Interviews
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Reassessing King George III: With Andrew Roberts
Was King George really mad? Could the American Revolution have been avoided? Does the play Hamilton get George III right? To find out Dan Snow spoke to historian Andrew Roberts, biographer of Churchill, Napoleon and now George III.
George III ruled through an extraordinary period of revolutiona...
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Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens with David Mitchell
Who was the worst King and Queen of England? What made a King or Queen successful?
To coincide with the US release of his new book, 'Unruly: A History of England's King and Queens', comedian and author David Mitchell, sits down with historian Dan Snow to explore how England's monarchs, while act...
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The Fall of the Berlin Wall with Rory Maclean
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...
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The Crusades with Dan Jones
The two Dans are back. And this time, they're talking all things crusades. Dan Jones provides his namesake host a thrilling background to the series of holy wars that have come to define Medieval Europe.
If you love Dan Jones, then join him at our book club. He is the History Hit Book Club's aut...
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Secrets of Shakespeare's Stratford - Part 1
In this series, Alice Loxton and Dan Snow head to Stratford-upon-Avon to uncover the secrets of William Shakespeare’s early life and upbringing. Who were Shakespeare’s parents? What was rural Warwickshire like in the 16th century, and how was it changing? What sort of childhood did William have?
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The Real Story Behind Anne Boleyn's Ghost
Get ready for carriages pulled by headless horses, spooky palaces, a weird floating cylinder thing...and a single moment in history that has haunted England, and now Britain's, imagination for hundreds of years.
In this episode of After Dark, Anthony and Maddy talk the ghost of Anne Boleyn, Quee...
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Avi Shlaim on the Balfour Declaration
Avi Shlaim is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at St Antony's College, Oxford. Here he discusses the background and implications of the historic Balfour Declaration of November 1917.
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How To Make Friends and Influence People In Medieval Europe
From grand castles & cathedrals to glowing sonnets and well chosen marriages, Dan is joined by Dr Eleanor Janega to find out how one might get ahead in Medieval Europe.
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Ernest Shackleton: With Ranulph Fiennes
In this fascinating interview, Dan Snow chats to the world's greatest living explorer Ranulph Fiennes about Ernest Shackleton and his heroic expeditions in the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration.
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Tom Holland on the Birth of Islam
Historian Tom Holland shares his fascination at how the events of ancient history can resonate in the modern world. The author of Islam: The Untold Story talks to Dan Snow about the birth of this rich and sophisticated civilisation, tracing its history through the centuries, and its interaction a...
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The Peterloo Massacre with Robert Poole
The Peterloo Massacre was a critical moment in the reform movement at the start of the 19th century. Thousands of people gathered at St Peter's Fields near Manchester to protest for an expansion of the franchise. The local magistrates summoned yeomanry to dispel what they saw as a riot, but as th...
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Amara Thornton on the Lost Reels of Nineveh
Dr Amara Thornton talks Helen Carr through a newly discovered film documenting archaeological excavations at the site of Nineveh.
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The Mayans
In today's episode Dan is joined by David Freidel, often regarded as the real life Indiana Jones, to talk through the history of the Mayans and some of his own discoveries in that area.
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What Killed Alexander the Great?
Alexander the Great forged one of the largest empires of ancient history. But his early death, aged 32, ensured that it came crashing down within decades of his passing. In many ways, the story of this extraordinary conqueror’s early demise is more fascinating than that of his life.
Over the yea...
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Debunking the Myths of the Titanic
At noon on 10 April 1912, crowds gathered at Southampton to watch the maiden voyage of the World's largest ship RMS Titanic. A sleek, modern luxurious liner that was offering a safe and fast crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Titanic was said to be invincible. She cruised down Southampton waters on ...
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Who Owns History?
In the late 1960s, when many in the UK viewed colour television as tacky, art historian Kenneth Clarke was asked to produce a series all about Western Art. Clarke duly delivered on this assignment, creating the series ‘Civilisation’. At a time when there was a genuine belief that the world stood ...
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How The Battle of Britain Was Won
It’s 1940. And the world’s first real air battle is being fought in the skies of the UK. This is the Battle of Britain, in which the Royal Air Force would triumphantly fight off the threat of the German Luftwaffe. Behind the brave pilots and pioneering technology lies an often-forgotten secret we...
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Operation Margin: The Augsburg Raid
In April 1942 the Second World War hung in the balance. Nazi Germany had occupied most of Europe and its seemingly unstoppable armed forces were driving deeper and deeper into Russia and North Africa. To add to Allied worries, German U-Boats were threatening to cut off Britain’s supply lines in t...
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Strategic Bombing in World War Two with Victoria Taylor
Aviation historian Victoria Taylor answers key questions about the air war of World War Two: from the significance of the Dambusters raid to how we should remember "Bomber" Harris.
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Ottoman Empire with Kate Fleet
The region stretching from eastern Europe and sweeping right across into Arabia and the north coast of Africa, was home to one of the most extraordinary empires in history: the Ottoman Empire. Along its routes flowed ideas, goods, disease and death. In existence for 600 years, it also saw the swe...
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Dan Snow's Favourite Historical Movies
In this Easter special episode of History Hit Live on Timeline, Dan Snow takes us through some of his favourite historical movies from the most accurate, to the most technically impressive - and perhaps a couple of guilty pleasures…