Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator
Great Library of Chatham High Street
An in-depth catalogue and library of every episode in the archives of the Rest is History podcast. Every historical event and figure mentioned can be found here. Every book, author and guest can be discovered with links to the episodes they have appeared in. AI powered Q&A lets you find that elusive moment you remember, but can't quite place the episode - letting you jump straight to the point where Dom cracks up about Chatham wrestlers, or to discover the truth about the ancient British sport of Dwyle Flonking. Based on complete transcripts of the entire archive.
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Myths, legends and origin stories.
Mythic & Legendary
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RIHC: Iconic Episodes, Unforgettable Heroes, and History’s Greatest Apples
This special episode, recorded in Sydney to mark the podcast being named Apple’s 2025 Show of the Year, features hosts Tom Holland and Domi…
EpisodeThe Trojan War, with Mary Beard - FULL EPISODE
Tom Holland interviews classicist Mary Beard at Leighton House about the Trojan War and its place between myth and history. They retell the…
EpisodeGreek Myths: The Riddle of the Sphinx (Part 2)
This episode of The Rest Is History examines the myth of Oedipus and its cultural afterlife. Holland and Sandbrook retell the Sophoclean tr…
EpisodeGreek Myths: Sex, Drugs & Tragedy (Part 3)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss Euripides' The Bacchae and the strange, violent cult of Dionysus. They open with a graphic passag…
Classical worlds from Mesopotamia to Rome.
Ancient Civilisations & Classical Antiquity
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RIHC: The Odyssey, Ancient Greek Wars, and Ottoman Invasions
In this Restless History bonus episode, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook welcome returning guest Alex Preston to explore the layered histo…
EpisodeRome’s Greatest Enemy: Carthage Destroyed (Part 4)
This episode concludes the hosts' multi-season treatment of Carthage and the Punic conflicts. It traces how the memory of Hannibal's devast…
EpisodeRome’s Greatest Enemy: Hannibal’s Nemesis (Part 2)
This episode of The Rest Is History (episode two of a short series on the Punic Wars) examines the Roman response to Hannibal's invasion of…
EpisodeRome’s Greatest Enemy: Bloodbath in Africa (Part 3)
This episode focuses on the climactic confrontation between Hannibal and Scipio — the Battle of Zama — and the concluding phases of the Sec…
Bridging Rome to medieval Europe.
Late Antiquity & Early Middle Ages
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RIHC: Ancient Iran, Cyrus the Great, and Persian Nationalism
This bonus episode of The Rest Is History features Tom Holland interviewing Professor Ali Ansari about how post‑revolutionary Iran has trea…
EpisodeRIHC: Corrupt US Presidents, Wartime Prime Ministers, and the Birth of Byzantium
This bonus episode reunites Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook for a Rest Is History club Q&A. They open by referencing recent episodes (Sir…
EpisodeRIHC: Irish Kings, Medieval Magic, and The Norman Invasion of Ireland
This bonus episode features historian Gillian Kenny discussing the social, legal and ecclesiastical world of Ireland before the Anglo-Norma…
EpisodeRIHC: The Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward the Confessor’s True Heir, and Vikings Abroad
This bonus Q&A episode of The Rest Is History features hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook answering listener questions collated from T…
Crusades, kingdoms and cathedrals.
High & Late Middle Ages
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Greatest Paintings: Dawn of the Dutch Golden Age - The Arnolfini Portrait - FULL EPISODE
Join Tom and art critic Laura Cumming as they delve into Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, a masterpiece shrouded in mystery. Explore its …
EpisodeRIHC: Joan of Arc's Afterlife, Witchcraft, and Angels
This bonus episode (a members' extra) continues the hosts' exploration of Joan of Arc by tracing her afterlife from the 15th century into t…
EpisodeJoan of Arc: Heroine in Chains (Part 3)
Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook narrate the middle-to-late career of Joan of Arc, focusing on the months after the relief of Orléan…
EpisodeJoan of Arc: Warrior Maid (Part 1)
Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the turning point of the Hundred Years' War centred on Joan of Arc. They set the political …
Renaissance, reformations and global voyages.
Early Modern & Renaissance
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RIHC: The Odyssey, Ancient Greek Wars, and Ottoman Invasions
In this Restless History bonus episode, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook welcome returning guest Alex Preston to explore the layered histo…
EpisodeLondon’s Golden Age: The Ghosts of Culloden (Part 3)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore Samuel Johnson’s 1773 journey to the Scottish Hebrides with his companion James B…
EpisodeLondon’s Golden Age: The Mad Life of Dr Johnson (Part 1)
In this episode of The Rest Is History, hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the extraordinary friendship between Samuel Johnson…
EpisodeMedieval Combat, Jimmy Carter’s Killer Rabbit, and the Northern Pit of Death
This episode is a Rest Is History Club announcement by hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook promoting the Rest Is History Festival at Ha…
Ideas, empires and revolutions reshaping the world.
Enlightenment & Age of Revolutions
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London’s Golden Age: The Ghosts of Culloden (Part 3)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore Samuel Johnson’s 1773 journey to the Scottish Hebrides with his companion James B…
EpisodeLondon’s Golden Age: The Mad Life of Dr Johnson (Part 1)
In this episode of The Rest Is History, hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the extraordinary friendship between Samuel Johnson…
EpisodeLondon’s Golden Age: The Shadow of the Madhouse (Part 4)
In this episode Tom Holland explores the complex relationship between Samuel Johnson and the Thrale family, focusing on the letters Johnson…
EpisodeLondon’s Golden Age: Sex and Scandal in Georgian Britain (Part 2)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace James Boswell’s whirlwind early career in 18th‑century London, his desperate search…
Steam, empire and the long 19th century.
Industrial & Imperial Age (Long 19th Century)
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Greatest Paintings: The French Revolution - Millet's Angelus - FULL EPISODE
This episode — the final instalment in a short series on great paintings — is a focused conversation between host Tom Holland and guest Lau…
EpisodeThe Book Club: Wuthering Heights
Dominic and Tabitha (Tabby) introduce a new show, The Book Club, a weekly series that will explore major novels — alternating classics and …
EpisodeGreatest Paintings: Age of Enlightenment - Raeburn's Skating Minister - FULL EPISODE
This Rest Is History club episode (Greatest Paintings with Laura Cumming) examines Henry Raeburn's celebrated portrait The Skating Minister…
EpisodeRIHC: The British Empire, Tudor Lovers, and War Poetry
Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interview Mark Forsyth about his book Rhyme and Reason, a popular-history survey of English poetry.…
Total war, upheaval and the uneasy peace between.
World Wars & Inter-war Era
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RIHC: The Odyssey, Ancient Greek Wars, and Ottoman Invasions
In this Restless History bonus episode, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook welcome returning guest Alex Preston to explore the layered histo…
EpisodeRIHC: Resisting the Nazis, Evading Hitler, and Traitorous Informers
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Jonathan Friedland about his book The Traitor's Circle, which recounts a group of mostly upper‑middle‑class Ge…
EpisodeRIHC: Joan of Arc's Afterlife, Witchcraft, and Angels
This bonus episode (a members' extra) continues the hosts' exploration of Joan of Arc by tracing her afterlife from the 15th century into t…
EpisodeWWI: The Christmas Truce
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the 1914 Christmas Truce on the Western Front, examining what happened, who initiated it and why …
Superpower stand-offs and post-war recovery.
Mid-20th Century & Cold War
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Medieval Combat, Jimmy Carter’s Killer Rabbit, and the Northern Pit of Death
This episode is a Rest Is History Club announcement by hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook promoting the Rest Is History Festival at Ha…
EpisodeRIHC: Ancient Iran, Cyrus the Great, and Persian Nationalism
This bonus episode of The Rest Is History features Tom Holland interviewing Professor Ali Ansari about how post‑revolutionary Iran has trea…
EpisodeRevolution in Iran: Death in the Desert (Part 4)
This episode concludes the hosts' series on the Iranian Revolution and the US response by recounting the 1979–1981 hostage crisis and the f…
EpisodeRevolution in Iran: The Hostage Crisis (Part 3)
This episode recounts the November 4, 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran and the resulting 444-day hostage crisis that became a def…
Globalisation, technology and the present day.
Contemporary Era (Post-1991)
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Medieval Combat, Jimmy Carter’s Killer Rabbit, and the Northern Pit of Death
This episode is a Rest Is History Club announcement by hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook promoting the Rest Is History Festival at Ha…
EpisodeWWI: The Christmas Truce
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the 1914 Christmas Truce on the Western Front, examining what happened, who initiated it and why …
EpisodeRIHC: Disney's Legacy, with Bob Iger
This special bonus episode of The Rest Is History features hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interviewing Robert A. Iger, CEO of The …
EpisodeThe Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
This episode is a focused discussion of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. The hosts examine the book's dystopian world of Gilead, its …
Cross-era specials, biographies and deep dives.
Thematic / Biographical series
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London’s Golden Age: Sex and Scandal in Georgian Britain (Part 2)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace James Boswell’s whirlwind early career in 18th‑century London, his desperate search…
EpisodeLondon’s Golden Age: The Shadow of the Madhouse (Part 4)
In this episode Tom Holland explores the complex relationship between Samuel Johnson and the Thrale family, focusing on the letters Johnson…
EpisodeRIHC: Resisting the Nazis, Evading Hitler, and Traitorous Informers
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Jonathan Friedland about his book The Traitor's Circle, which recounts a group of mostly upper‑middle‑class Ge…
EpisodeGreatest Paintings: The French Revolution - Millet's Angelus - FULL EPISODE
This episode — the final instalment in a short series on great paintings — is a focused conversation between host Tom Holland and guest Lau…