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

53:22

Who Was the Real King Arthur?

2 January 2025

Was King Arthur a real historical figure or merely a mythical hero?

Tristan Hughes and Dr. Miles Russell delve into the myth and mystery of...

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41:55

Final Days of Rasputin

2 January 2025

Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic, survived multiple assassination attempts on the same night. He was poisoned, he was shot, he was drowned in a...

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28:45

The Great Fire of London

1 January 2025

In the early hours of September 2, 1666, a small fire broke out on the ground floor of a baker's house in Pudding Lane. In five days that small...

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42:19

Midwinter Medieval Traditions

31 December 2024

Ever wondered how Christmas was celebrated in Medieval times? Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis explore the fascinating world of Medieval festive...

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1:03:52

Remembering Jimmy Carter: Life & Legacy

30 December 2024

In this special episode, Don Wildman is joined by experts Jonathan Alter and Jefferson Cowie to delve into the remarkable life of the 39th...

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51:15

Japanese in America

30 December 2024

When the US turned to Japan for workers in the late 19th Century, they probably never foresaw that one day soon they would imprison those who...

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35:42

Sir Christopher Wren

30 December 2024

Celebrate the 350th anniversary of Sir Christopher Wren's masterworks with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb as she and Professor Adrian Tinniswood OBE...

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59:46

When Was The First Boob Job?

30 December 2024

Cosmetic procedures are a huge part of (most of our) worlds.

With new ones seemingly cropping up all the time, the boob job feels like an...

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43:43

Is the Loch Ness Monster real?

30 December 2024

What lurks beneath the dark waters of Loch Ness? The legendary monster? A piece of Celtic folklore? A warning of the Nazis' rise to power? A...

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45:05

The Fall of Constantinople

30 December 2024

Assassin's Creed Revelations transports us to Constantinople, only a couple of generations after its conquest by the Ottoman Empire. It is one of...

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37:04

The Fall of Constantinople

30 December 2024

May 1453 saw the siege that would lead to the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was the culmination of an age-long struggle between...

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51:14

Emperor Constantine

29 December 2024

How did Constantine the Great conquer his rivals and shape the Roman Empire?

Tristan Hughes discusses the dramatic rise of Roman Emperor...

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42:10

Did Ancient People Have Sex Toys?

27 December 2024

Dating back some 30,000 years, sex toys have a long (no pun intended) and fascinating history.

What were the earliest sex toys like? How did...

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49:00

What happened to the Princes in the Tower?

27 December 2024

Did Richard III really murder the Princes in the Tower?

Join Matt Lewis to dive into the enigmatic tale of the Princes in the Tower, joined...

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43:47

The Origins of Istanbul

27 December 2024

Today we dig into the history of Istanbul, the city at the crossroads of East and West. Across thousands of years, the city has survived the rise...

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42:55

Lexington & Concord: The First Battles of the Revolutionary War

26 December 2024

The shot heard ‘round the world'; the start of the American Revolution. An event that would have profound consequences for world history,...

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55:55

Tomb of King Herod

26 December 2024

Did Herod really order the massacre of thousands of infants? Tristan Hughes revisits the scandalous and captivating story of the discovery of King...

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1:24:21

Six Wives: Jane Seymour & Anne of Cleves

26 December 2024

In this second special Christmas edition, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb offers another chance to hear the fascinating series from earlier this year...

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37:53

Mystery of the Ghost Ship: Mary Celeste

26 December 2024

In 1872 the ghost ship Mary Celeste is found sailing across the Atlantic without a single crew member left on board. Theories over what happened...

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46:42

Charles Dickens' Christmas

25 December 2024

Just as Scrooge wanders London's streets on a cold Christmas night, Dan Snow follows the ghosts of Charles Dickens' past to discover the city that...

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48:00

Sex Life & Scandal of Charles Dickens

24 December 2024

Like it or not, there's no escaping Charles Dickens at this time of year.

But who was the man behind classics such as A Tale of Two Cities,...

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