Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook of The Rest Is History Podcast
20 Oct 2025
Chapter 1: What makes Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook excited about history?
Hi, my name is Dominic Sandbrook, and I feel surprisingly aroused about being Conan O'Brien's friend.
Okay, you understand that. Hi, my name is Tom Holland, and I feel chuffed about being Conan O'Brien's friend.
Okay, looking that up now on UK Slang.
Fall is here, hear the yell. Back to school, ring the bell. Brand new shoes, walking blues. Climb the fence, books and pens. I can tell that we are gonna be friends. Yes, I can tell that we are gonna be friends.
Hey there. Welcome to Conan O'Brien. Needs a friend. Shocking. Shocking revelation today. Sonam of Session is not with us. Her chair, like Tiny Tim's little stool in the corner, is empty. Just a crutch. She's not here. No.
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Chapter 2: How do humor and history intertwine in storytelling?
Instead, it's just Matt and I. Which is nice, because this is a different dynamic for us.
There's none of that, her braying laugh. Yeah. She's a nice icebreaker, though, because isn't it a little awkward with just you and me, you know?
Reminds me of an old Norm Macdonald joke. He said, yeah, I went home for Thanksgiving and saw the family, and my dad and I accidentally made eye contact. And I thought, God damn it, I relate to that. So now we have to look in each other's eyes.
No, no. No, you can't. You can't do it. No, I can't do that. I can't do that. But do you know where Sona is? I don't. No one told me where she went. You're going to love this. Okay. She is speaking, I think a featured guest speaker at an assistance convention. No, she's not.
Chapter 3: What are the challenges of discussing grim historical events?
Is that a bit? I swear to God. This is not a bit. This is true.
Yeah. I can just see your eyes glowing. Is it a how-to or like a cautionary tale? I don't know. No, I think she is, you know. Is it a scared straight? She turns the chair around backwards and sits down. Look, guys, if you want to be an assistant, don't do what I did. Wow. I know. So she's telling people how to be an assistant.
Ostensibly. I don't know if it's a Q&A or she's doing a speech about it, but she is- It could be a trial. Of war crimes. Maybe it's an entrapment.
She's like Eichmann. She's in a glass booth. She's wearing headphones. People are coming up and testifying against her. We may never see her again. No, we're not going to see her because I know what the verdict's going to be. Wow, that's incredible.
She also found out recently before going to this that it's for a bunch of tech company assistants. Yeah. So it's not even like industry entertainment assistants. This is specifically tech.
Oh, this is a disaster. I mean, I wish we could find out where it is and quickly drive over there in a van. Let's find out when she's back. Remind me, we have to dig down deep. on what happened.
We'll do a whole segment on it. Yeah, because- We gotta find out more.
It's just astounding to me. But, you know, we love our Sona. We do miss her.
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Chapter 4: How do Tom and Dominic choose their historical heroes?
We do.
Rest in peace.
Yeah, well, no, please, she's fine. Oh.
You always go right to rest in peace. Well, that was a good meal. Yep, rest in peace. No! How are you? Oh, I'm- This is a chance for us to really drill down. How are you, Matt Gourley, as a person? How's your life? It's good. Look at me, I'm right here.
No, I can't. Look me in the eye. I can't do it.
Look at me.
Right past you. Oh, wow.
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Chapter 5: What role does humor play in understanding historical figures?
I'm good. I'm good. Thank you. How are you?
You didn't say anything and then you put it right back on me. How am I going to find out about you?
What do you want to know? I'm an open book. You aren't. You aren't an open book. How are things at home? How's everything going? Good, good. My daughter's cracking me up daily. How old is she now? She's going to be four by the time this comes out. Okay. Yeah. Very good. Yeah, this doesn't air for three years. Okay.
So that's great.
Yeah. Is she funny? She's really funny. Yeah. She's a character, man. She rules the house. She's a like beta to the rest of the world, but it just horrible alpha to me.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what happens. Is it? They're like lovely to other people and then they come home and they're absolute Mussolini's.
You're not kidding. Yeah. Even when it comes down to play, like she gives me my lines for when we're playing. Oh yeah. She dictates them to me.
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Chapter 6: How does history inform our perspective on current events?
Yeah.
Yeah. Well, it sounds like you're miserable at home.
I'm having some struggles.
Well, feel free to talk to me anytime about anything that's going on in your life. I'd rather not. I'd rather you didn't either.
Okay, all right.
You know what you should do? Schedule it with David Hopping.
Okay.
Now there's an assistant. I could talk to him. You know who's not gonna go to an assistance convention is David Hopping. Yeah. How are you? I gotta ask David. Okay. David keeps my schedule and he tells me how I am. I'm doing very well, thank you. And I am going to head east to New York very shortly to help, this is a new experience for me, promote a film that I'm in. I know, this is exciting.
Yeah, and this is a new thing for me to say, You got to go check out my picture, see? I mean, that's nothing I've aspired to or ever thought would happen.
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Chapter 7: What legal considerations arise when using music in podcasts?
You're blinking in Morse code. Please save me. Yeah, so that's my story.
Okay. I'm in the pictures. Let's end this. We should get to this because this is a really fun. No. Okay. Okay. I want out. Will you read the intro for Christ's sake?
Okay. Wow. Religious. My guests today are two historians who co-host one of the most successful history podcasts in the world. The rest is history. I listen to these gentlemen all the time. They're always in my ear and they are brilliant. Tom Holland and Dominic Sambra, welcome.
Gentlemen, I'm going to begin by saying that it is quite a comedown for me to have you on the podcast, and I'll explain why. I have a very large ego, and for a while I believed that I had the greatest podcast ever. in the world. I really did. I really thought I cannot be touched. No one can come close.
And then one day, several years ago, I heard someone mention this podcast called The Rest is History. And I'm a history buff. I listened to one episode. I listened to two. I listened to three and four. I've now listened to possibly 300 or 400 of your 800. I'm working my way through. And I have to concede that you have the greatest podcast. That's gracious.
You will always have the greatest podcast. I'm loving this podcast. I am an addict. I'm here to confess my addiction. And you're in my ears all the time.
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Chapter 8: What are the implications of copyright in podcasting?
And whenever people ask me, what podcast do you listen to? I don't give them a list. I say it's The Rest is History with Tom and Dominic. I was starstruck. When I heard your voices and I was in the room upstairs in my Larchmont, this is a palace, really. Yeah. I heard your voices. I couldn't believe that you were here.
So not since I met George Harrison back at Saturday Night Live back in the day have I been this excited. And you met Paul McCartney. Yes, I've met Paul McCartney. But way more exciting. Yeah. You guys are, no, no. I'm going to put you on the same level. Okay. We'll take it. You're on the same level. So gentlemen, thank you so much for being here. Really. Thank you.
Thank you so much for having us. That's all the time we have. It's been lovely having you. It's fine. You've said enough for us. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's end it there. It's not going to get better. I love history. And my favorite thing about your show is that the history is brilliant and I feel it's very well researched and you're both very knowledgeable, but it's funny.
And I'm a big believer in keeping two opposing ideas in your head at the same time. You guys will talk about some of the grimmest things in the history of the world, like World War I, but there'll be sections where you can't stop laughing. And I'm laughing with you. And I love that because both things are true. World War I might be the worst thing that ever happened to humanity.
It's absolutely terrible and a war that was fought for no reason. And then I will find myself, you two will get talking about the Kaiser and what a ridiculous man the Kaiser was. And I will be crying. I'm laughing so hard along with you. Is humor the way into this? Uh, no, actually. So the story is the way in. Did you just disagree with me?
I did, yeah.
Let me explain where you are right now.
You're in America.
No.
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