History Hit Podcasts

HMS Wager: Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

Join Dan as he narrates the harrowing story of the HMS Wager and its crew's descent into mutiny and survival against all odds. Set against the...

Nazis, the CIA & Psychedelics

This is the untold story of how Nazi experiments with psychedelics influenced CIA research and the War on Drugs. From covert mind control programs...

How to Survive in Babylonia

Would you be able to survive in ancient Babylonia?

In this episode, Tristan is joined once again by Amanda Podany from California State...

Viking Royalty: Nicknames, Love Poems & Victorian Myths

We think we know the Vikings, but how well do we really know them?

From the insignia we think they wear, to the names they call themselves...

The Dynasty that Made Medieval France

From Hugh Capet to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Capetian dynasty considered itself divinely chosen to fulfil a great destiny. From an insecure...

NATO: 75 Years Deterring Armageddon

It comprises more than half of the world's defence spending, but what is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation? How has the United States...

Wars of Religion: A Woman's Fight for Justice

At the end of the French Wars of Religion, a widow Renée Chevalier instigated the prosecution of a military captain who had committed multiple...

The Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most iconic monuments from ancient history. 73 meters in length and 20 meters high, the huge limestone...

Jack the Ripper

What is it about this case that holds the imagination after all these years? When did that fascination with it begin? How early on did the myths...

The Mary Celeste: Ghost Ship

In 1872 the ghost ship Mary Celeste is found sailing across the Atlantic without a single crew member left onboard. Theories over what happened on...

Rise of Northumbria

In a time of in-fighting and tribal warfare, what did it take to form the politically dominant, culturally rich and geographically vast kingdoms...

History of Sh*t: Aztec Poo Goblins to Viking Turds

Of all the taboo topics covered on Betwixt the Sheets, this one might make you wince the most.

But it cannot be denied that poo and our...

Kensington Palace: Serving the Royal Court

Kensington Palace was the centre of court life in 18th-century Britain. It was the principal London residence for the Royals, as well as a lavish...

The Real Great Gatsby

A wealthy man in his early 30s. An army man. A German immigrant. A bootlegger. A lover. Who was Jay Gatsby? And if he was based on a real person,...

Medieval Mass Murdering Monk: Malmesbury Abbey

Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire was an institution of national significance from the late seventh century until the dissolution of the monasteries...

Martin Luther

A controversial figure during his lifetime, Martin Luther set in motion a revolution that split Christianity in the West and left an indelible...

George Washington

As Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, George Washington was a central feature of the American Revolutionary War. He was also the first...

Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Prefect of Judea during the reign of Emperor Tiberius and is most famous for condemning Jesus of Nazareth to death by...

The Amelia Earhart Mystery Solved?

What happened to the pioneering pilot, Amelia Earhart? In 1937, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe by aircraft, Earhart and her...

Scandalous Sex Lives of Royalty

We've been fascinated by royalty for hundreds of years, but what do we know about their sex lives? Quite a lot, it turns out.

Today we're...

What is a Pilgrimage?

In medieval times, Britain was criss-crossed by pilgrim routes, that took in such world-famous sites as Canterbury and Lindisfarne as well as...