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
47:21
The Real Joan of Arc
13 August 2024How did a peasant girl go on to lead French armies at the age of 17? How did her visions of saving France from the English play a part in her...
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45:34
The Real Cleopatra
13 August 2024Cleopatra. One of the most famous people from history, and remembered for her beauty, power and scandalous love affairs. But how accurate is her...
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41:22
President Theodore Roosevelt
12 August 2024What kind of a nickname is Bull Moose? How progressive was Theodore Roosevelt's presidency? And how does his legacy live on?
Don is joined...
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32:39
China's First Tourists: Travel Writers in the Ming Dynasty
12 August 2024Around the same time as the Mayflower was landing at Cape Cod, on the other side of the world tourism was thriving in China, giving rise to a...
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45:17
"The Elephant Man": Joseph Merrick's True Story
12 August 2024The life of Joseph Merrick, the man they dared to call "The Elephant Man", will fill you with pain and anger. He was treated so cruelly by society...
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37:19
The Rise of Roman Britain
11 August 2024On August 26th, 55 BC, Julius Caesar and his legionaries waded ashore just north of the White Cliffs of Dover. Right there in the surf, they were...
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52:17
Mycenae: Cradle of Bronze Age Greece
11 August 2024Overlooking the Argolid Plain in the eastern Peloponnese, Mycenae was once the envy of the Mediterranean world. It rose to prominence in the late...
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33:51
The Curious History of Beds
9 August 2024Sex and beds have a long, interwoven history. Here on Betwixt we often cover sex history, but we haven’t done a deep dive into the history of...
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35:48
Antisemitism in Medieval Europe
9 August 2024Christians had a problematic relationship with Jewish populations as the Medieval period progressed. Jews were frequently persecuted, targeted...
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41:24
The Bronze Age Collapse
8 August 2024Around 3,200 years ago, a vast, interconnected civilisation suddenly collapsed. A 'perfect storm' of climate catastrophe, famine, drought and...
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59:29
Lawrence of Arabia
8 August 2024The famed British officer who fought alongside Arab guerrilla forces in WW1. Best known for his legendary exploits as an intelligence officer in...
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28:24
The Scottish Island, The Shipwreck and The Whisky
8 August 2024In 1941, the SS Politician ran aground off Eriskay in the Scottish Hebrides Islands, carrying 260,000 bottles of whisky. As war rationing gripped...
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45:34
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
8 August 2024"Speak softly and carry a big stick."
The youngest President ever, Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, uncle to Eleanor...
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54:44
Commodus: The Gladiator Emperor
8 August 2024Known as one of Rome's worst emperors, Commodus is famed for both his infamy and bravado. Ascending the throne as a teenager, he dressed up as...
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40:13
Rise of the Medici
8 August 2024The House of Medici ruthlessly wielded control of Florence for nearly 300 years. Through financial and political machinations, they transformed...
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36:18
American Serial Killer Family: Bloody Benders
8 August 2024When a series of mysterious disappearances and gruesome murders happened on the American Frontier in the 19th century, fingers started to point in...
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37:27
The Falaise Pocket: WWII's 'Corridor of Death'
6 August 2024The D-Day landings were just the first step in the liberation of France. They were followed by two months of vicious fighting for control of the...
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50:56
The Real Anne Boleyn: Sex, Scandal & Betrayal
6 August 2024Anne Boleyn was smart, sophisticated and had SO much charisma.
She kept Henry VIII waiting for SEVEN YEARS before they finally got together,...
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43:06
The Normans in Italy: From Pilgrims to Conquerors
6 August 2024Say Norman Conquests; think 1066 and William the Conqueror. But the massive success of the English conquest often overshadows the several other...
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47:23
Hellfire Club: Scandal & Satanism in Georgian England
5 August 2024Sex, Satanism and Scandal surrounded the Hellfire Club that operated out of a network of caves in the country estate of 18th century aristocrat...
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50:58
Origins of Political Campaigns: Publicity Stunts & Fake News
5 August 2024How do our politicians use the media? Throughout the 2024 election we have seen a boom in the use of social media and cable news, so how far back...
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