The Rest Is History
Episodes
20. China
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the world’s oldest civilisation. What were the great momen...
19. King Arthur
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It remains the most romantic historical story of all time, but is the legend of King Arthur a myth? Was he even English? And will he rise again when t...
18. The North South Divide
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
England has long been divided by an invisible line somewhere north of Watford and south of the Mersey. But do northerners really have more in common ...
17. Fascism
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is fascism and where did it come from? No one admits to being a fascist yet it continues to be a term of abuse hurled on a regular basis. Tom Ho...
16. Pompeii
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pompeii Why does Pompeii continue to hold such a fascination for so many people? And which secrets are still to be uncovered from beneath the ashes? ...
15. Walls and Borders
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From the Great Wall of China to the Berlin Wall, history is littered with the building of barriers aimed at keeping people out, and sometimes in. Do t...
14. Historical Fiction
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is the author’s responsibility to the quality of the novel or the truth of history? What makes a great historical novel and which authors have contr...
13. Stephen Fry and Troy
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Fry is our guest on The Rest is History as he tells Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook about his enduring fascination with the Greek myths. Lea...
12. Conspiracy Theories
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
History is littered with conspiracy theories, from Popish plots to JFK’s assassination. But what makes people believe in them and how do they gain c...
11. Brexit
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As Britain leaves the EU, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook look at the best & worst comparisons from history that have been made to Brexit. Learn m...
10. Christmas
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is Christmas an ancient ritual or was it invented by Dickens? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland discuss the transformation of Christmas from public to...
9. Causes of the First World War
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whose fault was it? Does the question even make sense? Are wars always somebody's "fault"? Was it really the first global war? And should Britain have...
8. The Echo of a Coffee House
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Social media has colonised the world but is it really a new phenomenon? Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook debate the effects of technical innovations ...
7. The Lessons of History
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Can we truly learn from history? And if we can - do we? It’s one of the big questions this week as Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook roam through th...
6. Troy
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been described as the most legendary story ever told. But did the Trojan War actually happen? And was it really fought over a beautiful woman? ...
5. 1981
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a new series of The Crown arrives on Netflix, returning viewers to the 1980s, we look back at the year many Britons consider the worst in living me...
4. We’re all so 17th Century
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Plague, pestilence and statue smashing are back in business. Has 2020 turned out to be the 17th Century in disguise? And if so, has Boris Johnson beco...
3. Is Trump Caesar or Nixon?
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Recorded hours after Joe Biden was named President of the United States, we ask if Donald Trump is a modern day Caesar, willing to do anything to stay...
2. Civil War
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are the conditions needed for a civil war to start? Could we see a modern industrial nation turn upon itself again? Historians Tom Holland and Do...
1. Greatness
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did certain people come to be called ‘the Great’? Is the notion of great men and women outmoded? Can anyone today be reckoned ‘great’? His...
Trailer
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are interrogating the past, attempting to de-tangle the present for their new podcast "The Rest Is H...