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
31:47
Shogun: The Real First English Samurai
16 May 2024The acclaimed TV series Shogun, now screening on Disney+, is based on true events. Its main character John Blackthorne is modelled on William...
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38:45
Oliver Cromwell's Decapitated Head & Charles II's Revenge
15 May 2024***Warning: today's episode contains graphic description of violence***
In 1661 Oliver Cromwell was hung and beheaded...the only problem was...
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47:15
Caligula
15 May 2024Caligula. One of the most infamous Roman emperors of them all. He didn't rule Rome for long, but he has gained a legacy as this incredibly evil...
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33:13
The Royal Navy's Darkest Night & The Origins of Longitude
14 May 2024A mix of treacherous seas, navigation errors, and historical intrigue led to one of the Royal Navy's darkest nights. Dan travels to the Scilly...
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45:20
A Guide to Medieval Churches
14 May 2024Do you know the difference between a church and a chapel? A bishop and an archbishop? An abbey and an abbess?
In this episode of...
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49:47
Medieval Torture & Execution
14 May 2024When you say ‘going medieval’ on someone, it brings up quite nasty connotations.
But is this brutal suggestion a fair depiction of...
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31:28
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt: The Impossible Alliance that Won WWII
13 May 2024In the summer of 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. As the Germans drove towards Moscow, a catastrophic Soviet defeat seemed imminent - a...
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40:04
The Real Hamilton: Downfall, Duel & Death
13 May 2024When Alexander Hamilton took a bullet to the abdomen on the morning of the 11th July 1804, he joined a long list of people who had fallen foul of...
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36:51
Shardlake and its Creator C.J. Sansom
13 May 2024Fans of historical fiction and crime novels have been saddened to learn of the recent death of the award-winning, best-selling author C.J. Sansom,...
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36:33
The Great Famine: Ireland’s Darkest Chapter (Part 1)
13 May 2024One million people died. Two million emigrated. The Great Irish Famine was the world turned upside down. The darkest chapter in Ireland's...
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50:42
Twelve Caesars with Mary Beard
12 May 2024The title of Caesar has echoed down the ages as the pinnacle of absolute power and perhaps even tyranny. A single man at the head of a nation or...
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40:19
Marshal Pétain: Hero or Traitor?
11 May 2024Marshal Pétain emerged from the First World War as a French national hero. His defence of Verdun had set him on course to become one of France's...
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47:09
The Cleopatras: A Dynasty of Rule Breakers
11 May 2024Cleopatra. It is one of the most recognisable names in ancient history, made famous by the exploits of Egypt’s controversial pharaoh queen. But...
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32:21
The Viking Age: What Discoveries Reveal
10 May 2024The Vikings continue to fascinate us because their compelling stories connect with universal human desires for exploration and adventure. But...
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46:58
Menopause: History, ‘Hysteria’ & Hormone Revolutions
10 May 2024When you look into the history of menopause it’s steeped in misogyny, fear and demonising women’s bodies.
But what is the truth...
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51:46
Forbidden Desire in Early Modern Europe
9 May 2024**This episode contains conversation about sexual behaviour**
In early modern Europe, acting upon same-sex desires was forbidden. We only...
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42:03
President James A. Garfield: Sex Cults & Assassination
8 May 2024This may have been the second shortest Presidency in the history of the United States, but the term of James Garfield is definitely not one to...
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53:53
Nineveh
8 May 2024Nineveh was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia. Situated on the eastern bank of the River Tigris, it rivalled cities like Babylon and...
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41:31
Harry Potter Monsters: The Ancient Origins
8 May 2024***Spoiler Alert: this episode contains spoilers for the Harry Potter books and films***
Giant snakes, winged horses and hooded demons. The...
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30:10
Merlin, The Occult and British Politics
7 May 2024Who was the real Merlin? Dr Francis Young says the closest is John Dee, Elizabeth I's occultist advisor who gave her the idea for a British...
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35:20
Women Crusaders
7 May 2024The image we usually associate with a Crusader - of a dashing nobleman on a mighty steed heading out for Holy War - often obscures all of the...
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