History Book Club

History Book Club

Oliver Webb-Carter

Episodes 25
Avg. Duration 49m
Activity Highly Active
Since Jan 2026
Latest Episode Jun 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
86%
Hosting
rss.pdrl.fm

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Welcome to the History Book Club - the club for all lovers of history, presented by Oliver Webb-Carter, formerly of Aspects of History. Oliver interviews authors of the best historical writing, to draw out the stories that you'll be interested in. Every month will also feature the History Film Club, as historian Roger Moorhouse and director Tim Hewitt join to discuss a historical movie. Get in touch if you want a particular area of history to be covered, because at the History Book Club, members are the most important people of all.

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Recent Episodes

24. The History of English Poetry with Mark Forsythe

Jun 07, 2026 44m

English poetry has a rich and glorious history, and who better than to write about it than Mark Forsyth who writes with great verve and humour. He joined me to discuss it from the early medieval…

23. Killing Thatcher with Rory Carroll

May 31, 2026 42m

At 2.52am on 12 October 1984 Margaret Thatcher returned to her desk from visiting the lavatory of her suite at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Two minutes later a bomb exploded on the upper floor…

22. Ancient Sparta with Daniel Ogden

May 24, 2026 45m

The Battle of Thermopylae left one Spartan survivor, Aristodemus, and so he fought suicidally at Plataea a year later in 479BC, giving his life, but as you heard failing to impress his fellow…

21. Film Club: The English Patient

May 20, 2026 1h 4m

The beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas, and the brooding Ralph Fiennes across the deserts of North Africa. Yep the English Patient is this month’s film club as Roger, Tim and myself discuss the 1996…

20. A Walk Around Britain with Harry Bucknall

May 17, 2026 34m

Harry Bucknall is a travel writer who loves Britain and Northern Ireland, and during a difficult period of both his and the country’s recent past, he decided to embark on his own particular Odyssey,…

19. Weimar with Katja Hoyer

May 10, 2026 44m

On the morning of 30 January 1933 Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. There are many dates that can be used to identify the end of the Weimar Republic, but this is probably the most…

18. Special Forces in WW2 & Lawfare with Damien Lewis

May 03, 2026 43m

Today the bestselling author Damien Lewis joins to discuss Special Forces ops in the Second World War, including the SAS, the SBS and the little known Greek version, the Sacred Squadron. Added to…

17. The JFK Assassination with Martin Fitzgerald

Apr 26, 2026 45m

On 22 November 1963 at 1230 in the afternoon, shots fired out a President Kennedy’s motorcade in downtown Dallas, Texas. Now, we all know it was definitely Lee Harvey Oswald from the Book Depository…

16. Britannia Ruled the Waves with Andrew Lambert

Apr 19, 2026 55m

Have you been hearing about the shortcomings of the British military? Were you following the painful and depressing journey of seemingly the only warship in the Royal Navy, HMS Dragon? Well today I…

15. The Cambridge Spy Ring with Antonia Senior

Apr 12, 2026 50m

The Cambridge Spy Ring has cast a shadow over the British establishment since the exposure of Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess in 1951. Along with Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross, they…

14. Film Club: Titanic (1997)

Apr 05, 2026 1h 12m

Titanic Links Five Titanic myths spread by films ⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Awards Best Performance Most Egregious Overracting Biggest Plot Flaw Historical Inaccuracy What if Tarantino Made It? Who won the…

13. Nuclear Weapons with David Holloway

Mar 29, 2026 46m

We are now in an age of nuclear uncertainty, as wars have broken out around the globe and great powers realign. Britain is apparently a nuclear power but relies on the United States for its…

12. Themistocles with Michael Scott

Mar 23, 2026 47m

Themistocles was a leading Athenian politician and general in the early 5th Century. He fought at Marathon in 490BC, and played a leading role during the Greco-Persian Wars and was the lead admiral…

11. Rasputin & Russia with Antony Beevor

Mar 16, 2026 39m

The great historian Antony Beevor joins today to discuss his new book, Rasputin, so we talk the mad monk, Russia then and now and Putin’s grip on history. Antony Beevor Links Rasputin And the…

10. Film Club: Master & Commander (2003)

Mar 09, 2026 1h 21m

This is the first movie to appear on the History Book Club pod. It's the greatest naval film of all time, the Russell Crowe flick, Master & Commander. In this episode we discuss the lesser of two…

Bonus. Have Podcasts Replaced Books? With Antonia Senior & Roger Moorhouse

Mar 05, 2026 40m Bonus

A quick bonus for my club members. There has been talk among certain literati that podcasts are replacing books. This is a chat with Roger and Antonia where we address the question head on. Do get in…

9. The Troubles in South Armagh with Toby Harnden

Mar 02, 2026 51m

The Troubles may be over, but the legacy lives on, as ongoing legal cases revive past incidents, but one area that has continued to capture the imagination of those interested in this period of…

8. Armies that Made Europe with Barney White-Spunner

Feb 23, 2026 49m

Europe is in a bit of a fix, with a belligerent Russia to its East, and the traditional ally and protector disinterested to the West, governments are only starting to think about maybe increasing…

7. Thucydides with Robin Waterfield & Polly Low

Feb 16, 2026 52m

Herodotus is known as the father of history, and the next historian out the blocks, Thucydides, took the idea, and it was very much an idea in infancy, and produced a work that is still discussed by…

6. The Atlantic Slave Trade with Hannah Durkin

Feb 09, 2026 40m

Today’s episode is a subject that has been prominent in the last few years, the Atlantic slave trade, and today’s book, Survivors is a quite brilliant one that focusses on one voyage in particular,…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does History Book Club have?

History Book Club has published 25 episodes since January 2026, covering topics in Arts, Books.

Is History Book Club still active?

History Book Club is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 49m.

How do I contact History Book Club for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for History Book Club, including email and social media links.

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