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
26:19
The Fight to Save Archaeology
27 July 2021Archaeology is not just about digging, it’s about understanding the human experience of existence.
In the space of a few weeks there...
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45:58
The Begram Hoard: Treasures of the Silk Road
27 July 2021In the mid-20th century French archaeologists came across a remarkable collection of ancient items from Eastern China, the Indian subcontinent and...
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21:17
Orkney’s Buried Vikings
27 July 2021How did Viking remains find themselves under a house in Orkney? In 2015, human remains were unearthed on the northeast coast of Papa Westray. The...
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52:27
Catherine Howard
26 July 2021Catherine Howard was Queen Consort - and fifth wife - to Henry VIII for just 16 months before he had her executed for treason for committing...
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27:02
Pathfinders: Bomber Command's Elite
26 July 2021The Pathfinders were ordinary men and women who transformed the efficiency of the Allies' air campaign over mainland Europe and helped deliver...
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34:34
When the World Outlawed War
26 July 2021In August 1928, signatories from France, the United States and Germany signed a treaty outlawing war. This so-called Kellogg-Briand Pact was soon...
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43:29
What is Going on With Democracy?
25 July 2021Democracy is in crisis around the world. Dr Robert Saunders, from Queen Mary University of London, is back on the podcast to discuss why it is under...
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44:07
Decoding the Roman Dead
25 July 2021Often known as ‘Britain’s first town’, Colchester is a city rich in ancient history and on 24 July 2021, a new exhibition will open at the...
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36:35
The Woman Who Flew Spitfires in WW2
24 July 2021Mary Ellis was a pioneering and courageous aviator who flew hundreds of fighters and bombers to Britain’s frontline airfields. She was one of the...
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36:43
Role of Medieval Queens
24 July 2021What was the role of a queen in the Medieval Age? Was she there to strengthen the position of her family and build alliances to protect the interests...
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34:27
The Olympic Games
23 July 2021From Ancient Greece to when it was reborn in 1896, the tournament has nearly 3,000 years of history. Sports historian, Professor Martin Polley from...
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30:00
Nazi Scientists & the Space Race
23 July 2021‘One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind’: in July 1969 the United States successfully landed on the moon. It was part of a race...
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48:47
Martin Luther
22 July 2021A controversial figure during his lifetime, Martin Luther set in motion a revolution that split Christianity in the West and left an indelible...
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45:54
Rival Queens: Elizabeth I and Catherine de' Medici
22 July 2021The relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de' Medici - the two most powerful Queens of their time - is one of the most intriguing and...
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24:08
Life in Sparta
22 July 2021A legendary city-state in Ancient Greece, we associate Sparta with fierce warriors in battle. But what about the everyday? In this second episode...
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29:54
The Rise of Stalin
21 July 2021How did a young boy from Georgia become a merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image? Historian and bestselling...
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19:05
Cold War in the Congo: Assassination of Hammarskjöld
21 July 2021In 1961, UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld's plane was shot down as he flew over the Congo. Dag Hammarskjöld was called ‘the greatest...
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25:21
How Timekeeping Changed the World
20 July 2021Accurate timekeeping is at the very root of all of the technological advances in the modern world, but how did it all begin? From Roman sundials to...
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38:18
The Origins of English
20 July 2021Approximately 1.35 billion people use it, either as a first or second language, so English and the way that we speak it has a daily impact on huge...
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27:07
The Oldest Known Shark Attack
20 July 2021It’s a crossover with Jaws and Open Water that we never expected, but a 3,000 year old corpse has thrown a surprising topic into the mix: shark...
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46:06
Elizabeth I and Catherine de' Medici
19 July 2021The relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de' Medici - the two most powerful Queens of their time - is one of the most intriguing and...
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