Welcome, and welcome back, to the first Alnwick Castle Podcast of 2026! Whether you are a brand new listener or you have been with us from the start, we hope you will enjoy what we have planned for the upcoming year, with new episodes arriving on the last Wednesday of every month.

We start 2026 with an in-depth biography of one of the most famous former owners of Alnwick Castle. Henry Percy, the 9th Earl of Northumberland, lived through the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, and was connected to many of the key events and people of those times. He was also known as the Wizard Earl for his interest in science, alchemy, and magic.

On this podcast, hosts Daniel and Deborah take you through the life of the Wizard Earl, including:

His early years

His relationships with his mother Katherine and wife Dorothy

His library collection and other "bookish matters"

How he became known as the Wizard Earl, and his scientific (or magical) experiments

His famous friends, rivals and (nearly) opponents in duels

His trial following the Gunpowder Plot, and imprisonment in the Tower of London

His relationships with his children, Dorothy, Lucy and Algernon

His attitudes towards women

And what was happening at Alnwick Castle and in the north during his lifetime.

We reference several other episodes of the podcast during this biography. For more details, please go back into our catalohue and look for the following episodes:

10 - Syon House

22 - The Gunpowder Plot and Alnwick Castle

31 - Women of Alnwick Castle (Part 2)

36 - The Tudors, the Percys and Syon House

43 - The History of Tennis

45 - Strange and Mysterious Alnwick Castle Tales

72 - The Border Reivers

83 - The Stolen Crown