The Rest Is History (podcast)

{{Short description|History podcast hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland}}

{{Other uses|The Rest Is History (disambiguation){{!}}The Rest Is History}}

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The Rest Is History is a history podcast hosted by historian and author Dominic Sandbrook and popular historian Tom Holland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/radio-podcasts/2022/04/the-rest-is-history-is-breathtaking-in-its-scope|title=The Rest is History is breathtaking in its scope|first=Rachel|last=Cunliffe|date=April 20, 2022}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/the-rest-is-history-review-at-last-history-told-the-way-i-like-it-sbmqxzf7t|title=The Rest is History review — at last, history told the way I like it|first=James|last=Marriott|date=May 24, 2023|via=www.thetimes.co.uk|url-access=subscription}}

The podcast was launched in November 2020 and is produced by Goalhanger Podcasts.

It is the highest-ranked UK history podcast on Spotify and Apple, and in the top 10 in the US charts.{{Cite web|url=https://rephonic.com/podcasts/the-rest-is-history-3|title=Listener Numbers, Contacts, Similar Podcasts - The Rest Is History|website=Rephonic}} By June 2023 it had issued 409 episodes and had a rating of 9.7 on IMDb.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15847814/|title=The Rest Is History|date=November 2, 2020|via=IMDb}} In October 2024, The Wall Street Journal revealed the podcast achieved 11 million downloads a month, 1.2 million monthly YouTube views and had over 45,000 paying subscribers; 7 out of 10 listeners were aged under 40.{{Cite web |last=Pancevski |first=Bojan |date=25 October 2024 |title=How Two Irreverent Historians Made Their Podcast a Global Sensation |url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/how-two-irreverent-historians-made-their-podcast-a-global-sensation-81de0a1b?st=KMycAg |access-date=31 October 2024 |website=The Wall Street Journal}} It was estimated that Holland and Sandbrook each earned nearly $100,000 a month.{{Cite news |last=Warrington |first=James |date=2024-10-29 |title=Rest is History hosts pocket £1m a year each |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/10/29/rest-is-history-podcast-making-1m-each/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} The series received the 2023 President's Medal from the British Academy, the first time this had been awarded to a podcast.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-05 |title=The Rest Is History podcast awarded prestigious humanities prize, for success in creating 'a new generation of history enthusiasts' |url=https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/the-rest-is-history-awarded-prestigious-humanities-prize/ |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=The British Academy |language=en}}

{{Quote|"First and foremost, because I think people are bored with history being told in a hand-wringing, pious, judgmental and moralistic way – they want it brought to life by people who are genuine enthusiasts and love the past."|Dominic Sandbrook answering the question What's the secret of its success? in a 2024 interview with The Daily Telegraph.{{cite news |last1=Membery |first1=York |title=Dominic Sandbrook: 'The Rest is History was a runaway success – but I still drive a Volvo' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/jobs/work-benefits/dominic-sandbrook-rest-is-history-success-fame-fortune/ |access-date=18 September 2024 |work=The Telegraph |date=9 June 2024}}}}

The Rest is History has now completed over 700 episodes on a range of subjects from Watergate to Lord Nelson.