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
28:38
Origins of the Condom
15 February 2024The first surviving mention of condoms dates from the mid-16th century, in the writings of an Italian anatomist better known for the discovery of...
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34:53
Murder in Henry VIII's England
15 February 2024In a world before police, what happened when someone was murdered? How were murderers caught? How did the wheels of justice turn?
We talk to...
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27:11
Medieval Mass Murdering Monk: Malmesbury Abbey
15 February 2024Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire was an institution of national significance from the late seventh century until the dissolution of the monasteries...
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34:02
Life and Death in Greco-Roman Egypt
14 February 2024In its final centuries, Ancient Egypt was conquered by the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans, beginning with the invasion of Alexander the Great...
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28:08
The Great Pyramid of Giza
13 February 2024Built by Pharaoh Khufu some 4,500 years ago, the Great Pyramid was the first ancient wonder to be built and is the only one still standing....
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22:28
Rameses The Great
13 February 2024Was Rameses really that great or just an excellent self-promoter? Well, as Dan learns in this episode, a little bit of both. He reigned for 66...
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34:35
The Mystery of the Medieval Green Children
12 February 2024Two green children walked into the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, England, sometime in the 12th century. They said they were from a magic land...
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38:15
The Surprising History of 'Karens'
12 February 2024What do Alexa, Adolf and Karen have in common?
They're all names that have plummeted in popularity.
The most recent, Karen, is largely...
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41:27
Fairies in the Early Modern Era
12 February 2024In the early modern period, belief in fairies was quite commonplace. But put all thoughts of Tinkerbell aside! These fairies were...
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29:15
Medieval Apocalypse
12 February 2024In the early 12th century, when England was suffering wave after wave of Viking invasions, many wondered how God could allow their kingdom to be...
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48:15
The Clinton Scandals
11 February 2024From financial to conspiratorial to sexual, the words 'Clinton' and 'scandal' are regularly found in each others' vicinities. But why?
Don...
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50:37
Persia Reborn: Rise of the Sasanians
11 February 2024The Sasanians are renowned as one of Rome's most feared enemies. Founded in third century Persia by an Iranian noble called Ardashir, their...
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29:42
The Origins of Ancient Egypt
11 February 2024All this week Dan is delving into the history, mystery and legacy of Ancient Egypt. Discover how this mighty empire grew from nomadic settlers to...
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40:04
Justinian: Greatest Byzantine Emperor?
8 February 2024The Eastern Roman Emperor from 527 to 565, Justinian was a ruler who infused even the most mundane tasks with spiritual and religious...
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39:24
Private Life of King James VI & I
8 February 2024King James VI and I, the first monarch to reign over Scotland, England and Ireland, has a mixed reputation. To many, he is simply the homosexual...
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39:54
What Was Sex Like In Medieval Times?
8 February 2024What happened when medieval monks were told by the church that they had to be celibate? And how did their wives react?
On today's episode,...
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37:46
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Quest for Immortality
8 February 2024The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest surviving works of storytelling in history. It begins with the tale of Gilgamesh’s friendship with...
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31:43
Facebook at Twenty: From College Dorms to Court Cases
7 February 2024Where did the idea for Facebook come from? How has the site evolved? And how has it changed the world? In this episode, 20 years after the...
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41:25
Dragons: From the Ancient World to the Hobbit
7 February 2024Take dinosaur bones, snake poison, volcanic lava, fear of the unknown. Mix it all together and you have a dragon!
Today we're finding out...
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1:18:52
The Real King Arthur
7 February 2024If King Arthur never existed, why does he loom so large in England's history? Dan traces the real-life figures who could have been the legendary...
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48:24
Who are the Houthis?
7 February 2024As Houthi missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continue, we turn to the past to answer the all-important questions - who are the Houthis,...
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