he Victorian Web
recommends the following podcasts:
HISTORY This Week (The History Channel)
Dory Agazarian, History Editor: Probably my favorite history podcast. The episodes are tight, and the storytelling is great. It keeps me entertained and stays with me afterwards. Recommended episodes:
- Fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
- Mary Shelley Brings Frankenstein to Life
- Dividing the Desert (Suez Canal)
In Our Time: Culture (BBC)
DA: A podcast of many episodes, most with an emphasis on intellectual history. I always learn something, and it keeps me hooked in with multiple top-notch guests and an engaging format. The host asks questions and bounces between guests, which keeps the show moving. Recommended episodes:
Killing Victoria (BBC)
DA: This one comes highly recommended from several Victorian Web editors. A fun and well-done podcast, perfect if you're looking for a bit more storytelling than scholarship.
A biweekly podcast produced by our friends at the The Pre-Raphaelite Society.
Ripperature: Building the Myth
A seven-part podcast by Gracie Bain exploring fictional adaptations of Jack the Ripper. From her website: "Jack the Ripper, a fictitious moniker for an unknown killer, has been credited as the first modern serial killer and, as such, has lasting impacts on true crime discourse, including the ways gender, labor, and violence intersect. [...] Why do we keep fictionalizing these gruesome crimes? Why are we still obsessed with these crimes? What does our obsession tell us about ourselves?"
- Life on Ice: Sir Ernest Shackleton and the Blue Plaque Polar Explorers
- A Literary Legacy: At Home with Charlies Dickens
- How the Victorians Invented the Great British Beach Holiday — discussion
Throughline (NPR)
DA: This history podcast is thought-provoking while telling a great story. Each episode starts with something in the present and looks for the story of how we got here. I love the concept of working backwards. Recommended episodes:
Stuff You Missed in History Class
DA: I listen to this on and off. Interesting topics and I like the way they put together the stories they tell. Recommended episodes:
- The Rebecca Riots, on protests against road tolls in Wales in the 1830s-40s
DA: Presented by a single narrator, these episodes are generally good historical storytelling. I like them as “light history listening.” Recommended episodes:
- The Royal Suffragette, on Sophia Duleep Singh, the granddaughter or Ranjit Singh, the "Lion of Punjab," goddaughter of Queen Victoria, and a fighter for women's right to vote.
DA: This is a different model: Each season is focused on a different revolution and the story is told over the course of episodes. A single narrator gives the chronological blow-by-blow done without interviews and sound effects. It conveys complex things in remarkably digestible explanations. To start:
DA: Lots of episodes; Snow interviews experts. Start here:
DA: Another popular history podcast. Start here:
- Victorian Britain's Maddest Mystery, on the Tichborne scandal, featuring an interview with Zadie Smith, author of The Fraud (2023), a novel inspired by the scandal
- General Gordon, The Ultimate Victorian Hero
Created 9 February 2024
Last modified 8 May 2024