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

43:50

Operation Barbarossa

22 June 2021

On 22 June 1941 Hitler unleashed Operation Barbarossa the biggest military operation in human history. More than 3 million men of the Axis poured...

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49:18

Dirty Love: The Ancient Greek Novel

22 June 2021

The novel, and in particular the romance genre, is at the heart of a billion dollar industry, but when did they originate? In this episode, Professor...

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29:13

The Berserkers

22 June 2021

To go berserk, meaning out of control with anger or excitement: the phrase originates from stories of the Berserkers, but what do we really know...

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47:41

Charles V: Holy Roman Emperor

21 June 2021

Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Geoffrey Parker to explore the extraordinary life and career of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V...

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21:14

Tragedy at the Scottish Crannog Centre

21 June 2021

From the Neolithic period to the early 18th century Crannogs were a feature of Scottish, Welsh and Irish lakes and estuaries enabling a unique way...

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38:01

From Airman to Attorney General: RAF Navigator Johnny Smythe

21 June 2021

Beginning with his birth in 1915 in Sierra Leone, the life of John Henry Smythe OBE MBE is almost unbelievable. From becoming a navigator in the...

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23:26

Black American Struggle: Riot or Revolution?

20 June 2021

The 1960s and early 1970s saw civil unrest and violence in the United States on a scale not seen since the civil war between black residents and the...

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43:53

Ancient Brittany with Sir Barry Cunliffe

20 June 2021

Stretching out from the north west of France, Brittany has long been as identifiable with the Atlantic Ocean as with its continental neighbours in...

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50:06

Mary, Queen of Scots

19 June 2021

Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to the news headlines when the rosary she carried to her execution in 1587, was recently stolen from Arundel...

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44:01

John of Gaunt

19 June 2021

Born in 1340 as the younger brother of the Black Prince, John of Gaunt's life is captivating. John was a brave leader, first setting foot on the...

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42:49

Voices of Waterloo

18 June 2021

206 years ago today, 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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1:01:40

Battle of Waterloo

18 June 2021

After 12 years of battles against the French Republic’s various neighbours, this was Napoleon’s final stand. Although many associate its name...

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51:07

Louis XIV and his Mistresses

17 June 2021

Louis XIV ruled France for more than 72 years, the longest recorded reign of any monarch of any sovereign country in history. Despite the...

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23:24

Churchill's Daughters: The Privilege and the Pain

17 June 2021

Winston Churchill's daughters Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary are often overshadowed by their father's extraordinary fame but they also lived...

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29:19

Scotland's Earliest Animal Carvings: An Incredible New Discovery

17 June 2021

Prehistoric animal carvings, thought to be up to 5,000 years old, have been discovered in Scotland for the very first time. The images, which include...

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20:46

The Curious History of Postcards

16 June 2021

For many people sending a postcard is an enjoyable part of any seaside trip but rather than just being a novelty they were once a vital form of...

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49:07

Band of Brothers with Damian Lewis

16 June 2021

Twenty years after it first aired, Band of Brothers continues to be remembered as a remarkably accurate portrayal of a US parachute infantry...

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36:08

Everything You Need to Know about the Anglo-Saxons

15 June 2021

The Anglo-Saxon period is vital for the formation of England and the UK as we know it but is a difficult era to fully understand. The departure of...

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31:36

Sex in the Middle Ages

15 June 2021

Despite being a key part of society and everyday life, medieval sexuality was probably left out of your history lessons at school. But how much do...

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50:29

Mary, Queen of Scots

14 June 2021

Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to the news headlines when the rosary she carried to her execution in 1587, was recently stolen from Arundel...

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30:39

The Heiress, the Kidnap, and the Making of London

14 June 2021

After the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666 London was on its knees with its population decimated and the heart of the city...

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