The Rest Is History

The rise and fall of Butlin's, Benidorm and Franco, class, package holidays, bikinis, mass tourism and sunbathing. The third episode in our holiday series has it all - join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the history of modern holidays in the post First World War era. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to a...

The birth of guide books, resorts, and the package holiday. In the second episode in our holidays series Tom and Dominic drill down into the story of Thomas Cook, package tours, and nightmarish German spa treatments. The third holidays episode, 'Sun, Sea and Sex', will be out on Monday, followed on Thursday by the final episode in the series, 'Roman Holidays'. Show notes: Tourists: How the British...

Welcome to the first of four episodes on the history of holidays: Byron's Grand Tour; The Invention of Mass Tourism; Sun, Sea and Sex; and Roman Holidays. In the first episode, Tom and Dominic explore the adventures of Byron, Boswell and their peers contemporaries to foreign lands, where they pursued romance, sought to improve their health, and 'acquire' authentic souvenirs. Join The Rest Is Histo...

Wars, disease, and legacy. In the final episode of the trilogy, Tom and Dominic discuss the Byzantine reconquest of Italy, the arrival of the Justinianic plague, and the legacy of Justinian and Theodora. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 20...

The Riot that destroyed a city and almost brought down an Emperor... In the second part of our trilogy, Tom and Dominic discuss the Nika riots in the early part of Justinian's reign, and how he set himself out as the defender of Christendom against the Persian Empire in the East. The third and final episode, 'Justinian & Theodora: The Secret History', will be released on Thursday. Can't wait u...

In the first episode of a three part series, Tom and Dominic dive into the incredible story of Justinian and Theodora. Tune in for an incredible (and racy) introduction to the powerful Byzantine empress, the collapse of the Western half of the Roman Empire, and a deep-dive into the great city of Constantinople. Justinian and Theodora episode release schedule: Monday 8th August - THEODORA: EMPRESS...

Tom and Dominic are joined by friend of the show Kyle Harper to discuss how pandemics and disease played a far greater role in the decline of the Roman Empire than previously understood. On the show Kyle, Dominic, and Tom discuss life expectancy, how the Roman Empire was ‘bad for people’s health', the Antonine Plague, and more. Listen to our previous episodes with Kyle: 146. Disease vs. the rise o...

‘If it became necessary immediately to discard every line and method of communications used on the front, except one, and it were left to me to select that one method, I should unhesitatingly choose the pigeons’, wrote Major General Fowler, Chief of Signals and Communications of the British Army, after the First World War. On today's podcast Tom and Dominic are joined by Gordon Corera, the BBC's S...

Tom and Dominic are again joined by Iain MacGregor to discuss the climax of the Battle of Stalingrad, Pavlov's House, and the Red Army's counter offensive that ultimately defeated the Axis forces. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: To...

Stalingrad: the bloodiest battle of the Second World War. Tom and Dominic are joined by Iain MacGregor to discuss the build up, context and outbreak of the Battle of Stalingrad. A second Stalingrad episode will be released on Thursday to your podcast feed. However, if you are part of The Rest Is History Club, you get the second episode right NOW! Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening...

Welcome to the fifth and final episode in our London Week. Enjoyed the series? Click here to become a member of The Rest Is History Club - you'll get ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. London: Moments A drunk elephant, a polar bear swimming in the Thames, and Metroland are discussed by Tom and Dominic in...

Welcome to the fourth episode in our London Week mini-series. To get tomorrow's final episode right now, become a member of The Rest Is History Club - you'll also get ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. London: Haunted London Join Tom and Dominic for a special live, on location episode as they walk around...

Welcome to the third episode in our new mini-series: LONDON WEEK. From Monday to Friday we're releasing an episode daily. Monday's 'Londinium' and Thursday's 'Haunted London' are live episodes we recorded on location earlier this year. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday we're releasing episodes on 'Places', 'People', and 'Moments' from London's past. To get ALL episodes right now, become a member o...

Welcome to the second episode in our new mini-series: LONDON WEEK. From Monday to Friday we'll release an episode daily. Monday's 'Londinium' and Thursday's 'Haunted London' are live episodes we recorded on location earlier this year. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday we're releasing episodes on 'Places', 'People', and 'Moments' from London's past. To get ALL episodes right now, become a member of...

Welcome to the first episode in our new mini-series: LONDON WEEK. From Monday to Friday we'll release an episode daily. Today's 'Londinium' and Thursday's 'Haunted London' are live episodes we recorded on location earlier this year. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday we'll be releasing episodes on 'Places', 'People', and 'Moments' from London's past. To get ALL FIVE episodes right now, become a mem...

George Orwell is one of the most celebrated novelists, essayists, and journalists in modern British history.  Tom and Dominic are joined by Robert Colls, Professor Emeritus of History at De Montfort University, to discuss the life and legacy of the man who wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, and Homage to Catalonia. Join the waiting list for live show tickets: bit.ly/3ynxD56 Become a member o...

Historical Love Island has swept the nation and the podcasting world since Monday, when four couples made it to the final: General Custer & Lola Montez, Lord Byron & Sporus, Stanley Baldwin & Theodora, and Jimmy Carter & Olympias. Fans flocked to Twitter to vote for their favourite historical pair - but which couple did Rest Is History listeners crown victorious? Listen to this spe...

The Love Island phenomenon is sweeping the nation, so Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by Tom's daughter, Katy Holland, to play their part in creating a ‘villa’ made up of historical figures. Who will loveable nice-boy Jimmy Carter ‘couple up’ with? Will Judas Iscariot and Stanley Baldwin get along? Head to Twitter after listening on Monday morning to vote on The Rest Is History's Love...

Boris Johnson has resigned. In a special episode of The Rest Is History Tom and Dominic dissect the tumultuous last few days in British politics, with references and comparisons to Roman emperors, Margaret Thatcher, and other characters from modern and ancient history. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to...

"There was a land of cavaliers and cotton fields called the Old South". Tom and Dominic are joined by Sarah Churchwell to discuss the 'Lost Cause' myth that has pervaded American culture for 150 years, its embodiment in both the novel and film version of Gone with the Wind, and what insight it gives into post-Civil War America. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archiv...

In the final episode of this 'American Civil War' series, Tom, Dominic and historian Adam Smith look at the end of the conflict, the subsequent assassination of Abraham Lincoln and how the war is viewed in modern day America. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. *The Rest I...

Tom, Dominic and historian Adam Smith look at the most famous battle of the war and Abraham Lincoln’s 272 word address that became one of the best known speeches of all time. They also discuss the conditions of the black population during the conflict. The release date of the last episode, 'Aftermath & Legacy', is Monday 4th July. However, members of The Rest Is History Club get all episodes R...

Welcome to the second episode in The Rest Is History's 'American Civil War' series. The release schedule of the remaining two episodes is as follows: Gettysburg (Thursday 30th June) Aftermath & Legacy (Monday 4th July) However, members of The Rest Is History Club get all episodes RIGHT NOW, so head to restishistorypod.com to sign up. In today's pod, Dominic, Tom and historian Adam Smith discus...

Welcome to The Rest Is History 'American Civil War' series. The release schedule of the four episodes is as follows: The Causes (Monday 27th June) Outbreak (Tuesday 28th June) Gettysburg (Thursday 30th June) Aftermath & Legacy (Monday 4th July) However, members of The Rest Is History Club get all four episodes RIGHT NOW, so head to restishistorypod.com to sign up. In the first of a four part s...

On today's pod Tom and Dominic are joined by Stonehenge expert Mike Pitts to discuss all the big questions that surround Stonehenge: Who built it? How did they build it? What was it built for? Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. Editor: James Hodgson Producer: Dom Johnson...