History Podcasts
The History Hit network gives you access to a growing range of podcasts presented by and featuring historians at the forefront of research and debate.
Scroll down to listen to the most recent episodes from our network.
Dan Snow’s History Hit explores the deep history behind today’s headlines – giving you the context to understand what is going on today. Everything has a history, every challenge made easier by understanding its nature, its genesis. In a world of fast opinions, we put historians into the debate, women and men who bring real knowledge built over careers spent researching.
The Ancients, hosted by historian Tristan Hughes, is dedicated to discussing our distant past. Historians and archaeologists join Tristan to discuss specific themes from antiquity, from Neolithic Britain to the Fall of Rome.
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb presents Not Just the Tudors. Together with expert interviewees, she covers the sweeping range of the early modern period: everything from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower.
Gone Medieval is hosted by historians Matt Lewis and Eleanor Janega, who shine a light on one of the most fascinating yet misunderstood periods of history: the Middle Ages. In each episode, experts lead listeners beneath the skin of captivating stories to uncover new insights.
In Betwixt the Sheets join historian, Kate Lister as she unashamedly roots around the topics which seem to have been skipped in history class. Everything from landmark LGBTQ+ court cases, to political scandal, to downright bizarre medieval cures for impotence.
In American History Hit, join Don Wildman twice a week for your hit of American history, as he explores the past to help us understand the United States of today. We’ll hear how codebreakers uncovered secret Japanese plans for the Battle of Midway, visit Chief Powhatan as he prepares for war with the British, see Walt Disney accuse his former colleagues of being communists, and uncover the dark history that lies beneath Central Park.
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal joined History Hit’s award-winning podcast network in October 2023, hosted by actor, writer and historian Anthony Delaney and writer, broadcaster, historian Maddy Pelling. Together, the duo unpick history’s spookiest, strangest and most sinister stories – from the disappearance of HMS Terror to the origins of Halloween.
War historian and broadcaster James Rogers hosts our Warfare podcast, which opens up fascinating new perspectives on how conflict has shaped and changed our world. James teams up with fellow historians, veterans, and experts to reveal astonishing new histories of inspirational leadership, breakthrough technologies, and era defining battles.
Patented, hosted by Dallas Campbell, dives into stories of flukey discoveries, erased individuals and murky marketing ploys with the help of experts, scientists and historians.
Click on any of the listings below to listen to the most recent episodes from our network.
All Podcasts

Rise of Humans
6 April 2025How did we go from ancient apes to the dominant species on Earth? The story of human evolution is one of survival, adaptation, and extinction -...
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History's Worst F*ckboys: Lord Byron
4 April 2025How 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' was Lord Byron really?
We know the Romantic poet had a bit of a reputation, but how true was it? And...
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Hattori Hanzo: The Medieval Demon Samurai
4 April 2025Matt Lewis presents a special episode from his podcast Echoes of History on the medieval 'Demon' Samurai.
In the world of Assassin's Creed...
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The Samurai
3 April 2025This is the story of the legendary Samurai - how did they go from provincial bodyguards to revered warriors? Why did they transform from ancestral...
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Battle of Fort Donelson
3 April 2025Almost a year into the American Civil War, Union forces laid siege to Fort Donelson. In this episode, we're going to find out why this fort was...
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Conquest of the Americas
3 April 2025You may think you know about the daring exploits of Columbus, the ruthless ambition of Cortés, but beyond the accepted histories lies a world of...
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Easter Rising: First World War In Dublin
3 April 2025(Part 2/2) On Easter Monday in 1916, Irish rebels read a proclamation of independence that sparked a week-long battle with the British...
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Herculaneum
3 April 2025In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius unleashed devastation on the Roman world, burying entire towns beneath volcanic ash. While Pompeii is world-famous,...
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Francis Drake (Part 2)
1 April 2025Dan Snow picks up his dramatic tale of the exploits of Francis Drake- this time the story of the Spanish Armada. From his astonishing raids on...
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The Horrible History of Gonorrhoea
1 April 2025Possibly the first recorded sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhoea is still one of the most common.
We're back on the itchier side of...
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Eric Bloodaxe
1 April 2025Eric Bloodaxe was an epic Viking Warrior, and he could certainly cut down his enemies, but was he as 'great' in reality as his romantic bad-boy...
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Bobby Kennedy: Assassination of a Future President
31 March 2025Bobby Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign had an aura around it. Its urgency, idealism and raw emotion connected with a nation in turmoil. But...
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What did Henry VIII Believe?
31 March 2025The execution of six martyrs—three Catholics and three Protestants—on the same day, was unprecedented in Henry VIII's England. What led to...
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The Anglo-Sikh Wars
31 March 2025Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India puts players in the heart of the Sikh Empire in 1841, at a time when only the Sikh Empire remained...
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Francis Drake (Part 1)
30 March 2025Dan tells swashbuckling tales of Francis Drake on the Spanish Main. Francis Drake was England's first imperial warrior forged in the crucible of...
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Black Death: Scapegoats & Persecution
30 March 2025***This episode contains a description of mass murder***
As the Black Death moved across Europe, something darker and more insidious spread...
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Prehistoric Nigeria: The Nok
30 March 2025In the heart of ancient Nigeria, a mysterious civilisation flourished - known today only through archaeology. The Nok Culture, symbolised by its...
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Joanna: Eleanor of Aquitaine's Fierce Daughter
28 March 2025The courageous life of Joanna Plantagenet extends far beyond her mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and her 'brave and heroic' brother Richard the...
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Real Wives of Dictators | Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao's Wife
28 March 2025For better or (mostly) worse, Jiang Qing left her mark on the 20th century.
Even before she was married to Chairman Mao, Jiang was a...
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THE LEADERS: Roosevelt
28 March 2025How instrumental was Roosevelt in the Allied victory? He'd guided America through the Great Depression, he changed American society and his...
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Battle of Iwo Jima
27 March 202580 years ago, the battle of Iwo Jima came to an end on 26 March 1945. After 36 days of fighting, nearly 7,000 US Marines had been killed and...
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