History Podcasts | History Hit

 

 

History Hit 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

31:20

The Real SAS Rogue Heroes

19 December 2022

The Special Air Service, more colloquially known as the SAS, was the creation of Officer David Stirling during the Second World War. Located in...

Listen Now
59:34

Tudor Christmas Carols

19 December 2022

A Tudor Christmas would have probably featured as much singing as we have today, if not more, and surprisingly many of the carols would have been...

Listen Now
27:20

Who Was Jesus, The Man?

19 December 2022

Followed by billions and worshipped across the planet, Jesus is the most famous person who ever lived. Jesus Christ is revered as a prophet and...

Listen Now
27:53

Monopoly

18 December 2022

There’s so many versions of Monopoly these days. Which one is the original? London? No. Atlantic City? Uh uh. The original had property names...

Listen Now
35:16

The Rise and Fall of Crassus

18 December 2022

Often overshadowed by his more successful peers (anyone heard of Julius Caesar?), Crassus' rise and fall from power is that of legend. A Roman...

Listen Now
41:55

Finding Richard III

17 December 2022

In recent weeks, cinema audiences have been enjoying The Lost King, which tells the story of the efforts of amateur historian Philippa Langley to...

Listen Now
50:38

CIA & the Nazis

16 December 2022

The Cold War saw an era of heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union - double agents, clashing political ideologies, and...

Listen Now
45:03

Alexander the Great's Sex Life

16 December 2022

Did Alexander the Great and the Queen of the Amazons really have sex for 13 days solid? What do we know about his male lovers? And how did his sex...

Listen Now
23:44

Germany's Extreme Monarchists

16 December 2022

Last week a celebrity chef, former police officers and serving army officers were arrested in Germany as part of an extremist coup to overthrow...

Listen Now
44:24

The War of 1812

15 December 2022

In the early 19th century, amidst the Napoleonic wars, the British began restricting the United States’ trade with Europe. On top of this, the...

Listen Now
50:57

Filth, Noise & Stench in England

15 December 2022

In English cities of the 17th century, there was plenty to offend the eyes, ears, nose, taste buds, and skin of inhabitants. Residents were...

Listen Now
42:42

Hammurabi: Rise of the Babylonians

15 December 2022

2000 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...

Listen Now
28:47

'My Grandfather, the Wehrmacht General in Russia'

15 December 2022

Angela 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...

Listen Now
30:36

Tupperware

14 December 2022

Today 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...

Listen Now
27:41

Tattoos

14 December 2022

There are many common misconceptions and misunderstandings about Tattoos. They can act as a window into the social economic and cultural issues of...

Listen Now
37:40

Trash

13 December 2022

From reality television to theatre productions to foreign goods, the word trash has a long history of being used to deride things that are thought...

Listen Now
29:15

Battle of Maldon

13 December 2022

Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about a fragment of Old English poetry that depicts one of the defining conflicts of 10th century England - the...

Listen Now
34:04

Modern Medicine

13 December 2022

The American Civil War saw a transformation in medical provision on the battlefield. A loose grouping of medical practitioners was reshaped into a...

Listen Now
40:05

The Assassination of President McKinley

12 December 2022

On 5th September, 1901, President William McKinley attended a public reception at the Pan American Exposition, a 6-month-long World’s Fair, in...

Listen Now
24:07

World Wars & World Cups

12 December 2022

An accusation that has dogged the Qatar World Cup throughout the tournament is that of ‘sportswashing’. You’ve probably seen it in an...

Listen Now
42:01

The First Printed English Bible

12 December 2022

England was the only European country that completely banned translating the Bible. The dissident Lollards had produced one after the death of...

Listen Now