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

29:40

Dancing Mania

19 July 2021

In the summer of 1518, one of the most bizarre afflictions in history struck the city of Strasburg; dancing mania. This epidemic of dancing spread,...

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36:59

Modern Siege Warfare

19 July 2021

Besieging a city is often thought to be an antiquated strategy, lost to technological advances and the complexity of modern conflict. In this...

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21:27

Robin Hood

18 July 2021

Robin Hood is one of the most famous legends of British history, but did he exist and if so who was he? Gareth Morgan, Learning Development Officer...

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36:39

The Romans in Brittany

17 July 2021

It was one of the most powerful empires in history, leaving marks and remnants across the globe, but in this episode we are looking specifically at...

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25:30

Saladin and the Crusades

17 July 2021

Saladin was one of the greatest Sultans of the middle ages, and the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. He famously defeated the Crusader army at the...

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38:31

Medieval Ludlow

17 July 2021

Founded in the late 11th century after the Norman conquest of England, the town of Ludlow is critical to Medieval history. From an impressive...

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26:17

Why the Statues Are Coming Down

16 July 2021

Recent years have seen a spate of statue removals from the toppling of Confederate statues in the United States, the tearing down of the Edward...

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41:39

Spanish Civil War & Gerda Taro

16 July 2021

Starting off as a novice photographer with strong political motivations, Gerda Taro became well known during the Spanish Civil War, only to sadly...

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38:07

16th Century Feminists

15 July 2021

In this edition of Not Just The Tudors, Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Hannah Dawson, editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing who draws upon...

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56:05

Mythbusting Medieval Buildings

15 July 2021

From spiral stairs to tunnels leading to pubs and brothels, to witch markings; join us as we find out the truth about medieval buildings. Matt Lewis,...

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59:59

Scythed Chariots

15 July 2021

What could be more terrifying than an army racing towards you? An army on chariots? What if those chariots had blades mounted on either side? In this...

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30:52

The Peasants' Revolt

14 July 2021

In 1381 England was rocked by one of the most widespread popular uprisings of the medieval period; the Peasants' Revolt. Beginning in Essex in...

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26:22

The Soviet Spy in the Cotswolds

14 July 2021

A mother of three living in a small British village, and an accomplished Soviet operative who co-ordinated a network of spies within Britain's atomic...

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32:26

World War Two Showdown in the Mediterranean

13 July 2021

By the summer of 1942 Malta had been under siege by Axis forces for over a year and the situation on the island was bleak with food and fuel almost...

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47:26

Carthage vs Greeks? The First Sicilian War

13 July 2021

480 BC is a year widely-celebrated in Greek history. When Leonidas' Spartan core and their Hellenic allies fought a powerful Persian army at...

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31:01

Runes

13 July 2021

Runes give us a unique understanding of the Vikings in their very own words. While the Latin alphabet became widely adopted in northwestern Europe...

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54:10

Sodomy & Sex Crimes in France

12 July 2021

In the 16th and 17th centuries and beyond, certain sexual acts were made capital crimes in England, France and other countries. The offence...

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26:24

Captain Cook 250 Years On

12 July 2021

250 years ago today Captain James arrived back from one of the most remarkable voyages of exploration in the history of the world. The expedition...

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32:53

How To Predict the Future of War

12 July 2021

With every new technological breakthrough the battlefield of the future changes, often beyond recognition. Named as one of the United States’...

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37:12

The Irish War of Independence

11 July 2021

11 July 1921 the truce that bought the Irish War of Independence came into effect. The negotiations that brought about the end of hostilities,...

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42:01

Julius Caesar’s Invasions of Britain

11 July 2021

On the day of the Euro 2020 final, we’re talking England versus Italy…Ancients style (well, sort of). Historian and archaeologist Dr Simon...

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