More Jam Tomorrow
From teeth to Trident — post-war British history as you've never heard it before. In each episode, Ros Taylor delves into the truth about how our lives changed after World War Two — and what it means for politics now. Now independent, this is the sequel to the hit "Jam Tomorrow" podcast.
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Women's Trousers
12/18/2025
Women's Trousers
“Ask a man whether women should wear slacks and the answer is almost certain to be a firm ‘No.’” How did women get to wear the trousers? Ros Taylor talks to fashion expert Belinda Naylor and Purna Sen, who wore trousers to her sixth form in 1978 – and was thrown out. Belinda Naylor is a producer with an MA in fashion curation. Her Instagram, where you can find some of her favourite women in trousers, is . is the former head of human rights at the Commonwealth Secretariat and a visiting professor at London Metropolitan University. The in 1952 is voiced by Seth Thévoz. The from The Seven Year Itch starring Marilyn Monroe is available on YouTube. (1970) is also on YouTube. In 2002 the why schools could still choose whether to impose skirts. I also drew on Amy Gower’s doctoral thesis, , University of Reading, 2021. has pictures of its early minifigures.
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Malaya
12/04/2025
Malaya
In 1948 Britain declared an Emergency in Malaya It wasn’t really an emergency. It was a guerrilla war. And Britain would spend 12 years trying to drive communists out of its territory. What were we doing there? Ros Taylor talks to Open University history professor Karl Hack and Economist bureau chief Dominic Ziegler about what the UK did in Malaya, and why Singapore cultivates positive memories of British occupation. The Imperial War Museum’s exhibition is on until 26 March. is Professor of Asian and Imperial History at the Open University. He is the author of (Cambridge University Press). is the Singapore bureau chief at The Economist. Faris Joraimi’s writing is . Footage of Australian soldiers in Malaya comes from a at the Australian War Memorial YouTube channel. Lee Kuan Yew’s is on YouTube. voiced James Griffiths, secretary for the colonies, Anthony Eden (both in 1951) and Ernest Popplewell, the MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in 1952. All three speeches are in Hansard. Singapore’s tells the story of the second world war there. Freedom House publishes an annual on Singapore. The British Army Review ran a on the Malayan Emergency in 2018.
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RP
11/20/2025
RP
‘Oh, bugger orf!’ We all know Received Pronunciation when we hear it. But what makes this accent distinctive? Why do people still pay to learn how to speak RP – and does it really bring the advantages it used to? Ros Taylor talks to voice coach and actor Alix Dunmore and Professor of Phonetics Jane Setter about how to spot an RP speaker – and how the accent has changed over the past century. Speeches by Lord Brabazon of Tara and Lord Wedgwood are taken from a and are voiced by historian . Alix Dunmore runs . is Professor of Phonetics at the University of Reading. She is the author of , the Cambridge Handbook of Phonetics and the Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice, as well as co-editor of the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary. is available at the Royal Family YouTube channel. Prince William’ interview is . 1943 BBC Archive audio is on , as is . The BBC has how Queen Elizabeth’s accent changed during her reign. Stephen Fry, an RP speaker, hosted an entertaining of Fry’s English Delight about spoken English.
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Jabs
11/06/2025
Jabs
No one dies of diphtheria or polio in Britain any more. Since World War Two, we’ve virtually wiped out the diseases that used to kill tens of thousands of children every year. But rolling out a vaccine isn’t always easy. Ros Taylor talks to public health historian Gareth Millward and Stuart Blume, the author of Immunisation, about jabs and why some people refuse them. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and the author of . is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam and the author of . and are on YouTube. is at the Wellcome Collection. is at the BFI. I also drew on the , the and the .
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Milton Keynes
10/02/2025
Milton Keynes
It’s built for cars. The buses are baffling. But it’s got the most energy efficient housing in Britain. What did it take to build a city from almost nothing? And a university where there are no students on campus? With architectural historian John Grindrod, Ros Taylor tells the story of Milton Keynes and the Open University. With thanks to , the author of and the presenter of His forthcoming book, , on LGBTQ people in suburbia, is out in February 2026. Seth Thévoz read Lords speeches by Baron Richard Mitchison and Lord Gerald Gardiner, both in Hansard. and an are available on YouTube. Clips of Harold Wilson and Jennie Lee are at the , which explains the OU’s founding. This was an invaluable source of OU history. I also drew on the vast resources at the and the original .
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Kids' TV
08/28/2025
Kids' TV
It was silly. It was addictive. For decades, millions of kids would gaze at the same people and laugh at the same jokes at the same time. How did children’s TV shape their minds? And what will it look like in a world of unlimited digital content? Ros Taylor talks to Anna Home, who joined the BBC in the 1950s, and screenwriters Chitro Soundar and Angela Salt. was an English TV producer and executive and is the chair of the Children’s Media Foundation. She is the author of Into the Box of Delights: A History of Children’s Television. is the author of Nikhil & Jay and a writer for children’s books, TV and theatre. is a screenwriter for international children’s TV. Herbert Morrison was in the Commons in 1952 about the BBC charter. The and the have useful resources on early kids’ TV. This is the . Episodes of Grange Hill, Jackanory, Basil Brush, Thunderbirds and many other series are available on YouTube. The BBC about Grange Hill in 1980.
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An announcement, and a request
07/31/2025
An announcement, and a request
More Jam Tomorrow is taking a two-episode break. We'll be back in less than a month, on 28th August. In the meantime, I have one big ask. Please let me know if you would support a fifth series of Jam. Just go to and hit the link at the top of the page that says "Have Your Say on Series 5." Or just click here: See you on 28th August, when we'll be back with episode eight.
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Fish
07/17/2025
Fish
Pound for pound, fish is small fry for the British economy – but it has long been vital to our sense of sovereignty. From skirmishes with Dutch boats to the Cod Wars and Brexit, Ros Taylor finds out why fish matter so much to us. Maritime historian Richard Blakemore and marine biologist Bryce Stewart join the show. is an Associate Professor in social and maritime history at the University of Reading. He’s the author of , published by Pegasus Books. is a senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association. Voiceovers are by . The MPs quoted are James Johnson (Kingston-upon-Hull West), Patrick Wall (Haltemprice) and John Prescott (Kingston-upon-Hull East). The extract from the Shipping Forecast is from a five-hour . I drew on (Commons Library), (Imperial War Museum), (Coventry University), (Robin Churchill), (France Culture), and (T W Fulton). MORE JAM TOMORROW was written and presented by Ros Taylor. The producer was David Turnbull. Music was by Dubstar. MORE JAM TOMORROW is a KTC production.
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Servants
07/03/2025
Servants
“No matter how hard you work or how capable you are, you can't do it all yourself. You have to seek reliable help.” Those were Margaret Thatcher’s words in 1990. Who are the ‘help’? How did they enable women to have successful careers? Ros Taylor talks to Lucy Delap and Emma Casey about how the servant died out after the two world wars – but domestic help never went away. Lucy Delap is Professor in Modern British and Gender History at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of . Emma Casey is the author of . She is a reader in sociology at the University of York. Voiceovers were by Seth Thévoz. The Hoover ad (1987) is at . The Findus Crispy Pancakes ad is part of a YouTube . I drew on Lucy Delap’s ‘’, at the Wiener Holocaust Library, Helen McCarthy’s chapter on feminism, family and work in (UCL Press, 2021), Margaret Thatcher’s (1990), Silvia Federici’s (1974), and the University of Aberystwyth’s
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Cannabis
06/19/2025
Cannabis
Cannabis. It’s illegal in the UK without a prescription – and despite decriminalisation abroad, it’s likely to stay that way. When did people start smoking cannabis in Britain? Why is the law against it so patchily enforced — but apparently impossible to repeal? Ros Taylor talks to Prof Toby Seddon and former stoner Ian Dunt about the weed. Keep More Jam Tomorrow going by contributing to our tip jar at . Sweet. is Professor of Social Science, head of the UCL Social Research Unit and the author of (Oxford University Press). is a journalist and author. Audio clips are from (1967), and Keir Starmer by ITV. The politicians’ speeches voiced by Seth Thévoz can be found in Hansard. I drew on the , extracts from by Marek Kohn, , the Irish , (Ian Hamilton) and the London Literary Society’s on Colin Macinnes. Getty has of people dancing at the Paramount Dance Hall in 1949.
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Trident
06/05/2025
Trident
Seventy years ago, on an island off Australia, we started something we couldn’t finish. This is the story of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, Trident — why we have it and why we can’t let go of it. Keep More Jam Tomorrow going by contributing to our tip jar at . Sweet. is Director of the Conflict Research Programme at LSE IDEAS. Dr Matthew Grant is Reader and Head of the School of Philosophy, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Essex. His forthcoming book Britain's Cold War Home Front: Citizens and the State will be published by Oxford University Press, and he is the author of National Service Life Stories: Masculinity, Class, and the Memory of Conscription in Britain. The (1953) is available on YouTube, as is at the Manchester Free Trade Hall and (10 Downing Street). Parliamentary speeches read by Seth Thévoz are in Hansard. The is in the National Library of Australia. I also drew on Suzanne Doyle’s (International History Review), Matthew Grant’s (History and Policy), Nick Ritchie’s and Ian Davis’ (SIPRI/ Nuclear Education Trust). The Commons library briefing was also useful.
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Teeth
05/22/2025
Teeth
When you need to see a GP, you can - though you might have to wait a couple of weeks. But half the people who need an NHS dentist have no realistic chance of finding one. Tooth pain is agonising. So why is dentistry so neglected by the government? Is it because we prefer to think bad teeth are … well … probably your own fault? Ros Taylor asks professor of dentistry Ian Mills why it’s so hard to find an NHS dentist and how the way we think about our teeth has changed since the war. And Dr Charlotte Sleigh tells the story of the furious campaign against fluoridation in the 1960s. The British Dental Association’s Dental Witness Seminars: dentistry in the UK since 1948 (N.H.F. Wilson and S. Gerbier, 2016), the House of Commons’ (2008) and the Committee of Public Accounts’ (April 2025) were invaluable. Dr Charlotte Sleigh talks about her Royal Society report, . Seth Thévoz read speeches by Lord Douglas of Bardoch, John Cronin MP and Michael Meacher MP, all from Hansard. The Fudge advert is part of a . Toothpaste ads are (1955) and . Public information ads are (1979) and (1975). Audio editing is by David Turnbull. More Jam Tomorrow is a KTC production.
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Curry
05/08/2025
Curry
Queen Victoria loved a curry, but it took the entrepreneurial efforts of South Asian migrants for it to become part of the British diet. How did it go from Windsor Castle to M&S ready meals and Dishoom? Ros Taylor looks at how curry got political with historian Shrabani Basu and Professor Anand Menon of King’s College, London. You can support More Jam Tomorrow at Show Notes is Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London and the director of The UK in a Changing Europe. is the author of . Lord Soper’s speech is on Hansard. I am also grateful to for the extract from London Life magazine.
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Channel Tunnel
04/24/2025
Channel Tunnel
Episode 1: Channel Tunnel How did the Channel Tunnel get built? And why has it not quite lived up to its promise? You can support More Jam Tomorrow at Show notes Jon Worth . The opening speech is from Shakespeare’s Richard II. I am grateful to Terry Gourvish, the author of (Routledge) for insights into the long process of getting the tunnel built. is available at the Internet Archive. I also drew on , BNP Paribas’ , at Public Domain Review, material from the and from 1975. Politicians’ speeches are from Hansard. The features Antoine de Caunes.
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Season 4 Teaser
03/10/2025
Season 4 Teaser
How did it feel to watch the Channel Tunnel breaking through? The NHS made dentistry free – so why were British teeth still so bad? And what did police find at Club Eleven in 1950 that would change how we saw the world? All this and more in season 4 of MORE JAM TOMORROW. Subscribe now to get every episode. Support the newly independent podcast at and get a shout out on the next episode.
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