History Rage

Stop commercializing historical grief and ignoring the true scale of global warfare. Recorded live at the Imperial War Museum Festival, host Paul Bavill sits down with two of History Rage’s favourite returning guests—Dr. Peter Caddick Adams and Alex Churchill—for an unfiltered, hilarious, and deeply insightful look at how we commemorate global conflicts. From the tacky monetization of grief to the...

Victorian England wasn’t calm and orderly—it was a powder keg with Ian Breckon Victorian England is often remembered as a world of polite manners, strict morality, and orderly progress. But beneath the surface lay unrest, desperation, and rebellion. In this explosive episode of History Rage, host Paul Bavill is joined by historian and novelist Ian Breckon to dismantle the myth of a peaceful Victor...

Think you know the true story behind the birth of the SAS? Think again. In this extraordinary live episode, recorded on location at the Imperial War Museum History Festival , host Paul Bavill fires up the blue touch paper with best-selling military historian and filmmaker Damien Lewis. Together, they take dead aim at the cheap Hollywood tropes and television distortions that have rewritten the leg...

World War II in Asia began earlier—and was far darker. When did World War II really begin in the Pacific? According to historian Jenny Chan , the answer isn’t 1941 and Pearl Harbor. It’s 1931—and the consequences reshaped Asia long before Europe went to war. In this powerful and unflinching episode of History Rage , Paul Bavill is joined by Jenny Chan, historian, author, and co-founder of Pacific...

Think you know Boudicca? Discover the forgotten women who fought beside her. The story of Boudicca is etched into history, but what if the most powerful warrior queen was actually one of three? In this episode of History Rage , regular host Paul Bavill sits down with journalist and bestselling novelist Elodie Harper to shatter modern prejudices and Victorian myths surrounding Iron Age warrior wome...

The forgotten woman behind today’s global conspiracy thinking Conspiracy theories didn’t begin with the moon landing. They didn’t start with QAnon. And they certainly didn’t begin on Reddit. In this explosive episode of History Rage , Professor James Crossland returns to uncover the origins of modern conspiracy culture — and the overlooked figure who helped shape it. Long before talk of the “deep...

Discover the truth behind history's most persistent and monstrous sexual slur. Think you know how Russia’s greatest empress met her end? If you are still repeating the infamous stallion myth, you have fallen hook, line, and sinker for 18th-century wartime propaganda. In this special episode of History Rage , host Paul Bavill sits down with the brilliant Professor Kate Williams to completely disman...

What if everything you think you know about Ancient Greece is wrong? In this episode of History Rage , bestselling historian Adrian Goldsworthy dismantles the comforting myth of a civilised, philosophical utopia. Forget marble statues and thoughtful men in cloaks — this is a world of bitter rivalries, brutal warfare, political volatility, and communities obsessed with proving they were the best. D...

Think the Black Death was just a medieval European tragedy? Think again. When you picture the Black Death, you probably imagine a third of Europe being wiped out while flagellants marched through British and French villages. But pandemics don’t stop at borders. What if our standard history lessons have completely ignored more than half of the story? In this special episode for the Chalke History F...

Berlin wasn’t blockaded — and that changes everything you think. Was Berlin really “blockaded” in 1948? Or have we been repeating a Cold War myth for nearly eighty years? In this explosive episode of History Rage , cultural historian and author Joseph Pearson dismantles one of the most entrenched narratives of the early Cold War. We all know the story: Stalin sealed off West Berlin, starving its p...

Why history’s greatest Athenian leader may be wildly misunderstood today Was Pericles really the mastermind behind Athens’ Golden Age — or have historians spent centuries exaggerating his importance? In this explosive episode of History Rage, acclaimed classicist and Cambridge professor Paul Cartledge tears apart the modern obsession with “Periclean Athens” and argues that ancient democracy was fa...

When history gets reduced to lazy moral takes, it misses the real Cold War truth. In this episode of History Rage , historian and broadcaster Guy Walters tears into the misunderstandings surrounding Nazi scientists, rocket technology, and one of the most consequential intelligence grabs of the 20th century: the post-war scramble for expertise that became Operation Paperclip . At the heart of the d...

The Crusades reshaped Europe far beyond Jerusalem — and we’ve forgotten it For most people, the Crusades begin and end with Jerusalem, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. But that narrow view hides a far bigger story. In this episode of History Rage , medieval archaeologist Professor Aleks Pluskowski takes aim at the myth that crusading was confined to the eastern Mediterranean — and reveals how cr...

From exploding kings to civil wars, Britain’s royals were never respectable. Comedy legend, author and podcast host Charlie Higson joins History Rage to dismantle the myth that today’s monarchy is uniquely scandalous. From William the Conqueror’s warring sons to murderous Plantagenets, abusive Hanoverians and Edward VII’s infamous Parisian “sex chair”, Charlie argues the Royal Family has always be...

Mary Queen of Scots wasn’t stupid — history’s verdict is dangerously wrong. Was Mary, Queen of Scots really a reckless, lovestruck failure — or has history judged her by impossible standards? In this explosive History Rage counter-rage, acclaimed historian Linda Porter takes aim at one of the most persistent myths in British history and argues that Mary was anything but a “bloody stupid woman”. Dr...

Weimar Was a Real Place Before It Became a Political Warning The “Weimar Republic” has become shorthand for collapse, extremism, and economic chaos — but as historian and author Katja Hoyer argues in this episode of History Rage, Weimar was first and foremost a real town with a rich cultural history stretching back centuries. Home to Goethe, Schiller, Liszt and Nietzsche, Weimar was long considere...

Roman slavery myths shattered with brutal truths historians can’t ignore Roman slavery is often portrayed as mild, civilised, or even preferable to poverty—but that comforting myth collapses under scrutiny. In this explosive episode of History Rage , historian and author Emma Southon unleashes her fury at the persistent sanitising of Roman slavery and reveals the stark, violent realities behind th...

Britain’s past politicians were no better—often far worse—than today’s MPs. Were Britain’s past politicians really more honourable than today’s? Or is nostalgia blinding us to just how corrupt, violent, and self-serving many of them actually were? In this episode of History Rage , host Paul Bavill is joined by historian, author, and Get History founder Debbie Kilroy to rage against one of Britain’...

Cold War Protest Songs, Punk Anthems, and Nuclear Pop Culture Collide Why did the Cold War produce generations of unforgettable protest songs while today’s crises barely inspire a mainstream anthem? In this electrifying episode of History Rage , host Paul Bavill welcomes back historian, author, and Imperial War Museum senior manager Fraser McCallum to trace the history of protest music from folk b...

Drones didn’t start in Silicon Valley — they began with Victorians and war Drones feel like the defining weapon of the 21st century — cheap, disposable, and terrifyingly effective. But what if that belief is completely wrong? In this episode of History Rage , aviation historian and journalist Mark Piesing explodes the modern myth surrounding drones and reveals a truth that stretches back more than...

The Blitz myth shattered: courage, crime, and chaos behind stoicism The familiar story of Britain’s Blitz—calm, united, unshaken—is one of the most powerful myths of the Second World War. But in this gripping episode of History Rage , historian Joshua Levine dismantles the “Keep Calm and Carry On” narrative and reveals a far more complex reality. Drawing on firsthand accounts and deep archival res...

Bletchley Park wasn’t built by one man—and history must stop pretending otherwise For most people, Bletchley Park means one thing: Alan Turing, Enigma, and a single heroic breakthrough . That story is neat, cinematic—and deeply misleading. In this episode of History Rage , Paul Bavill is joined by historian, author, and Bletchley Park trustee Sir Dermot Turing to dismantle one of Britain’s most co...

Daniel Defoe wasn’t just a novelist — he helped forge Britain itself Daniel Defoe is remembered as the author of Robinson Crusoe — but that legacy hides a far more dangerous, politically explosive truth. Long before his novels reshaped literature, Defoe was shaping nations. In this episode of History Rage , Paul Bavill is joined by historian Marc Mierowsky , Fellow and Lecturer in English at the U...

Discover the Spanish Infanta who reshaped Renaissance power from behind the throne. Step into the glittering courts of 16th-century Europe as historian Professor Magdalena Sánchez joins host Paul Bavill to rage against a stubborn myth: that women only matter in history when they command political power. Catalina Micaela — daughter of Philip II of Spain and Duchess of Savoy — has long been treated...

Samuel Pepys exposed: secrets, suppression, and the truth behind his diary. Samuel Pepys Was Not What You Think… EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING - NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED! For generations, Samuel Pepys has been portrayed as a witty observer of Restoration London — a charming administrator who documented plague, fire, and naval reform. But what if that version of Pepys wasn’t the full story? In this exp...