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Welcome to Armchair Adventures, the podcast that takes you on amazing journeys without leaving your house! In this episode, Connie and her friends are about to dive into the history of Bonfire Night.
But Connie has a problem—her family is hosting exchange students, and she has no idea why we celebrate Bonfire Night on the 5th of November. What’s with the fireworks, bonfires, and “Penny for the Guy”? To solve this mystery, she calls on her Uncle Chris and his community theatre group for help!
Uncle Chris and his team decide to embark on an imaginative adventure all the way back to 1605 London to discover why we celebrate Bonfire Night. Equipped with notepads like real detectives, they’re ready to uncover the secrets of the famous Gunpowder Plot.
The gang sneaks into old London, creeping past the Tower of London and crossing the River Thames to find the truth. Along the way, they meet spooky talking heads on spikes—these were people who plotted against the king. They learn how angry some people were with King James I for being too strict about religion, especially with Catholics.
Landlady: Them lads over there are planning ‘the Bye plot’ they wanna kidnap the king, them over there are planning the ‘Treason of maine plot’ and they want to get rid of the king and replace him with his cousin lady Arabella Stuart no less…
Dan: Sorry to interrupt, but are any of the gangs in here plotting to blow him up?
Landlady: Ohhh you want Robert Catesby’s lot over there.
Roz: No, it’s not them we’re after, we want Guy Fawkes’ gang?
Landlady: Yeah, he’s one of them but he’s not the leader, he is one of the ‘gunpowder 12’.
Unc. Chris: But there’s 13 of them…
The crew heads to a famous plotting pub called the Duck and Drake Inn, where they meet people secretly planning to blow up Parliament! They discover that the leader of the plot is Robert Catesby, and one of the main people involved is Guy Fawkes, who’s in charge of the gunpowder hidden under Parliament!
Through clever undercover work (and some funny mix-ups), they find out that the plotters have placed 60 barrels of gunpowder ready to explode! But wait—there’s a twist! A new recruit, Francis Tresham, is writing a secret letter to warn his family in Parliament. Will this warning spoil the plot?
The Adventure Continues…
Will Connie’s detective team deliver the letter in time to stop the explosion? And what happens to Guy Fawkes and his friends? You’ll have to listen to the rest of the episode to find out how this fiery night became an annual celebration with fireworks and bonfires!
So grab your imagination and join the adventure to discover why we “Remember, remember the 5th of November…”
About Armchair Adventures
Armchair Adventures is a multi-award-winning podcast for kids – aged 6-10. It’s super-fun, educational and interactive – meaning it’s packed with sing and move-along activities!
Each episode is a new adventure of your imagination with Connie her gang of explorers – including you! Adventures include exploring a superhero lair, ballroom dancing and diving into a coral reef! Every episode also has an educational message for our mini adventurers like climate change, racial equality and recycling.
Armchair Adventures won Bronze at The British Podcast Awards 2022, has been profiled on BBC Radio 4’s Podcast Hour, in Podbible, featured on Podcast Radio, commended by HRH Prince William and is the first kids podcast available in-flight on all Virgin Atlantic flights!
Listen to the latest episode here.
Or Listen to our podcast on our Armchair Adventures page.
If you would like further information on how to take part please get in touch.
