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

50:33

Anne Boleyn: Life and Afterlives

17 May 2021

In the first of two special podcasts to mark the 485th anniversary of Anne Boleyn's death, Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by a panel of experts to...

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29:40

The Western Front

17 May 2021

The Western Front in the First World War is a story of aristocratic generals sending ordinary men over the top to their deaths in futile frontal...

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38:51

Life in the Gulag

17 May 2021

It was not until 1956 that the Soviet Union repatriated the last of their German prisoners of war. To find out more about the experience of these...

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34:45

Israel and Palestine: A Palestinian View with Yara Hawari

16 May 2021

History is essential to understanding the world around us and this couldn't be more true than in the case of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The...

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34:21

Olympia: The Golden Age

16 May 2021

For hundreds of years in antiquity, the sanctuary at Olympia was one of the most important religious sites in the Greek World, home to stunning...

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18:22

Malcolm Gladwell

15 May 2021

Malcolm Gladwell has sold millions of books and more recently become a podcasting titan and he joins Dan to talk about his most recent project The...

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30:34

War Crimes and Innocence in Iraq

14 May 2021

Following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 British troops in Basra were confronted with a chaotic situation as looting and rioting...

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26:54

WW1: Britain's Submarine Strategy

14 May 2021

From 1914 until 1917, submariners from Britain and Russia fought against the German Imperial Navy for control of the sea lanes in the icy Baltic....

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41:53

17th Century Female Spies

13 May 2021

If you think that the female spy is a 20th century phenomenon, be it Mata Hari, Mrs Zigzag or Eve Polastri, think again! Accounts of numerous...

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29:33

Ian Fleming & The Birth of Bond

13 May 2021

A suave secret agent and fictional character turned household name and multi-billion dollar franchise: we all know James Bond. But what about the man...

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51:54

Ancient Afghanistan: The Land of a Thousand Cities

13 May 2021

Situated north of the Hindu Kush and south of the Oxus (Amu Darya) River, the history of the ancient region of Bactria is rich and diverse. From...

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21:11

Motherhood, Working and Pandemics

12 May 2021

Being a working mother is now an entirely normal part of life but this was certainly not always the case and was often seen as a social ill in the...

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19:16

Winston Churchill

12 May 2021

On 10 May 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain and his calamitous...

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33:59

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on Hemmingway

11 May 2021

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick are two of the most talented and inspiring history filmmakers on earth. Their works include the seminal The Civil War,...

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26:43

The Rise of Olympia

11 May 2021

Forget the Games, ancient Olympia’s importance stretched much further than simply being the birthplace of its namesake sporting festival....

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33:28

Tudor Banquets

10 May 2021

The Tudors loved a good banquet, to show off their wealth and social status. Guests were plied with the most superb food, made from the most...

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39:12

Napoleon Bonaparte: Rise to Power

10 May 2021

In this archive episode, Dan talks to Adam Zamoyski, a historian who has written a biography of Napoleon, about the early life and rise to power of...

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30:38

Ian Fleming & The Birth of Bond

10 May 2021

A suave secret agent and fictional character turned household name and multi-billion dollar franchise: we all know James Bond. But what about the...

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30:33

Greatest Heist in History: The Crown Jewels and Thomas Blood

9 May 2021

On the 9 May 1671, Thomas Blood led his co-conspirators in a daring bid to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Through a combination of...

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25:32

How the Romans Treated Eye Infections

9 May 2021

Traditionally believed to be ‘windows to the soul’, the health of eyes in the Roman Empire could be compromised by lamentable hygiene practices,...

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30:23

Life at Bletchley Park with Betty Webb

8 May 2021

Betty Webb was heavily involved with the work going on at Bletchley Park. While she was not part of the code-breaking team, her work was invaluable...

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