History Hit Podcasts

Christopher Marlowe: A Dangerous Life

Was Christopher Marlowe a rebel, a genius, or a heretic ahead of his time? From his plays that shocked Elizabethan England to his brutal murder,...

Alfred the Great's Downfall: The Battle of Chippenham

Among the many cool characters from the Viking Age that are brought to life in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is Alfred the Great. Before his...

Inside the Victorian Asylum

One of the dark symbols of the Victorian age is the asylum. It struck fear into the mind but what was the reality of life inside its walls? Maddy...

The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Taliban

The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 shocked the world. But, it was not an abrupt collapse — it was decades in the making. Lyse Doucet...

Rise of Christianity

How did a persecuted minority religion rise to be embraced and enforced by mighty Roman Emperors?

Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor...

The Kingdom of Mercia

Once the powerhouse of the Anglo-Saxon world, the kingdom of Mercia dominated not just Wessex but nearly all its neighbouring realms. At its...

How Filthy Were The Romans?

Some of the key remnants of the Roman Empire are their public baths - huge complexes, multiple different rooms, the basis of many of our modern...

How Dangerous Was The Oregon Trail?

From the 1830s until the arrival of the transcontinental railroad, hundreds of thousands of people packed their possessions into wagons and headed...

The Truth About the Conjuring's Ghost Hunters

Ghost hunting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren transformed twentieth century America into an enchanted land dotted with haunted houses, cursed...

Enchanted Realms: Fairies in the 16th Century

In the early modern period, belief in fairies was quite commonplace. But put all thoughts of Tinkerbell aside! Professor Suzannah...

The First Life on Earth

Today we’re going back to the beginning – no Romans, Celts, Egyptians or Macedonians in sight. Billions of years of prehistory as we look at...

How Did Ancient Romans become Christians?

Around 50 CE, a small group of travellers began to preach that a Jewish man, crucified by the Romans, had risen from the dead. Teaching love,...

Medieval Europe's Most Evil Monarch

Who was the worst Medieval monarch?

Dr. Eleanor Janega teams up with the hosts of our sister podcast After Dark to delve into the lives of...

How Sexy Was Shakespeare?

There's a bit of interest around Shakespeare at the minute - can we call this the Paul Mescal effect?

The Bard’s work featured many...

How Much Power Does the President Have?

Ever since independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much,...

Banshees: Herald of Death

Today we're delving back into the After Dark vaults to revisit our episode on Banshees...

Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls) joins Anthony...

The First Europeans In Japan

When Portuguese merchants ran aground on the Japanese isle of Tanegashima in 1543, two worlds collided - Europeans encountered Japan for the first...

The Secrets Hidden In Tudor Art

Why are diamonds black, and how does a triangle show power in Tudor portraits? From Henry VII’s shrewd statecraft to the glittering reign of...

What was the Hanseatic League?

The Hanseatic League was a medieval trading network that stretched across Northern Europe. Formed in Northern Germany in the 12th century, it was...

The Ice Age

Think of the Ice Age and tales of ferocious sabre-toothed tigers and giant megafauna likely spring to mind - but what do we know about prehistoric...

How Hot Was Lord Byron?

How 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' was Lord Byron really?

We know the Romantic poet had a bit of a reputation, but how true was it? And...