History Hit Podcasts

Origins of Pantomime

Have you ever wondered how and where our Christmas tradition of pantomime originated? 

In this edition of Not Just the Tudors,...

Richard I's Consort: Berengaria of Navarre

Berengaria of Navarre is mainly remembered for just one thing: being a Queen of England who never set foot in England, at least not as...

The Boston Tea Party

On December 16th, 1773, a band of American patriots quietly boarded three ships in Boston Harbour, under the cover of night. Armed with axes and...

Why Do People Kill at Christmas?

 Why do people kill in the season of goodwill? Why are we fascinated when they do? And what does it say about us?

Professor David...

Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most famous figures in history. Believed to be the Son of God in Christianity, he is the central figure in one of...

Sara Forbes Bonetta: Queen Victoria's African God-Daughter

By the age of just 7, Sara Forbes Bonetta had survived a West African war, lost her parents, been enslaved and finally, exchanged as a gift for a...

The Boston Tea Party Explained

On December 16th 1773, Bostonian colonists took a stand against the British Crown in the Boston Tea Party.

In this episode, we dive deep...

5 Medieval Christmas Traditions

In this episode of Gone Medieval, our co-hosts Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis get together to revive some of the Christmas traditions that were...

JFK Special 5. | The Kennedy Curse

What was it about the Kennedy's that attracted so much tragedy, that many believed them to be cursed?

From plane disasters in World War 2,...

How the Reformation Changed Music

The Coventry Carol and In Dulci Jubilo are songs that are still sung at this time of the year.  Curiously, despite their medieval roots,...

Who was Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tahir?

As the chaos of Samarra spreads to Baghdad, the Caliph al Ma'mun leaves the old capital in the hands of the trusted Tahrid family. Muhammad ibn...

King Herod

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual behaviour which may not be suitable for children.

Appointed by the Romans as...

Ghost That Solved Its Own Murder: Red Barn Murder

The Red Barn Murder in 1827 was ground zero for true crime podcasts. It become one of the first cases to explode in the media and caused a...

The Spartan Warrior

One of the most famed classes of soldiers from antiquity, the Spartan warrior has been immortalised in media today. Characterised as super...

The Invention of Heterosexuality

Sexuality is a funny thing. It's a social construct just as much as, say, virginity is.

We use words like heterosexuality and homosexuality...

Vikings in Medieval Baghdad

In the ninth century, the Vikings earned a fearsome reputation by wreaking chaos on the coasts of western Europe. But what is perhaps less well...

Demeter with Natalie Haynes

Demeter is the Goddess of the Harvest and Agriculture in Ancient Greek mythology.

Mother of Persephone, and daughter of Kronos and Rhea,...

The Tudors' Portrait Artist: Holbein

How we visualise the Tudors largely comes from their portraits painted by Hans Holbein the Younger.  Between 1526 and 1543, he captured the...

The Ghost of Anne Boleyn

We talk the ghost of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England before Henry VIII chopped off her head, with the marvellous Tracy Borman.

Where can Anne...

Mother Shipton: Tudor Prophetess of England's Doom

Did a Tudor prophetess correctly predict the English Civil War, the Crimean War, the sinking of the Titanic, World War One and the end of days?...

President John Tyler: The 'Accidental' President

He may have been the tenth President, but John Tyler - 'His Accidency' - was a pioneer in many ways.

Tyler was the first Vice President to...