History Podcasts | History Hit

 

 

History Hit 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

49:19

The First CIA Mission to Afghanistan

25 April 2022

In September 2001, Al-Qaeda had struck and America was aghast. Eight brave CIA officers set the pace, being the first Americans to step foot on...

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24:45

The Death of King George V: A Royal Murder Mystery

24 April 2022

Just before midnight on January 20, 1936, King George V died at Sandringham, in Norfolk, England. The scandal of King George V’s reign would not...

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28:16

Tanks

24 April 2022

Tanks defined 20th century conflict — they conjure to mind images of Tiananmen Square or the Soviet Army rolling into a liberated Berlin. But...

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1:13:38

Saint George

24 April 2022

The 23rd of April marks Saint George's Day - but who are we actually celebrating? Is there any truth behind the myth of the man who slew the...

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28:25

Global Middle Ages with Peter Frankopan

23 April 2022

The term “Middle Ages” is commonly used but really only applies to a Western European view of history. It was created at the beginning of the...

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48:40

The Falklands War: An Argentinian Veteran's Perspective

22 April 2022

The Falklands War, or the Guerra de las Malvinas? For today’s guest, it was the latter. Roberto Herrscher grew up singing the songs of the...

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41:54

Victoria: A Greedy Queen

22 April 2022

Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.

Did you know that before...

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42:43

Victoria: A Greedy Queen

21 April 2022

Warning: There are adult themes, explicit language and references of disordered eating and diets in this episode.

Did you know that before...

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29:03

Milton's Paradise Lost: An Epic Poem

21 April 2022

In 1667 - 355 years ago this month - a young London publisher called Samuel Simmons printed a very important book - John Milton's Paradise Lost....

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36:29

Food in the Greco-Roman World

21 April 2022

When we think of the modern Mediterranean, delicious and vibrant food is one of the first things that come to mind. But how much has the regional...

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35:29

Nature in Abandoned Places with Cal Flyn

21 April 2022

From ghost towns to nuclear exclusion zones, what happens when nature reclaims derelict spaces?

Award-winning writer Cal Flyn is On...

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31:41

The History of the RNLI

20 April 2022

Since its foundation in 1824, the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been braving the most savage of elements at sea to...

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40:16

Voices of Waterloo

20 April 2022

On Sunday 18 June 1815 60,000 men were slaughtered in the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon Bonaparte's French army was finally defeated by an almighty...

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23:09

The Origin of Zero

20 April 2022

Nada, naught, nil, zip, zilch, zero. Whatever you call it, it's hard to imagine the world without it. Zero is the basis for all modern computing...

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29:26

Operation Mincemeat: The Deception that Changed WWII

19 April 2022

It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe and plan an all-out assault on Sicily, but they face an...

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57:43

Voodoo & Vodou

19 April 2022

Warning: This episode includes strong language and some adult themes.

What comes to mind when you see the word voodoo? Most people tend to...

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28:51

The Northman: How to Put Vikings On Screen

19 April 2022

The Northman now showing in UK cinemas is an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father's...

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42:56

Medieval Sex

19 April 2022

*WARNING this episode includes explicit language and adult themes*

What were your medieval ancestors getting up to in the bedroom? Join sex...

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21:21

Josephine Baker: Entertainer and Spy

18 April 2022

On November 30th, 2021, Josephine Baker, the French-American performer, second world war resistance hero, and activist became the first Black...

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47:04

How Tudor England Treated Outsiders

18 April 2022

The recently released film Lapwing is set during the Tudor period, one year after the Egyptian Act of 1554 effectively criminalised Romani people...

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36:17

Hidden Treasures: Britain's Art in WW2

18 April 2022

As Europe prepared for the Second World War, a challenge presented itself to the men and women of Britain’s museums, galleries and archives: how...

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