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
42:15
Roanoke: The Lost English Colony
8 May 2023When it was founded in 1585, Roanoke was intended to be the first permanent English outpost in America. So how did it become the 'lost...
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51:48
Louis XIV and his Mistresses
8 May 2023Louis XIV ruled France for more than 72 years, the longest recorded reign of any monarch of any sovereign country in history. Despite the...
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52:20
Duke of Wellington
8 May 2023Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was a soldier, statesman, and prominent political figure who served the United Kingdom twice as Prime...
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49:29
Knossos
7 May 2023The legend of the Minotaur and its labyrinth has captivated us for centuries, but is there any evidence of it really existing?
In this...
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44:56
Alexander The Great's Sex Life
7 May 2023This episode contains references and words of a sexual nature.
Did Alexander the Great and the Queen of the Amazons really have sex for 13...
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29:23
Horses
7 May 2023In this story, the cart really does come before the horse. Horse transport doesn't begin with people riding around on horses' backs. It starts...
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22:47
Charles III Coronation: Security & Threats
5 May 2023The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be an event attended by thousands, including heads of state, dignitaries, and members of...
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26:30
How The Weather Shaped Medieval North America
5 May 2023One of the most consequential eras in North American history was the Medieval Warm Period of 800-1300 CE, when the continent was shaped by climate...
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36:06
Coronation Fashion: Crowns, Orbs & Pubic Wigs
5 May 2023From significantly sized cod-pieces to revenge dresses, the Royal family have used clothes to send a message to the public for centuries, and a...
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38:21
The King & FDR: The Birth of the Special Relationship
4 May 2023In 1939, on the invitation of Franklin D. Roosevelt, King George VI became the first reigning British monarch to set foot on American...
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50:16
King Midas
4 May 2023As Shirley Bassey once said, "He's the man. The man with the Midas touch." But who was the man that's inspired stories from Greek myths to Bond...
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34:17
Coronations of Charles I and Charles II
4 May 2023What could be more topical this week than looking back at the coronations of the first two Kings Charles. Charles I’s reign is best remembered...
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27:25
Tocqueville: The Search for Liberty, Equality & Democracy
3 May 2023In 1831, the French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville left the troubled continent of Europe and set sail for America. Travelling in the shadow of...
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31:04
First King of England
3 May 2023Who was the first King of England? Who invented a place called 'England' anyway? And what on earth are the 'bracelets of sincerity'?
With...
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46:25
Lord Byron: Incest, Adultery & Daddy Issues
2 May 2023*WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*
How debaucherous do you have to be to be remembered as the original bad boy? How...
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39:57
Saxon Origins of London
2 May 2023From ghost town to ceremonial, ecclesiastical and economic hub - how did London develop in the Saxon era, and how is that crucial to what London...
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47:42
Incest
2 May 2023Incest. It’s not the lightest topic of conversation, we wouldn’t recommend bringing it up as an icebreaker on a date, or when you’re trying...
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31:55
J.R.R. Tolkien and the First World War
1 May 2023J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is perhaps the most captivating fantasy world ever created. His mythology and folklore continues to influence the...
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20:17
Battle of Amiens
1 May 2023In August 1918, the battle of Amiens brought the German army's 'black day' and the beginning of the end of the First World War.
But what...
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51:10
Lady Jane Grey
1 May 2023On a cold February morning in 1554, Lady Jane Grey was beheaded for high treason. Named by King Edward VI as his successor, Queen Jane had reigned...
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35:27
WW2 Tanks with James Holland
1 May 2023Anything that James Holland doesn't know about tanks isn't worth knowing. And in this episode from the archives, the greats are warring against...
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