Dan Snow's History Hit

This is the story of the incredible rise and fall of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was queen of Scotland, she was queen of France, and she could have been queen of England. She led armies, lived as a fugitive, became embroiled in love affairs and spent nearly two decades in jail.

Dan is joined by the great Kate Williams, a presenter, historian and professor at Reading University, to take us through the twists and turns of Mary's tumultuous life.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In light of the complex and tragic situation unfolding in Gaza and Israel, this episode looks at the past 100 years of the history of the region of Palestine. As well as explanation from Dan, we hear from experts who have been on the podcast before to explain the background to the conflict we're seeing today. 

Historian Simon Sebag-Montefiore explores why Jerusalem is so important to both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Yara Hawari, a senior policy analyst for Al-Shabaka, describes the Palestinian perspective of the Mandate of Palestine after the First World War and Benny Morris, a former professor of History at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, provides insight into the Israeli mindset during the first crucial months of the State of Israel established in 1948. 

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During WWII, the sailors of the British merchant navy played a vital role in keeping the UK fed and armed. They carried essential supplies across the treacherous Atlantic - and many paid with their lives. What's less well known is that many of those sailors were Chinese - volunteers who came to Britain to help the war effort and settled predominantly in the port city of Liverpool. But after the war, many of those Chinese sailors who returned home suddenly disappeared without a trace. For years families believed they'd decided to abandon them, but the reality was far worse.

Dr Lucienne Loh, from the University of Liverpool, has been uncovering what happened to those sailors who endured war for Britain and how Britain turned its back on them. In previously secret Government documents, she discovered a shocking truth...

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was ever a ship more aptly named? In 1845, HMS Terror (and its forgettably named sister ship HMS Erebus) set off from Victorian Britain. Their quest was to discover the fabled Northwest passage through the Arctic ice. The crew were heroes in waiting. Yet by the end, the rules that govern life on board Royal Navy vessels collapsed into chaos and cannibalism.

Maddy tells Anthony this story about life in the Royal Navy, Arctic winters, badly written poetry, and the thin line that separates us from horror.

Written by Maddy Pelling. Mixed by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.

Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at [email protected], we'd love to hear from you!

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One thing royal families strive for is the common touch. Whilst some have struggled with it, King James IV and V in the 15th and 16th centuries excelled in it. 

It could be said, however, that they took the term ‘common touch’ too literally, as it wasn’t uncommon for them to have sexual liaisons with their subjects. 

Who were some of the women they had their many affairs with? And what does this tell us about how liberal life north of the border was back then? Today we’re joined by author Linda Porter, to find out. 

This episode was edited by Siobhan Dale, and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. 

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hundred Years' War plunged England, France and their allies into over a century of conflict. This bleak period of history had rebellions, assassinations, open warfare and even the Black Death as the two rival dynasties went head-to-head for the French throne.

Dan is joined by the historian and former Justice of the Supreme Court Lord Jonathan Sumption to help rattle through this 116-year period of bloody history.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The renowned conqueror Alexander the Great was known as 'the two-horned one' by his enemies, and for good reason. His campaigns were bloody affairs even by the standards of the time. But the city of Tyre was not going to be intimidated - Alexander would have to think outside the box if he was going to take it.

Dan is joined by Katherine Pangonis, a historian of the medieval Mediterranean world, to tell us the tale of Tyre from bloody beginnings to the bitter end.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is everything you need to know about the famed conqueror Alexander the Great. Alongside Tristan Hughes, host of the hit podcast The Ancients, Dan follows Alexander on a whistle-stop tour from his life in Macedonia to his epic battles with the Persians and eventually, to his death in Babylon.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Mitchell joins Dan in today's episode to ask the all-important question - who was England's greatest monarch? From the 'overrated' William the Conqueror to the tantrum-throwing Henry VIII, anyone is up for grabs.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges, James Hickmann and Beth Donaldson. Edited by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

PLEASE VOTE HERE for Dan Snow’s History Hit in the 'Best Individual Episode - History' category for the 2023 Signal Awards. Every vote counts, thank you!

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode contains themes of a sexual nature

Achilles is one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology. The son of Peleus, a Greek King, and Thetis, a divine sea nymph, Achilles was a demigod with extraordinary strength and courage. The perfect combination to make a great warrior, he is perhaps best known from Homer's epic poem the Iliad, which details his adventures in the final year of the Trojan War.

He's also gone down in history for his passionate love for his companion, Patroclus. Sources and mythology differ as to the nature of their relationship, and in this episode, we ask the question: was it really erotic? What do the sources say? Does our definition of love differ from that of the Ancient Greeks? And, how did it inspire one of the greatest military generals in history: Alexander of Macedon?

To help explore these themes, host Tristan Hughes is joined by returning guest Professor Alastair Blanshard from the University of Queensland.

Voiceover: Lucy Davidson

Script Writer: Andrew Hulse

Editor: Aidan Lonergan

Assistant Producer: Annie Coloe

Senior Producer: Elena Guthrie

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.

PLEASE VOTE HERE for Dan Snow’s History Hit in the 'Best Individual Episode - History' category for the 2023 Signal Awards. Every vote counts, thank you!

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.