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
35:20
Corpse Medicine: Eating Egyptian Mummies
29 August 2024A skull a day! People ate people in the name of medicine across Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Charles II kept powdered skull in a bag on...
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53:48
Movie Knight: Medieval world on film
27 August 2024It’s summer, so let’s kick back, give our brains a break and indulge in a little fantasy. Hollywood, like us, ADORES the medieval period and...
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48:43
The Real Princess Diana
27 August 2024However you feel about the royal family, there's no denying, there was something about Princess Diana.
From the clothes she wore to the...
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1:07:11
2. The Battle of Britain Explained: The Climax
26 August 20242/2. The Battle of Britain was Hitler's first and potentially most important defeat. It defined the course of the war, forcing him to make a...
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39:51
Eisenhower: D-Day and the Birth of the American Superpower
26 August 2024In June 1944, the joint forces of the Allies began the liberation of continental Europe on D-Day. But was there tension within the...
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33:56
The Tragic Travels of Fynes Moryson
26 August 2024In July 1596, Fynes Moryson - a Lincolnshire gentleman and travel writer - was struck down with grief when his younger brother died as they...
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34:24
Giggling Granny Serial Killer
26 August 2024Picture a serial killer in your mind’s eye. What do you see... Is it your gran?
Today is the story of one of America’s most notorious...
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51:33
1. The Battle of Britain Explained: Preparation, Pilots and Propaganda
25 August 20241/2. The Battle of Britain was Hitler's first and possibly most important defeat. It defined the course of the Second World War, forcing him to...
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39:58
The Sirens
25 August 2024The word 'Sirens' conjures up many images, possibly of beautiful mermaid-like creatures luring sailors to their watery deaths. These ancient Greek...
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35:48
Life Lessons From Historical Women
23 August 2024When women's stories aren't being flat-out ignored from the history books, they can often be sidelined.
Well not here! Joining Kate today is...
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39:33
William Marshal: Knight & Crusader
23 August 2024William Marshal was one of the most famous and influential figures in English medieval history, rising from a lowly start to becoming the knight...
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46:26
The Terracotta Warriors
22 August 2024The world was astonished when 8000 terracotta soldiers were unearthed in 1974 by Chinese farmers digging a well; the warriors opened a window to...
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48:00
President William Howard Taft: The Reluctant Politician?
22 August 2024Sandwiched between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson is our 26th President of the United States, William Howard Taft. Did he have the...
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44:40
Origins of Beer
22 August 2024It's one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world. But did you know that beer is also one of the world's oldest beverages, with a history...
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38:20
Medici Popes: Power over Piety
22 August 2024Fueled by ambition and the desire to extend their influence, the House of Medici saw the papacy not only as a religious post but a political one. ...
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53:25
Salem Witch Trials: Interrogation & Torture
22 August 2024The second part of our story on the Salem Witch Trials. Anthony Delaney takes Maddy Pelling inside the courtroom as unbelievable stories of...
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42:54
The First Emperor of China
20 August 2024Dan heads to China to discover the incredible story of Qin Shi Haungdi, the man who built the mysterious Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall and...
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17:34
The Battle of Clontarf
20 August 2024On Gone Medieval we like to celebrate the best stories - and storytellers - of history, so today Dr.Eleanor Janega showcases the brilliant podcast...
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44:43
Renaissance Beauty: Snails, Cat Poo & Fatal Make-Up
20 August 2024Why did Renaissance women say the Lord's prayer while removing pubic hair?
If you're like us you definitely want to know the answer to this,...
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26:19
Lafayette: The Marquis and the American Revolution
19 August 2024Why did an aristocratic French man fight for American freedom? How influential was Lafayette? And what did he do on his return visit to the United...
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47:55
Salem Witch Trials: Hysteria & Accusations
19 August 2024First of two episodes on the Salem Witch Trials. We begin the story as accusations are made throughout the town of Salem and a climate of fear...
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