History isn't just a list of dead kings and dusty treaties. If you've spent any time on the internet lately, you’ve probably heard people raking over the same tired historical clichés, but The Rest is History podcast managed to change that dynamic entirely. It’s weirdly addictive. You start with a four-part series on the fall of the Aztecs and suddenly you're three hours deep into the nuances of 16th-century Spanish bureaucracy while doing the dishes.
Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook have hit on a formula that shouldn’t work as well as it does. It's basically two incredibly smart British guys chatting. That's it. No flashy sound effects or over-the-top reenactments. Yet, they’ve built a global juggernaut by treating history as the ultimate soap opera, full of ego, accidents, and incredibly bad decisions.
What makes The Rest is History podcast different?
Honestly, most history media falls into two camps. It’s either incredibly dry academic stuff that puts you to sleep by the second footnote, or it’s sensationalist "aliens built the pyramids" garbage. Tom and Dominic occupy this middle ground. They are actual experts—Holland is a best-selling author of books like Rubicon and Persian Fire, while Sandbrook is a heavyweight on 20th-century British history—but they don't act like they're lecturing from a podium.
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They bicker. They make fun of each other’s obsessions. Sandbrook will inevitably find a way to mention Margaret Thatcher or the 1970s, and Holland will somehow pivot a conversation about the Cold War back to the Roman Empire. It feels like eavesdropping on a very high-level pub conversation.
This chemistry is the secret sauce. Most podcasts try to be "objective," which often ends up being boring. These guys have opinions. They have biases. They have favorite characters. When they talk about the French Revolution, you can tell they find the Jacobins both fascinating and utterly terrifying. That humanity—the willingness to call a historical figure a "complete disaster" or a "total legend"—is why it resonates.
The sheer range of topics
One week they’re talking about the history of the ponytail. The next, it’s a grueling, multi-part deep dive into the origins of World War I. There is no "typical" episode of The Rest is History podcast.
They’ve covered:
- The rise and fall of the Knights Templar.
- A bracket-style tournament to determine the "Greatest Historical Cat."
- The complex, often misunderstood legacy of the British Empire.
- Why everyone in the 1970s seemed to be having a nervous breakdown.
- The trial of Jesus from a purely historical, non-religious perspective.
It’s this unpredictability that keeps the feed fresh. You never know if you're getting a grim analysis of the Black Death or a lighthearted look at the history of drinking.
Why the "multi-part series" is their best move
In the early days, episodes were mostly standalone. But then they started experimenting with long-form storytelling. The series on the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand or the Cortes and the Aztecs arc showed that listeners have a massive appetite for detail. They don't want the "SparkNotes" version. They want to know what the weather was like and what the protagonist had for breakfast before they changed the world.
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Take their "The Fall of the Aztecs" series. It wasn't just a "Spanish win, Aztecs lose" narrative. They spent episodes building up the world of Tenochtitlan—the smells of the market, the intricate religious rituals, the political fragility of the empire. By the time Hernán Cortés arrives, you actually understand the stakes. You see why the neighboring tribes joined the Spanish. It stops being a textbook entry and starts being a tragedy.
This depth is what drives their massive success on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It’s the "binge-watch" equivalent of history. You finish part one and you have to know how the siege ends, even if you already know the outcome from high school.
Addressing the "Two Blokes" criticism
Look, it’s two white guys from Oxford/Cambridge backgrounds talking about history. People sometimes point this out as a limitation. And honestly? It could be. But to their credit, they seem aware of it. They frequently bring on guests to fill in the gaps in their own knowledge.
When they covered the history of Iran, they didn't just wing it; they brought in experts. When they talk about African history or the intricacies of Chinese dynasties, they often defer to specialists. They aren't trying to be the final word on everything. They’re guides. They provide the entry point, and their enthusiasm usually leads listeners to go buy the books they mention.
The "Goalhanger" network, which produces the show (co-founded by soccer legend Gary Lineker), has mastered this "smart people talking" vibe. It works because it doesn't talk down to the audience. It assumes you're smart enough to follow a complex argument about 12th-century church law while you're stuck in traffic.
Real-world impact and the "Rest is History" community
It’s not just a digital thing anymore. They sell out live shows at places like the Royal Albert Hall. Think about that. People are paying top dollar to watch two historians talk about the Byzantines on a stage.
There’s also the "Rest is History Club." It’s a paid membership tier, and it’s massive. Members get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and access to a Discord server where people debate the merits of various Roman Emperors at 3:00 AM. It’s a community of "history nerds" who finally have a place to go where their niche interests are celebrated rather than mocked.
How to get started if you're new
If you look at their catalog of hundreds of episodes, it's intimidating. Don't start from episode one. That’s a mistake. The show found its legs around the 50-episode mark.
Pro-tip: Start with these arcs:
- The Aztecs: It’s arguably their best work. High drama, incredible detail, and a truly epic scale.
- Watergate: If you think you know the story, you don't. Sandbrook’s mastery of 20th-century American politics makes this feel like a thriller.
- The 1974 World Cup: Even if you don't like sports, the political backdrop of Cold War tensions and the "Total Football" of the Dutch is fascinating.
- Custer and the Little Bighorn: A great look at American myth-making versus reality.
The "Sandbrook vs. Holland" dynamic
Part of the fun is spotting their specific "tells."
Tom Holland loves the grand, the ancient, and the weird. He wants to talk about gods, sacrifices, and the "weirdness" of the past. He’s always looking for the mythic resonance in a story.
Dominic Sandbrook is the grounded one. He loves the 20th century. He loves the "shabbiness" of history—the strikes, the failed economic policies, the politicians who are just trying to keep things from falling apart. He provides the cynical, often hilarious counterpoint to Tom’s more romantic view of the past.
They balance each other out. Without Tom, it might get too cynical. Without Dominic, it might get too flowery. Together, they hit a sweet spot of intellectual rigor and genuine entertainment.
Why this podcast matters in 2026
We live in an era of 15-second TikToks and "rage-bait" headlines. Everything is stripped of context. The Rest is History podcast is the antidote to that. It insists on context. It insists that you can't understand why things are happening today without understanding what happened 500 years ago.
It teaches you that history isn't a straight line of progress. It’s a mess. It’s full of people who thought they were doing the right thing but caused disasters, and people who were objectively "bad" but ended up doing something useful by accident. It builds empathy for the people of the past, who were just as smart (and just as stupid) as we are.
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Actionable ways to dive deeper
If you're looking to actually retain what you hear and turn this into a learning habit, here's how to do it effectively.
- Check the show notes: They almost always list the books they used for research. If an episode sparks your interest, buy the book. It’s how you move from being a passive listener to a self-taught historian.
- Listen chronologically for big events: If they have a series on the French Revolution, don't skip around. The build-up is usually where the most important "why" questions are answered.
- Use the "Club" for searchability: If you're looking for a specific topic, the paid community has a much better index of themes and mentioned sources than the basic podcast feeds.
- Don't take it as the "Gospel": Use the podcast as a jumping-off point. If they say something controversial about a historical figure you like, go read a different perspective. They’d be the first to tell you that history is all about interpretation.
Ultimately, the show works because it treats history as a living, breathing thing. It’s not a chore; it’s a story. And as they always say at the end of the show: "The rest... is history."
Go find a topic you think you hate—maybe it's the history of the Euro or the Corn Laws. Give them 45 minutes. You'll likely walk away realizing that even the most "boring" subjects are actually fascinating when you have the right people telling the story.
Start with a topic you're curious about, then branch into the ones you know nothing about. That's where the real magic happens. By the time you’ve finished ten episodes, your perspective on current events will likely have shifted. You'll start seeing the echoes of the past in the news every single day.