Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
42. The Wild West
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Podcasting’s answer to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - that’s Tom Holland and Dominic Sandb...
41. Persia
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is one of the truly great civilisations in world history and yet the story of Persia has faded fr...
40. History as Entertainment
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From re-enactment to reinforcing capitalism through the board game Monopoly. Dominic Sandbrook and T...
39. Elizabeth I
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
She famously claimed to have the heart and stomach of a king and remains one of Britain’s most tal...
38. Communism
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It was one of the great political ideologies of the 20th century, vying with capitalism for supremac...
37. Spies, with Ben MacIntyre
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
History is littered with stories of espionage and its capacity to change the course of events. But d...
36. Our Greatest Prime Minister
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our last episode we debated the merits of British Prime Ministers through the centuries. But who ...
35. The Prime Ministers’ World Cup
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who is the greatest British Prime Minister of them all? The bookmakers have Winston Churchill favour...
34. St Cuthbert’s Day
20 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
March 20th marks the annual Feast day of the Northumbrian Saint Cuthbert. But why should we care abo...
33. The Beautiful Game
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It has been described as the most universal cultural mode there has ever been, but is football a wor...
32. What if?
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Counterfactuals are the great what ifs of history. Imagine the Nazis winning World War 2, or the Rom...
31. The Second Reich
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It emerged from the Prussian victory over France in 1870 and was destroyed by the First World War le...
30. A Royal Row
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the British monarchy under intense scrutiny following an interview with Harry and Meghan conduc...
29. Americanisation
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Has America taken over the world? Did the dollar and Hollywood enable the US to replace the British ...
28. The Kings of Comedy
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Al Murray joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of comedy as well ...
27. Tutankhamun
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook ask why Tutankhamun remains the best known of the Egyptian pharaoh...
26. Witches
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Suzannah Lipscomb joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of witches and witc...
25. Empires
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is the age of empires over? And are they always a bad thing? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explo...
24. Sex in the City
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you wanted to know about sex in the 18th and 19th Century but were afraid to ask. Hallie ...
23. The 90s
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ecstasy, emails and economic stability. Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland discuss the 1990s, a decad...
22. Weird Wars
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Rest is History brings you the top ten strangest conflicts of all time. Obscure, little-known, d...
21. The History of the Future
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is history’s take on the future? Oracles, prophecies, apocalypse, scientific projection. Tom ...
20. China
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the world’...
19. King Arthur
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It remains the most romantic historical story of all time, but is the legend of King Arthur a myth? ...
18. The North South Divide
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
England has long been divided by an invisible line somewhere north of Watford and south of the Merse...
17. Fascism
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is fascism and where did it come from? No one admits to being a fascist yet it continues to be...
16. Pompeii
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pompeii Why does Pompeii continue to hold such a fascination for so many people? And which secrets ...
15. Walls and Borders
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From the Great Wall of China to the Berlin Wall, history is littered with the building of barriers a...
14. Historical Fiction
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is the author’s responsibility to the quality of the novel or the truth of history? What makes a g...
13. Stephen Fry and Troy
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Fry is our guest on The Rest is History as he tells Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook about ...
12. Conspiracy Theories
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
History is littered with conspiracy theories, from Popish plots to JFK’s assassination. But what m...
11. Brexit
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As Britain leaves the EU, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook look at the best & worst comparisons fro...
10. Christmas
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is Christmas an ancient ritual or was it invented by Dickens? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland disc...
9. Causes of the First World War
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whose fault was it? Does the question even make sense? Are wars always somebody's "fault"? Was it re...
8. The Echo of a Coffee House
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Social media has colonised the world but is it really a new phenomenon? Tom Holland and Dominic Sand...
7. The Lessons of History
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Can we truly learn from history? And if we can - do we? It’s one of the big questions this week as...
6. Troy
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been described as the most legendary story ever told. But did the Trojan War actually happen?...
5. 1981
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a new series of The Crown arrives on Netflix, returning viewers to the 1980s, we look back at the...
4. We’re all so 17th Century
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Plague, pestilence and statue smashing are back in business. Has 2020 turned out to be the 17th Cent...
3. Is Trump Caesar or Nixon?
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded hours after Joe Biden was named President of the United States, we ask if Donald Trump is a...
2. Civil War
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are the conditions needed for a civil war to start? Could we see a modern industrial nation tur...
1. Greatness
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did certain people come to be called ‘the Great’? Is the notion of great men and women outmo...
Trailer
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are interrogating the past, attempting to de-tangle...