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
1:04:10
The Greeks vs Persia: The War that Changed the Ancient World
29 November 2024In the 5th century BC, the ancient world's pre-eminent superpower turned its gaze towards the turbulent fringes of its empire. Under the...
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42:33
The Witches of Lorraine
28 November 2024**This episode contains brief descriptions of tortures**
Between 1570 and 1630 there was intense persecution as thousands of people were...
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38:09
The Mayflower: What Was Life Like At Sea?
28 November 2024A cargo hold, just 5 feet tall and divided up with canvas - this is what served as the living quarters for the 102 passengers of the Mayflower on...
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29:37
Most Haunted House in America: The Amityville Horror
28 November 2024112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville (Long Island) is arguably the most haunted house in America. Inside its walls demonic forces were, allegedly,...
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55:48
Fall of the Etruscans
28 November 2024Before Rome came the Etruscans - they were the dominant culture in ancient Italy in the centuries before Rome's imperial expansion. But how did...
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55:07
Oswald Mosley & Fascism in Britain
27 November 2024This is the story of British fascism seen through the life of its leader, Oswald Mosley. We explore his charismatic yet deeply flawed personality,...
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44:46
History of Pubic Hair
26 November 2024We often think of the way we treat pubic hair as a relatively modern thing.
But how did they manage pubic hair in Ancient Greece, or the...
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37:11
Excommunication in the Middle Ages
26 November 2024Both Frederick II and King John were excommunicated from the all-powerful church, but why?
Dr. Eleanor Janega and Dr. Felicity Hill explore...
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41:49
The Mayflower: Why Did the Pilgrims Leave Europe?
25 November 2024More than 30 million people can trace their ancestry to the 102 passengers and 30 crew aboard the Mayflower when it landed in Plymouth Bay,...
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41:56
The Women who Painted the Tudors
25 November 2024We probably think that the only artists working in the Tudor court were men, like Holbein and Hilliard. But new research is revealing that women...
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36:21
Ian Fleming's Commandos
25 November 2024Amid the chilling tension of the Cold War, Ian Fleming captured readers with his character James Bond, whose missions were based on his...
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42:37
English Village Sacrificed to Plague (Part 2)
24 November 2024(Part 2/2) They could've run, but they stayed. In 1665 plague arrived in the idyllic English village of Eyam. What followed was a story of...
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47:57
Tower of Babel
24 November 2024The Tower of Babel story is iconic. Featured in the Book of Genesis, it explains how different languages came to be across the world. But what are...
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41:17
Anne Boleyn | Secret Lives of the Six Wives
22 November 2024How did Anne Boleyn go from being a commoner to being the Queen of England?
As soon as she arrived in the Tudor court she stood out from the...
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56:02
A Voice for Richard III
22 November 2024Recreating Richard III's Voice: A Journey Through Time
Join us as we dive into the fascinating project of reconstructing the voice of King...
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36:48
A History of Escaping from Alcatraz Prison
22 November 2024Alcatraz was the jewel in the crown of America's prison system. The wind-swept island fortress was the final stop for the nation's most dangerous...
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43:19
President Warren G. Harding: Scandals, Affairs & Cabinet Selections
21 November 2024Despite dying as one of the most popular presidents in history, the 29th Commander-in-Chief has been consistently ranked one of the worst of the...
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49:32
Ice Age America
21 November 2024A group of hunter-gatherers encounter diverse habitats full of creatures they’ve never seen before. A land of opportunity, but also...
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52:14
Ghosts of the Deep South
21 November 2024The Deep South is a haunted landscape where dark tourism thrives, supplying spine-tingling thrills to eager visitors. But is there a darker truth...
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33:59
Practical Magic: Spells, Prayers & Cunning Folk
21 November 2024Long before witch trials, magic was the domain of ‘cunning folk’ who were part of the fabric of medieval and early modern life. Their...
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34:50
Gladiator Women of Ancient Rome
19 November 2024Evidence shows us that women gladiators fought in front of baying crowds in Ancient Rome.
Who were these women? How would these fights have...
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