Italy together... by force, if necessary. Recorded on vacation in Italy! bit.ly/4fVwbfE

We are back from Italy! The Prime Factors family vacation traveled from Nice to Venice, seeing the sites and learning the history of the Italian Unification. We also recorded a special episode about Camillo Benso, the Count of Cavour, one of the architects that unification... and Italy's first PM!

Cavour building Italy out of legos. I really like this mural.

We wrote a great scene about the Pitt Diamond… and we cut it for time. But I think it turned out so well I just had to share. www.primefactorspodcast.com/e/91b-smuggl...

This may be the best episode we’ve ever recorded, almost a soft relaunch of the podcast. I just listened again last night. Please let us know if you like the new “feel” of the podcast or if we should make adjustments. www.primefactorspodcast.com/e/91-william...

WILLIAM PITT THE ELDER! Do we need to say more? Yes, we do. This episode is a "relaunch" of sorts for us with a more produced style. If you haven't listened in a while-- or are a first time listener-- this is a great starting point. Please let us know if you like it. #ukhistory bit.ly/46xsVV4

We visited the Fort Pitt museum in Pittsburgh, with a great (albeit small) section on William Pitt. It was great to see the locations in our podcast in real life. (Pitt the Elder Part 1 coming soon.)

Recording day!! William Pitt the Elder is one of the most important figures in both British and American colonial history. I am so exited!

What if a podcast HAD VIDEO? The video version of my Intelligent Speech presentation is now up. This version lacks Abram's "narration" and is the version as depicted at the conference itself. #ukhistory youtu.be/7eSmaQ8HDT4

Looking for all those crazy slides that Abram refused to read? Here they are! docs.google.com/presentation...

I presented at Intelligent Speech 2025! So many great podcasters, and I can finally release my talk for free. Prime Lies: Robert Walpole looks at the lies of Prime Ministers: that Walpole was the first, that Prime Ministers exist, and that Walpole's ascendance was good democracy... bit.ly/40CWKQg

Research! Why did The Great Commoner decide that he needed to be a peer to govern?

Rockingham Part 2! As the Grenville government was on its last legs, Cumberland was asked to form a new one... during the Ascot Races. Fortunately for Charles, he was also enjoying the races that day. No one was more surprised than he to learn that he would soon be Prime Minister. bit.ly/4l2OLEq

A little bit of light podcasting... at a cowork space in Portsmouth, NH.

Recording day! Rockingham Part 2! We're recording in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (Largest city in Rockingham County, NH) Trying to get the most out of Prime Minister-named locations before the "Revolution" comes and they stop naming US towns after British PMs...

It is time to begin. WILLIAM PITT THE ELDER. (With friends.)

Finishing touches on the Rockingham2 script done! Now to find a place to record…

This is Rockingham Castle, originally built by William I in wood but replaced by William II in stone. According to Abram, the castle will be haunted by generations of woodworkers upset by the switch. You may have to be the judge. It was also the ancestral home of the Watsons. bit.ly/4kL2Vdg

Abram’s grandparents may be trying to kill me… Prime Factors Canada?

It was the adventure of a lifetime: Rockingham, only 15, running away from home to join the army. He had to ride 5 days in war-torn northern England, had to fake his way past military checkpoints, and secure an audience with the duke. It helped that his family was very, very rich. bit.ly/4kL2Vdg

Charles Watson-Wentworth wasn't a serious man. He's a guy who tried to run away to the army, partied across Europe (and maybe kept a sex journal), and then threw a 21st birthday bash for 10,000 of his closest friends. Obviously, he's a great candidate to be Prime Minister. #ukhistory bit.ly/4kL2Vdg

This may be the most beautiful place in the world to record a podcast. Charles Watson-Wentworth is coming soon! (And thanks to our friends at Rockingham Hill Farm in Rockingham, Vermont for the use of their space.)

Recording this weekend! It's been way too long. This time, I have the script done for BOTH Part 1 and Part 2 before starting to record, so with luck we'll have very little gap between the episodes. (But we don't have a venue booked for Part 2 yet.)

New Episode! For the final part of our tour across the globe we head to the chillier parts of Europe to see what was going on for them! Thanks to @flatpacksweden.bsky.social and @primefactorspod.bsky.social for doing all the legwork for this episode! historyaotearoa.com/2025/05/18/1...

Four podcasters entered a cafe... Everyone survived! This is the Prime Time/Prime Factors Trans-Atlantic Special! We talked about Prime Ministers, played a trivia game, drank tea, and had a wonderful time in London with our friends. bit.ly/4mzzhsK

Thank you to @flatpacksweden.bsky.social for your shout out on your most recent episode! I cannot believe I could have so much fun learning about Swedish monarchs, but I can never look at the cafe at IKEA the same way again...