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
34:17
Good King Wenceslaus
31 July 2023Who was the real good King Wenceslas? The Duke of Bohemia who was made famous by the Christmas carol was also a pivotal figure of European...
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35:46
Robert E Lee: Life & Legacy
31 July 2023He is undoubtedly the most famous member of the Confederate forces. But it wasn't always set to be that way.
In this episode, Don speaks to...
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40:06
Gentileschi: Greatest Female Artist of the Baroque Age
31 July 2023Artemisia Gentileschi was the most celebrated female painter of the 17th century, as famous in her lifetime as Reubens or Van Dyke. But the...
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52:58
Robert Mugabe
31 July 2023A Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician, Robert Mugabe served as the country's Prime Minister and later as its President for 37 years. His...
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37:39
North vs South: How Korea Was Divided
30 July 2023The divided Korean peninsula is the last remnant of the Cold War: South Korea is a vibrant democracy, a strong market economy, and home to a...
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50:39
Chichén Itzá
30 July 2023One of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza is home to monumental pyramids, temples, and is a treasure trove of archaeological...
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37:59
Thermos Flask: A Hot and Cold History
30 July 2023Isn’t it mind-blowing that a thermos flask can keep your drink hot or cold for 8 hours, despite what’s happening in the climate around you? A...
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43:14
Victorian Abortion & Birth Control
28 July 2023We’re connected to the past in more ways than you might think.
For example, the 1861 Offences against the person Act is an abortion...
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34:51
WW2: The Deadliest Blitz?
28 July 2023When you think of the Blitz and the devastation enacted by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, British cities like London or Coventry...
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34:21
England's First Female Sheriff: Nicholaa de la Haye
28 July 2023Nicholaa de la Haye’s strength and tenacity saved England at one of the lowest points in its history.
She remained loyal to King John to...
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44:54
Birth of the US Government: The Constitutional Convention
27 July 2023Beginning with the enduring words, 'We the People of the United States', the US Constitution is the basis of the government and its three distinct...
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50:29
Poseidon: God of the Sea
27 July 2023God of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, Poseidon is one of the most iconic Olympians.
In this episode, host Tristan Hughes is joined by...
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41:54
Tudor Gifts: How to Win Friends and Influence People
27 July 2023How meaningful can a gift - especially of a book - be? In the fickle world of the Tudor court, the strategic gifting of books was a common...
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43:51
Oppenheimer: What If America Never Dropped the Atomic Bomb?
26 July 2023The new Oppenheimer movie has everyone asking questions about the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 - were two bombs necessary? Would the war...
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34:44
The Walkman: The First Intimate Technology
26 July 2023Think about how intimate our relationship with technology is. In today’s day and age, it’s almost impossible to function in the modern world...
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39:01
The Fall of Mussolini
25 July 2023Benito Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator met a gruesome end during the final days of World War II when he and his mistress were executed and...
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25:16
How to Survive Plague and War in the Middle Ages
25 July 2023Throughout history, there have been plenty of hugely destructive, catastrophic moments. And yet somehow the human race managed to live on until...
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41:53
Barbie: Feminist Icon?
25 July 2023Barbie is many things: an astronaut, a robotics engineers, a judge, and now a movie star! But can she be considered a feminist...
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44:24
Warrior Women: Boudicca to Ukrainian Snipers
24 July 2023From Boudicca to Ukrainian snipers, battlefields have always contained a surprising number of women.
Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets...
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31:54
Barbie: German Sex Doll to American Icon
24 July 2023She's an icon, a polymath, a fashionista, and she's absolutely everywhere right now.
Where did Barbie come from? What has she represented to...
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54:28
The Reformation: What Catholics & Protestants Believed
24 July 2023In the sixteenth century, religious beliefs underwent a dramatic change. As differences between the late medieval Roman Catholic Church and the...
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