Claudio Saunt joined me on the podcast to discuss the United States' expulsion of Native Americans from the East to territories west of the Mississippi River. Justified as a humanitarian enterprise, the undertaking was to be systematic and rational, overseen by Washington’s small but growing bure...

Dan talks to Military Historian and True Crime author Duncan McNab about the extremes of humanity.

Dan talks to Squadron Leader Kevin O'Brien and Brigadier David Chaundler about Airdrop Ursula, which took David from a desk in Whitehall to the Falkland Islands in a matter of hours. In the first half of this very-special podcast, we hear the background to the operation. Image credit: Griffiths91...

Dan talks to David Chaundler about the events of the Falklands War, from the Battle of Goose Green to the end of the conflict.

80 years ago this week, one of the most extraordinary evacuations in military history was under way: 'The Miracle of Dunkirk'. But how, and why, did the Allies find themselves in such a dire position? On this podcast, I was joined by one of the great historians of the Second World War, Peter Cadd...

On December 9th 1917, General Allenby took Jerusalem. Dan discusses the anniversary with Juliette Desplat from the the National Archives at Kew.

November 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the meeting of Hernan Cortes and Aztec ruler Montezuma at the gates of the magnificent Aztec capital at Tenochitlan, now Mexico City. Caroline Dodds Pennock is a specialist in the Aztecs. She takes Dan on a whirlwind tour through the events of that ext...

9 November 1989 was one of the most significant dates in 20th century history. The Berlin Wall fell, changing the entire geopolitical situation and marking the start of the decline of Russia's world standing. Author Rory MacLean was present when the Wall fell, and he talks about the jubilation of...

Ben Monro-Davies is a journalist who has interviewed all the surviving participants of the cabinet meeting in which Margaret Thatcher announced her decision to resign. He and Dan listen to the recordings, and chat about their significance, and the way Mrs Thatcher and others responded to her fall...

James Boyce joins me on the pod to discuss the indigenous population of the Fens of eastern England. Between the English Civil Wars and the mid-Victorian period, the Fens fought to preserve their homeland against an expanding empire. After centuries of resistance, their culture and community were...

500 years ago this week marked the start of one of the most extraordinary diplomatic gatherings in history: The Field of the Cloth of Gold. In 1520, England and France - traditionally bitter rivals - sought to bring conflict to an end in a magnificent show of opulence and pageantry. Henry VIII of...

Dan talks to aviation historian Ian Castle about the First Blitz, an effort to kick Britain out of a world war.

Dan and Dr Prashant Kidambi talk about the dominance of Indian cricket team over recent years, as well as its humble origins. They discuss the relationship between cricket and the empire, as well as sport's role as a potent nationalistic force. Dr Prashant Kidambi is an Associate Professor in Col...

George. Where did it all go wrong? George Washington could have had a comfortable career as a loyal member of HIs Majesty's Virginia militia and colonial grandee. But no, he had to go and roll the dice. I am thrilled in this episode to be talking to historian Alexis Coe about her new biography of...

Sarah Churchwell and Kathryn Gray joined me on the podcast to discuss the first Thanksgiving of 1621. They critique mythologies of Thanksgiving that have arisen from 19th century ideologues, to Reagan, to the present day, and reframe settler colonial narratives.

Tim Cook joined me on the pod to discuss how Canadian contributions are frequently overlooked or diminished in discussions of the War. Most major war histories are written by British or American authors, who give little credit to the Canadians as a separate fighting force.

David Andress delves into the French Revolution, explaining its causes, its outcomes, and how we should look at its historical legacy.

Sarah Parcak talks to Dan about how advances in technology have enabled us to discover far more historical sites than we believed ever existed. She talks about drones and satellites and how they can read topography and vegetation to give us all new pictures of the world beneath our feet, and disc...

Chris Bryant joined me on the podcast to tell the story of the gay British politicians who were among the very first to warn Britain about the danger of Hitler’s rise to power and the most vocal in demanding an end to the government’s policy of appeasement.

The Covid crisis has seen a huge deployment of UK armed forces personnel to assist the civilian government. Named Operation RESCRIPT it has seen soldiers, sailors and aviators fulfil a wide range of tasks. I wanted to get a sense of the different challenges that the forces face when operating on ...

Was The Great Escape as great as its name suggests? Guy Walters thinks otherwise, and argues that the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III actually helped the German war effort. Dan chats to him to find out more.

Charles Read joined me on the podcast to discuss the economic and political causes of the Great Famine. We discuss the British government’s economic policies that transferred responsibility onto Irish taxpayers. Within four years, 25% of Irish people died or emigrated.

Rebecca Rideal is an author, editor of History Vault, and a PhD candidate. Here she discusses the Great Fire of London, the subject of her book '1666: Plague, War and Hellfire'.

Dan talks to Cat Jarman, a scientist who has worked to establish whether the bones in the charnel house at Repton are those of Ivar the Boneless' Great Heathen Army.