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
44:24
The War of 1812
15 December 2022In the early 19th century, amidst the Napoleonic wars, the British began restricting the United States’ trade with Europe. On top of this, the...
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50:57
Filth, Noise & Stench in England
15 December 2022In English cities of the 17th century, there was plenty to offend the eyes, ears, nose, taste buds, and skin of inhabitants. Residents were...
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42:42
Hammurabi: Rise of the Babylonians
15 December 20222000 BC saw the famed city of Babylon begin to flourish under the rule of a King called Hammurabi. Renowned for his famous law code, the stele of...
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28:47
'My Grandfather, the Wehrmacht General in Russia'
15 December 2022Angela Findlay was determined to find out if her grandfather, Karl von Graffen, was a Nazi and what he did on the Eastern front. An artist and...
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30:36
Tupperware
14 December 2022Today it’s a Tupperware party and you’re all invited! Tupperware epitomises the post-war suburban dream. But pop open the lid and peep inside...
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27:41
Tattoos
14 December 2022There are many common misconceptions and misunderstandings about Tattoos. They can act as a window into the social economic and cultural issues of...
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37:40
Trash
13 December 2022From reality television to theatre productions to foreign goods, the word trash has a long history of being used to deride things that are thought...
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29:15
Battle of Maldon
13 December 2022Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about a fragment of Old English poetry that depicts one of the defining conflicts of 10th century England - the...
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34:04
Modern Medicine
13 December 2022The American Civil War saw a transformation in medical provision on the battlefield. A loose grouping of medical practitioners was reshaped into a...
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40:05
The Assassination of President McKinley
12 December 2022On 5th September, 1901, President William McKinley attended a public reception at the Pan American Exposition, a 6-month-long World’s Fair, in...
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24:07
World Wars & World Cups
12 December 2022An accusation that has dogged the Qatar World Cup throughout the tournament is that of ‘sportswashing’. You’ve probably seen it in an...
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42:01
The First Printed English Bible
12 December 2022England was the only European country that completely banned translating the Bible. The dissident Lollards had produced one after the death of...
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37:00
Stalingrad
12 December 2022The Battle of Stalingrad was the deadliest battle of the Second World War, and one of the bloodiest in the history of warfare. Infamous for its...
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24:57
Emojis 😊💩🍆
11 December 2022The hieroglyphs seem to hold a lot of secrets about Ancient Egyptians. What do emojis say about us? What on earth is their story?
Emojis...
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45:49
Hera: Queen of the Gods
11 December 2022Hera, the wife and sister of Zeus, goddess of marriage, royalty and women, is the Queen of the Gods in Greek mythology.
Despite her seat of...
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30:05
Origins of Carols
10 December 2022The Christmas carols we sing each year share roots in medieval church music. But as Matt Lewis finds out in this episode, carols were not just for...
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49:31
Rochester: The Restoration's Filthiest Poet with Neil Gaiman
9 December 2022He kidnapped his wife and got locked up in the Tower of London. He slept around King Charles II’s court, and drunk to excess for years before...
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40:22
The Spies Who Built the CIA
9 December 2022The CIA is one of the most well-known and powerful government organisations across the globe. But who's responsible for its creation, and why have...
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58:09
The Last Dambuster: Johnny Johnson
9 December 2022Of all the air raids carried out during World War Two, none are as enduringly famous as the attack by Lancaster Bombers against the dams of...
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35:30
Pearl Harbor
8 December 2022On the morning of 7th December 1941, hundreds of Japanese planes took off from aircraft carriers and attacked Pearl Harbor, on Oahu island,...
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38:07
Carausius: The Pirate King
8 December 2022With ancient Rome often being viewed as a mighty, impenetrable empire - it seems unlikely that one man, let alone a pirate, could ever bring this...
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