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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Tom Holland Meets Tom Holland + The Odyssey Review
In this Rest Is History members‑only special, the host (Dominic Sandbrook) interviews actor Tom Holland about Christopher Nolan’s new adapt…
EpisodeThe Odyssey: Hero of the Trojan Horse (Part 1)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore Homer's epic The Odyssey, using a dramatic reading by Russell Crowe and a transla…
EpisodeThe Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2)
In this episode of The Rest Is History the hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their deep‑dive into Homer's Odyssey. After rec…
EpisodeDawn of the Samurai: Japan’s Greatest Warrior (Part 3)
In this episode of The Rest Is History, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the legendary 12th‑century clash between the warrior monk…
Classical worlds from Mesopotamia to Rome.
Ancient Civilisations & Classical Antiquity
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Cicero: Defender of the Republic
In this bonus episode, Tom Holland is joined by classicist Catherine Edwards, author of Orator: The Life of Cicero and the End of the Roman…
EpisodeMary Beard on What Made The Romans Different
Recorded live at The Rest Is History Club Festival at Hampton Court Palace, Tom Holland interviews classicist Dame Mary Beard about what ma…
EpisodeThe General Who Made Rome Invincible
In this bonus episode of The Rest Is History, host Tom Holland welcomes scholar Bret Devereaux to discuss the long‑standing debate over Gai…
EpisodeRoman Civil War: The Barbarian Invasion (Part 2)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore Rome at 105 BC, a chaotic, brick‑filled metropolis on the brink of transformation…
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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Isabella of France: The First Femme Fatale
In the third episode of the "She-Wolves of England" mini‑series, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by historian Helen Castor, au…
EpisodeEleanor of Aquitaine: Lioness of England
In the second episode of the "She-Wolves of Medieval England" miniseries, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, joined by historian Helen Cast…
EpisodeEmpress Matilda: Civil War and the Fight for the Throne
In this Rest Is History Club mini‑series episode, Tom Holland welcomes historian Helen Castor to discuss the "She‑Wolves" of medieval Engla…
EpisodeDawn of the Samurai: Japan’s Greatest Warrior (Part 3)
In this episode of The Rest Is History, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the legendary 12th‑century clash between the warrior monk…
Renaissance, reformations and global voyages.
Early Modern & Renaissance
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The History of Satire, with Ian Hislop
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Private Eye editor Ian Hislop at the Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court Palace about the long British t…
EpisodeWhy A United Ireland Isn't Part of the UK
In this bonus episode recorded at The Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court, Dominic Sandbrook speaks with historian Paul Rouse about w…
EpisodeWas Elizabeth I England's Greatest Monarch?
In this bonus episode recorded at the Restless History Festival in Hampton Court Palace, Tom Holland is joined by regular co‑host Dominic S…
EpisodeThe Tudor Da Vinci Code
In this bonus episode of The Rest Is History, host Tom Holland welcomes Tim Ashton, a farmer whose family has long owned Soulton Hall in Sh…
Ideas, empires and revolutions reshaping the world.
Enlightenment & Age of Revolutions
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The Man Who Painted The Terror
Tom Holland and art critic Laura Cumming explore Jacques-Louis David’s painting The Death of Marat and David’s role as artist, revolutionar…
EpisodeThe Terror: Reign of Robespierre (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the origins and early machinery of the Reign of Terror in 1793, using Thomas Carlyle’s dramatic h…
EpisodeThe Terror: An Assassination in Paris (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Jean-Paul Marat’s rise from frustrated physician, self-styled scientist and admirer of John Wilke…
EpisodeThe Terror: Killing God (Part 5)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Maximilien Robespierre’s Festival of the Supreme Being, held in Paris on 8 June 1794. They descri…
Steam, empire and the long 19th century.
Industrial & Imperial Age (Long 19th Century)
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The Mad Emperor's Lost Son
This bonus follow-up to Queen Victoria’s Revenge returns to the 1868 British expedition to Abyssinia through three figures largely left out…
EpisodeQueen Victoria’s Revenge: The Mad Emperor of Abyssinia (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook introduce the British Expedition to Abyssinia through the extraordinary reign of Emperor Tewodros II. Beg…
EpisodeQueen Victoria’s Revenge: Storming the Citadel (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook conclude the story of the British Expedition to Abyssinia. After Lord Derby’s government authorises milit…
EpisodeWhy A United Ireland Isn't Part of the UK
In this bonus episode recorded at The Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court, Dominic Sandbrook speaks with historian Paul Rouse about w…
Total war, upheaval and the uneasy peace between.
World Wars & Inter-war Era
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Were the Troubles Inevitable?
This bonus Q&A sees Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook revisit their four-part series on the Troubles through listener questions. They consi…
EpisodeThe Troubles: Murder in Belfast (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook open their series on the Troubles by tracing the foundations of Northern Ireland’s sectarian conflict fro…
EpisodeThe Successor to the Mayerling Murder
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook delve into the extraordinary life of Franz Nopcsa, a self‑taught Hungarian‑Transylvanian …
EpisodeThe Fascist World Cup: Mussolini's Football Dictatorship - History of the World Cup
In this episode of The Rest Is History, Dominic Sandbrook welcomes historian Paul Rouse to discuss how dictatorships have exploited footbal…
Superpower stand-offs and post-war recovery.
Mid-20th Century & Cold War
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Were the Troubles Inevitable?
This bonus Q&A sees Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook revisit their four-part series on the Troubles through listener questions. They consi…
EpisodeThe Troubles: Bloody Sunday (Part 4)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Bloody Sunday, when British paratroopers shot civil-rights marchers in Derry on 30 January 1972, …
EpisodeThe Troubles: The Brink of Civil War (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the rapid escalation of the Northern Irish conflict between 1968 and 1969. They begin with Prime …
EpisodeThe Troubles: Return of the IRA (Part 3)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the rapid escalation of the Northern Ireland conflict in 1970‑71. They begin by r…
Globalisation, technology and the present day.
Contemporary Era (Post-1991)
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The History of Satire, with Ian Hislop
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Private Eye editor Ian Hislop at the Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court Palace about the long British t…
EpisodeWere the Troubles Inevitable?
This bonus Q&A sees Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook revisit their four-part series on the Troubles through listener questions. They consi…
EpisodeThe Death of History
In this Rest is History bonus episode, host Tom Holland welcomes Omar Mohammed – known as the Mosul Eye – to discuss his experiences docume…
EpisodeWhy A United Ireland Isn't Part of the UK
In this bonus episode recorded at The Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court, Dominic Sandbrook speaks with historian Paul Rouse about w…
Cross-era specials, biographies and deep dives.
Thematic / Biographical series
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The Man Who Painted The Terror
Tom Holland and art critic Laura Cumming explore Jacques-Louis David’s painting The Death of Marat and David’s role as artist, revolutionar…
EpisodeThe History of Satire, with Ian Hislop
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Private Eye editor Ian Hislop at the Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court Palace about the long British t…
EpisodeJack The Ripper: The Killer Strikes Again (Part 3)
Dominic and Tom delve into how Jack the Ripper managed to kill twice in one night without capture. They explore the possibility of an accom…
EpisodeJack The Ripper: History's Darkest Mystery (Part 1)
In the first part of a series on Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel murders, Tom and Dominic explore the infamous case, probing into the g…