Mark Gregory Pegg

Context:

Tom cites this book as a brilliant account of the Albigensian Crusade, quoting from it multiple times throughout the episode including descriptions of the violence and a story about a ghost appearing from purgatory

Context:

Quoted at the beginning of the episode as a source discussing the Cathars, specifically the quote stating that the standard narrative about the Cathars is not true

Context:

Quoted at the end of the episode as 'a fantastic book, absolutely thrilling work of history' that is 'fabulously well-written.' Tom reads a key passage from it arguing that the conventional understanding of the Cathars 'is none of it true,' setting up the cliffhanger for the next episode. The hosts jokingly compare its prose quality to The Da Vinci Code. A listener interested in how the standard narrative of medieval Cathar heresy has been radically challenged by recent scholarship would find this essential.