History Hit Podcasts

Spring-Heeled Jack: Terror of Victorian London

The grimy streets of Victorian London were stalked by a shadowy menace: Spring-Heeled Jack! He had glowing eyes and blue flames came out his...

The Dark Side of Sir Francis Drake

For centuries, Sir Francis Drake has been celebrated as a national hero - the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. But behind the Drake...

Prehistoric Ireland: Newgrange

An astonishing ancient tomb is Ireland's most famous prehistoric monument; Newgrange. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Muiris O’Sullivan, an...

The Death of Hitler

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.

Berlin, April 1945: After nearly 12 years, the "Thousand-Year Reich" is crumbling....

The Truth About Medusa

You could be forgiven for thinking the Greek myth of Medusa has zero relevance to us today. Snake for hair?!

But as you'll hear in today's...

Genghis Khan's Pax Mongolica

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Jeremiah Jenne to explore the incredible impact of the Mongol Empire on medieval history. From Marco Polo's...

Vietnam: The End of the War?

How did the US get out of Vietnam? In this episode, we are diving into how 'peace' was agreed in Paris, and what it really meant for...

The Origins of Scotland Yard

Assassin's Creed Syndicate recreates Scotlland Yard, the famous home of the Metropolitan Police Force, and lets players explore its overcrowded...

Tudors & Their Dogs

What was life like for man's best friend in the court of Henry VIII? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is led by the pawprints of history by Mike Loades...

England's Darkest Folklore

A spectral Black Dog with hellish eyes; a homicidal water spirit who drowns children; a mermaid who takes revenge on a vile cad. Maddy Pelling...

The Dreyfus Affair: The Spy Scandal that Shook France

It started with an inconsequential piece of military intelligence, scrawled on a piece of paper and left in a waste paper basket. But over the...

Jason and the Argonauts

From clashing rocks to golden treasure, Jason and the Argonauts is the ultimate Greek mythological adventure. But what lies behind the legend? And...

The Battle of Crécy

The Battle of Crécy in 1346 saw an outnumbered English army under King Edward III win an unexpected and decisive victory that reshaped the...

History's Worst F*ckboys: Henry VIII

Charismatic, passionate, insatiable - Henry VIII is known across the world as the king who had 6 wives, and a few mistresses on the side. But was...

The Einstein Murders

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.

In August 1944, German soldiers burst into the Florentine villa of Robert Einstein,...

Richard Nixon: Rise from Poverty

To understand Watergate, to understand the fall of Nixon, you need to look first at the rise. How the turbulence of his sky rocketing career left...

The Caribbean, Colonisers & Christianity

What - and who - did Christopher Columbus find when he landed in the Caribbean?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Alice Samson explore the...

The Birth of Indo-European

From the steppes of prehistoric Eurasia to the languages we speak today, the story of Indo-European is one of ancient roots and global impact. But...

Final Days of 'Mad' George III

How did George III die? Was it raving in a straightjacket? Who stayed with him at the end of his long illness? Today we uncover the truth about...

A History of Popes

Popes have shaped the history of the world. The Catholic Church has had a Pope for two thousand years, the first- tradition dictates- was St...

What Happened On A Medieval Wedding Night?

We've been tying the knot for thousands of years in one way or another, but what did a medieval wedding look like?

The church had very...