Dr Emma Nagouse is an award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, and researcher based in South Tyneside.

Emma is senior producer of the smash hit BBC podcast You’re Dead to Me (2019 - present), producing over 150 episodes that span everything from Boudicca to Broadway. With over 150 million downloads worldwide, You’re Dead to Me is one of the UK’s most popular podcasts and in March 2025 was the #1 history podcast in America. Between 2020 and 2021 , Emma co-wrote the British Podcast Award-winning BBC Radio 4 show, Homeschool History. She also co-wrote and produced the BBC Radio 4 history show for children Dead Funny History.

Recently, Emma stepped out from behind the production screen and in front of the mic. After acting as creative historical consultant for Bastille’s chart-topping 2024 album Ampersand, her breadth of knowledge and charismatic flair for communicating complex stories and ideas was showcased in the album’s companion podcast, MUSES which Emma co-hosted with Bastille’s Grammy-nominated lead singer Dan Smith. In 2025 Emma was shortlisted for an ARIA as “Best New Presenter” for MUSES: An Ampersand Podcast which featured among the Radio Times’ “Best Audio” picks and enjoyed sell-out live recordings at Bush Hall, London.

Launched in September 2026, Emma hosts the new No Shortcuts: A UCU podcast which focusses on the pressing issues facing the education sector and the broader trade union movement. Featuring a core cast of UCU’s leadership including Jo Grady, No Shortcuts delves into the latest industrial, political, and campaigning news and how to organise for power together. You can listen anywhere you get your podcast, and watch No Shortcuts on YouTube. Emma is hosting a brand new history podcast which will be available soon.

As a sought-after consultant across history, religion, politics, and literature with an exceptional track record in story-finding and idea generation, Emma has worked on a range of projects and continues her academic work.In September 2026, Emma was delighted to be made an Honorary Fellow of the University of London’s Institute for Historical Research. Here, at the UK’s national centre for history, Emma will continuing to share and develop her expertise in public-facing humanities.

Emma’s PhD thesis which explored religion, gender and popular culture was funded by one of the most competitive scholarships in the UK and is now in the process of publication with Bloomsbury. As reflected in her work, Emma is most interested in unexpected stories, why and how certain stories are told, and working class communities. Emma has been a life-long community organiser and trade unionist. As a trained archaeologist, Emma has excavated sites across the UK and Sweden, while her expertise as an oral historian led her to co-found and chair Sheffield’s Feminist Oral History Archive. 

Emma is currently writing a non-fiction book, making podcasts and consulting on a range of academic and artistic projects across history, religion, politics, and literature. She is also looking to expand into documentary and current affairs. Get in touch!

Emma is represented by Daisy Skepelhorn at PBJ Management