15 Best BBC History Podcasts

1. You're Dead to Me

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The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. In each episode of You're Dead to Me from BBC Radio 4, Greg Jenner is joined by a comedian and an expert historian to learn and laugh about the past.History isn't just about dates and textbooks it's about extraordinary characters, amazing stories, and some very questionable fashion choices...MORE Host Greg Jenner
Producer/Network BBC
Email ****@gregjenner.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Facebook 1.7MTwitter 512.1KInstagram 434.7K Avg Length 20 min Format Short form Get Email Contact Get access to full database of 2.7M podcastsCreate podcast lists, export in spreadsheet or CSV file with email contacts and start your podcast outreach in minutes.Sign Up for Free

2. Witness History

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Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the 'Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia...MORE Producer/Network BBC
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.5/5Facebook 9MTwitter 3.3K Avg Length 11 min Format Short form Get Email Contact

3. Evil Genius with Russell Kane

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It's good, bad, ugly - and very very funny. Changing the way we see heroes and villains in history.
Host Russell Kane
Producer/Network BBC
Email ****@offthekerb.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4/5Facebook 1.7MTwitter 512.1KInstagram 434.7K Avg Length 32 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

4. The Documentary Podcast

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A window into our world, through in-depth storytelling from the BBC. Investigating, reporting and uncovering true stories from everywhere. Award-winning journalism, unheard voices, amazing culture and global issues. From Syria after Assad to rebuilding Ukraine, to how AI changed our lives, The Documentary investigates major global stories.We delve into social media, take you into the minds of the world's most creative people and explore personal approaches to spirituality. Every week, we also bring together people from around the globe to discuss how news stories are affecting their lives...MORE Hosts Aleks Krotoski, Carly Sygrove, Caroline Feraday
Producer/Network BBC World Service
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.3/5Facebook 61.3MTwitter 42.1M Avg Length 29 min Format Medium form Since Mar 2020 Get Email Contact

5. The History Hour

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A compilation of the latest Witness History programmes.
Host Max Pearson
Producer/Network BBC World Service
Email ****@me.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.3/5Facebook 9MTwitter 561.5KInstagram 518.3K Avg Length 58 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

6. Sporting Witness

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Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You'll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded...MORE Producer/Network BBC World Service
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Facebook 9MTwitter 561.5KInstagram 518.3K Avg Length 11 min Format Short form Get Email Contact

7. How to Invent a Country

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When did countries become countries? Misha Glenny on the borders, the stories and the people of countries worldwide.
Host Misha Glenny
Producer/Network BBC Radio 4
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.6/5Facebook 1.7MTwitter 512.1KInstagram 434.7K Avg Length 37 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

8. The Coming Storm

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America through the looking glass - enter a world where nothing is as it seems.As America heads into a presidential election, Gabriel Gatehouse dives back into the labyrinthine rabbit warren of American conspiracy culture. Whilst liberals across the world worry about a possible return of Donald Trump, millions of Americans are convinced that their democracy has already been highjacked - by a sinister Deep State cabal. How did this happen? And who is behind it? That's the story that Gabriel Gatehouse is investigating in this series of The Coming Storm...MORE Host Gabriel Gatehouse
Producer/Network BBC
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.6/5Facebook 1.7MTwitter 512.1KInstagram 434.7K Avg Length 32 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

9. In Our Time: History

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Historical themes, events and key individuals from Akhenaten to Xenophon.
Host Melvyn Bragg
Producer/Network BBC Radio 4
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.5/5 Avg Length 51 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

10. Things Fell Apart

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If you've ever yelled at someone on social media about, say, cancel culture or mask-wearing, then you are a soldier in the culture wars - those everyday battles for dominance between conflicting values. The acclaimed writer and podcaster Jon Ronson has seen friends swallowed up in them to the extent that it's ruined their lives. Jon was curious to learn how things fell apart, and so he went back into the history of the culture wars to find some of the origin stories: the pebbles thrown in the pond, creating the ripples that led us to where we are today...MORE Host Jon Ronson
Producer/Network BBC
Email ****@jonronson.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.6/5 Avg Length 32 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

11. Acid Dream: The Great LSD Plot

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In the 1970s it's estimated that about 60% of the world's LSD came from one place: Wales. This is the story of an attempt to start a revolution of the mind, from a Welsh farmhouse.
Producer/Network BBC Radio Wales
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Facebook 138.1KTwitter 80.9K Avg Length 19 min Format Short form Get Email Contact

12. What Really Happened in the Nineties?

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Cancel culture, Brexit, identity politics. How did we get here? Did we miss something? Robert Carlyle is here to show us that we did. And it happened in the '90s.
Host Robert Carlyle
Producer/Network BBC Radio 4
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.4/5 Avg Length 14 min Format Short form Get Email Contact

13. My Moment In History

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Personal stories of lives linked to history.
Host Lucy Hockings
Producer/Network BBC Local Radio
Email ****@bbc.co.uk
Estimated listeners
Avg Length 12 min Format Short form Get Email Contact