Arise, Sir Bright Side

I absolutely love history – I like reading about it, studying it, watching historical documentaries and films, and visiting places of historical interest. And it's where my interest in dying and death springs from. Ever since I can remember I've been fascinated by people's reaction to possible or impending death – whether it's a knight in armour facing a cavalry charge, the King of England placing his head on the block, or a Tommy waiting for the whistle that sends him over the trenches. It's not the politics, the science or the military tactics which make it interesting for me. It's the people stories, the human aspect, the behaviours, the emotions, the feelings, that hook me in. And wondering, as in all situations where death has to be faced, how I would fare under such circumstances.
A period of history I feel particularly passionate about is Tudor history, which has a fantastically heady mix of great characters, stories, and locations. As well as our brilliant writers and presenters, like David Starkey and Simon Schama, who bring it all to life today. And when I say 'heady' mix, I wasn't joking – the executioners during this period barely had time to sharpen their axes between bookings.
We cannot begin to imagine how those men and women felt, standing on the scaffold, paying the ultimate price for having offended Big Hal. Some begged forgiveness, some cried, and some had to be chased because they wouldn't put their head on the block. But hats off (quite literally) to Sir Thomas More, who bravely approached the scaffold steps and greeted the Lieutenant of the Tower with a little joke: "I pray you, Master Kingston, see me safe up. And for my coming down, let me shift for myself". What a trooper...