History Hit Podcasts

Boudica's Tribe: How the Iceni Survived the Romans

Join us for a special episode of The Ancients, recorded on-site in Norfolk, as we delve into the fascinating history of the Iceni tribe both...

Prophet Muhammad

Matt Lewis is joined by Dr. John Tolan to explore the profound impact of the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. Who was...

How To Fake Virginity

Why, just why, would one put a leech up their .. you know where? It's all in the name of virginity, or the faking of it.

Kate is joined by...

Elizabeth I: Evil or Genius?

Elizabeth I is often celebrated as one of the greatest English monarchs - but should she be? From her commanding portraits and grand speeches to...

What If George Washington Became King?

‘No occurrence in the course of the war has given me more painful sensations.' This was George Washington's response when the idea of his...

Bog Bodies

What lurks under the surface of the dense black peat pits strewn across northern Europe? Bog bodies, naturally mummified humans, have fascinated...

When Europe met Islam

In the Early Modern period the boundaries between Christian and Islamic civilisations were far more porous than we imagine: Isaac Newton’s...

Witches of Cornwall

From the spookiest corner of the British isles, comes two stories of witches. Stories of fairies and magical powers, of skeletons and haunted...

How to Survive in Renaissance England

Quacks, wise women, barber surgeons and private madhouses - just some of the options available if you were to find yourself in ill health in the...

Inside Concentration Camp Brothels

Even among Holocaust researchers, this subject is taboo. Starting in 1942, the Nazis set up brothels inside some of the camps, not for the guards,...

St. Catherine & Autumnal Saints

**This episode contains graphic references to genitalia**

Did you know that the Catherine Wheel firework takes its inspiration from St....

What if the Cuban Missile Crisis Sparked WW3?

On October 22 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced that Soviet missiles has been discovered in Cuba. Over the following days, the fate of the...

Revolutionary Paris In Assassin's Creed Unity

Assassin’s Creed Unity offers a stunning recreation of 18th century Paris, which in modern times is the home of Ubisoft. How did this setting...

How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England

In 16th and 17th century England, the plague and pox, disease and injury were a daily presence. At at time when medicine was a complex interplay...

Britain's Coldest Murder Case

Eugene Aram was an 18th century schoolmaster who got away with murder for fourteen years. Then a skeleton was unearthed and a case that had been...

Richard II vs Henry IV

Today, we dive into the dramatic tale of two men whose rivalry changed the course of English history. We unravel the complex relationship between...

Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher Emperor

He's known as Rome’s philosopher-emperor and faced plague, rebellion and war in the East. Yet Marcus Aurelius ruled with a pen as much as a...

Ragnarok & The End of the World

It's time. Winter has come, and the giant wolf has swallowed the sun.

Today, Matt Lewis holds our hand as we experience the end of the...

Wife-Swapping Magician of the Tudor Court

The 16th century was a dangerous time to be talking about magic and hidden forces, so how did John Dee end up being invited into Elizabeth I's...

How Did the Industrial Revolution Change the World?

Was the Industrial Revolution the most important event in human history? Dan is joined by economist and journalist Duncan Weldon to explore why...

What If There Were No CIA?

The Agency. The Company. Langley.

Without the Central Intelligence Agency, would we talk about conspiracy theories as much as we do? Who...