The best history podcasts of all time

If tales of the past are your bag, the podcast has proven to be a fine platform for both historical deep dives and retrospective digestible nibbles.

“There is, let’s be honest, a lot of history out there,” said Time Out, and podcast explorations of it can be “perfect road trip fodder, to say the least”.

Podcasts are “making brushing up on history topics easier and more entertaining than ever”, said Real Simple, “often revealing new facts and prompting new ways of thinking along the way”.

The Rest is History

This series sees historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook “interrogating the past, and attempting to de-tangle the present”, said the team. They’re “distilling the entirety of human history, or, as much as they can fit into about fifty minutes”, they added.

The series is “breathtaking in its scope”, said The New Statesman, as it teaches us about “Pompeii, Vladimir Putin and ‘killer fashion’, including flammable tutus”. It blends “serious historical inquiry with contemporary culture”, according to GQ.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

This sporadically released series discusses historical events such as the Cold War, Adolf Hitler and the First World War in a “theatre of the mind” style.

“If you plan to dedicate any time at all to the history genre, you would be negligent not to start here,” said WhatPods. Meanwhile, Slate magazine ranked the “Ghosts of the Ostfront” episode from 2009 the fifth-best podcast episode of all time, lauding Carlin as a “wide-eyed, colourful guide”.

You’re Dead To Me

Greg Jenner, of Horrible Histories fame, takes the fun of that franchise to the airwaves in this charming podcast. It covers everything from the history of fairy tales, to the history of chocolate, with the ubiquitous Richard Osman chipping in.

“Whether it is useful in a pub quiz, to impress your friends with fun historical facts, or to broaden your perspective on what history itself means”, this pod will “teach you valuable lessons while you don’t even realise you’re learning”, said Retrospect Journal.

The British History Podcast

This chronological retelling of the history of Britain focuses on the lives of people. “You won’t find a dry recounting of dates and battles here,” say the makers. “Instead you’ll learn about who these people were and how their desires, fears, and flaws” shaped our history.

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/culture/tv-radio/958413/the-best-history-podcasts-of-all-time