History Hit Podcasts

The Tudor World at Hampton Court

The oldest surviving part of Hampton Court Palace is a series of chambers and closets built in the 1520s for Henry VIII's chief advisor and Lord...

Origins of the Inuit

In this instalment of The Ancients we're going north of the Arctic circle to uncover the incredible story of the Thule Inuit. Expanding out from...

The Origins of Halloween

Pumpkins, trick or treating and ghost stories are what we associate with Halloween, but what about turnips, fairies and a fortune-telling cake?...

Inside the Witch Trials: Iceland | The Men Who Burned As Witches

When we think of the witch trials, we often think of women being charged.

Whilst misogyny was at the heart of many of the witch trials, this...

Castles, Kings and Courtly Life

All this month, Matt and Eleanor are ranging across England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland to discover the stories of our greatest...

Execution of Lady Jane Grey

This Tudor's story is intense and tragic. She's known as Lady Jane Grey but we ought to change that to 'Queen Jane'. That's who she was, even...

The Spanish Armada

In July 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail to conquer England. Three weeks later a fierce naval battle foiled the planned invasion. Many myths...

Elections Explained: How FDR Won Four Times

4,322 days. That's how long Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office. Whilst no other US president has served more than two terms, FDR was elected...

The High King Of Ireland

Viking Age Ireland was divided into many rival kingdoms. However, some men could rise to become High King of Ireland. Men like Flann Sinna....

The Great Napoleonic Escape

Lieutenant Charles Hare was a young British naval officer who made an extraordinarily elaborate escape from a French prisoner-of-war camp during...

Ptolemy I: The First Greek Pharaoh

In the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s death his former generals carved out their own kingdoms in the chaos that was the Wars of the...

Castles and the Conquest of Ireland

Ireland has been known as the land of saints and scholars and once was the farthest reach of the known world. But it's also home to one of the...

The Hunt for the Endurance Shipwreck

In 2022 Dan was part of the international expedition that went in search of Shackleton's lost shipwreck Endurance in the Weddell Sea in...

The Battle of Bull Run

On July 21, 1861, Confederate and Union forces met for the first time in full-scale battle at Bull Run Creek, near Manassas, Virginia. By the end...

Henry VIII's Brothers in Armour

Henry VIII loved the spectacle of a tournament to show off. In addition to jousting displays with François I of France, Henry and the Holy Roman...

The Circus Maximus

What was the most popular sporting spectacle in ancient Rome? Gladiator bouts? Beast hunts? It was in fact chariot racing! For centuries the...

Final Days of Anne Boleyn

Today we’re exploring the grim and heroic final days of the Anne Boleyn, the thousand day queen.

We are joined by the one-and-only Dr...

Nefertiti: The Greatest Ancient Egyptian Queen?

Ancient Egyptian rulers, incest, the Nazis and female empowerment, all in one episode! 'But how?' You say. 'What story could possibly bring all of...

Tom Crean: The Unsung Irish Hero of the Antarctic

He was one of the last men to see Antarctic Explorer Robert Scott alive and was Shackleton's right-hand man on the Endurance expedition. So why...

A Stonemason's Secrets

Medieval churches are among our most enduring links with the Middle Ages. But it's not always easy to understand what parts of a church to look...

Inside the Witch Trials: Pendle | The Child Who Condemned Her Family

People in the 17th century were at spiritual war with the devil. 

It was a time of huge upheaval. What became known as the witch...