In this bonus episode of Cunningcast, Tony Robinson is joined by biblical scholars John Barton and Francesca Stavrakopoulou to explore the Dead Sea Scrolls and what they reveal about the origins of the Bible and early Christianity. From their dramatic discovery in the late 1940s and recent AI-led re-dating, to the startling variety of ancient Jewish and Christian texts—including lost gospels and strange infancy stories of Jesus—they uncover a world of belief far more diverse and surprising than the Bible alone suggests. As Francesca says, “these texts show the sheer variety of early Christian belief and stories about Jesus that were in circulation.”

Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson

Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg

With

Professor John Barton | theology.ox.ac.uk/people/john-barton

John is a British Anglican priest and biblical scholar. From 1991 to 2014, he was the Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Oriel College. In addition to his academic career, he has been an ordained and serving priest in the Church of England since 1973. His research interests and extensive publications have been in the areas of the Old Testament prophets, the biblical canon, biblical interpretation, and Old Testament theology. He is the author of numerous books on the Bible, co-editor of The Oxford Bible Commentary and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation.

A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths was shortlisted for the 2020 Wolfson History Prize and won the 2019 Duff Cooper Prize. It was adapted for radio and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2020.

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou | experts.exeter.ac.uk/1365-francesca-stavrakopoulou

Francesca is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at the University of Exeter. She is an internationally renowned scholar and award-winning author, specialising in material religion, death studies, and the ancient religious cultures in which the Bible emerged. Actively engaged in public scholarship, her media work includes writing and presenting the BBC TV documentary series Bible's Buried Secrets, and narrating the serialisation of her most recent book on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.

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LAST IN SERIES. STAY TUNDED FOR SERIES 4 COMING IN '26

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Today Tony is joined by an Anglican priest, John Barton, and an atheist scholar, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, to strip away myth and reverence and reveal the Bible as a messy, brilliant, centuries-long experiment in storytelling, belief, politics, and power. Full of sex, violence, poetry, argument, and big ideas, the Bible emerges not as a single holy book but as one of the most influential and fascinating collections of texts ever written. As Francesca says, ‘whether we believe it or not, the Bible is one of the most important cultural icons of our time.’

Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson

Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg

With

Professor John Barton | theology.ox.ac.uk/people/john-barton

John is an Anglican priest and biblical scholar. From 1991 to 2014, he was the Oriel and Laing Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Oriel College. In addition to his academic career, he has been an ordained and serving priest in the Church of England since 1973. His research interests and extensive publications have been in the areas of the Old Testament prophets, the biblical canon, biblical interpretation, and Old Testament theology. He is the author of numerous books on the Bible, co-editor of The Oxford Bible Commentary and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation.

A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths was shortlisted for the 2020 Wolfson History Prize and won the 2019 Duff Cooper Prize. It was adapted for radio and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2020.

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou | experts.exeter.ac.uk/1365-francesca-stavrakopoulou

Francesca is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at the University of Exeter. She is an internationally renowned scholar and award-winning author, specialising in material religion, death studies, and the ancient religious cultures in which the Bible emerged. Actively engaged in public scholarship, her media work includes writing and presenting the BBC TV documentary series Bible's Buried Secrets, and narrating the serialisation of her most recent book on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.

Follow us on our socials:

Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast and TikTok @cunningcast

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Thank you, Love Tony x

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In this special collaborative episode, Tony Robinson sits down with Time Team’s Helen Geake for an immersive dive into ‘The House of Wolf’, his gripping new historical saga. Tony reveals how decades of archaeology, storytelling, and acting shaped the novel’s vivid world of Alfred the Great, political intrigue, and everyday Anglo-Saxon life. Together, they explore the magic of Time Team, the thrill of discovering traces of real people in the landscape, and why England has always been shaped by its ties to Europe. With the insight of an actor, the heart of a storyteller, and the mud-soaked experience of a field archaeologist, Tony reveals how real lives, real landscapes, and real discoveries shaped his most ambitious work yet.

Hosted by Sir Tony Robinson | Instagram @sirtonyrobinson

Producer: Melissa FitzGerald | X @melissafitzg

With

Dr. Helen Geake | timeteamdigital.com/the-team/helen-geake

Helen’s interest in archaeology was sparked partly by attending lecturers by Time Team’s Mick Aston. She studied at University College London and University of York, specialising in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. She has worked at Norwich Castle Museum, the Portable Antiquities Scheme, Cambridge University and the British Museum. Helen first joined Time Team in 1998, appearing periodically as our Anglo-Saxon expert, and more regularly from 2006 to 2010. She currently presents the Time Team podcast with Martyn Williams.

Watch Time Team Here: timeteamdigital.com/

Listen to the Time Team podcast here: podfollow.com/time-team

Buy 'The House of Wolf' here: shop.timeteamdigital.com/collections/books

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Instagram @cunningcastpod | X @cunningcastpod | YouTube @cunningcast and TikTok @cunningcast

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If you enjoy this podcast, please follow us and leave us a rating or review.

Thank you, Love Tony x

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