There's definitely something strangely familiar and yet unique in our time in TRiH.
They could be on BBC4 or Channel4 in the early 2000s. Just quintessentially British academic straight white men, being themselves with no self censorship, political agenda, or pent up anger about something.
The kind of people we all know, but no longer exist anywhere else on normal broadcasting.
Even stranger to know that Gary Lineker is involved and hasn't interjected (yet).
Russell Hogg’s “Subject to Change” podcast is also excellent. It’s a simple format, historians talking about their books. Russell is (I think) a London-based Scottish lawyer, but he’s engaging and enthusiastic and fantastic at bringing out their stories, many weird and wonderful - Welsh witches, Byzantine eunuchs, doomed Arctic exploration and the History of Taiwan. Give it a try.
I love The Rest is History. One of my former Japanese students emailed me the other day to say she listens to it to improve her English - she prefers British accents.
There is something about the podcast which feels like all life is included: a bit of philosophy, a bit of psychology, a bit of politics, a bit of scandal and fashion and everything else we humans are interested in. I quickly tire of podcasts that have very specific subjects because I'm always aware of how esoteric it is. But while tRiH takes one event in history at a time, I'm always left with the impression that every aspect of life is in there.
Even more important, there is nothing annoying about either men. Usually someone has an annoying voice, or they interrupt to soon, or they talk over each other, or they have stupid views (i.e. ones that don't align with mine). But with Tom and Dom everything is just right: their enthusiasm, their jokes, their patriotism, their laddishness. None of it is overdone. Everything is in balance.
I recently watched the series on WWI and watch is the correct word. The illustrations that accompanied their commentary were so good that I wasn't able to put my earbuds in and do something useful in the kitchen. Instead I was glued to my armchair. The visuals really added to the whole thing.
'nothing says the holiday season like that festive subject, the Nazis'. That made me laugh out loud.
The dynamic between Tom & Dominic is what makes it work so well. They have great 'host' chemistry which is always a joy to listen to.
Hadn't thought of TRiH as such a big export of Britishness but come to think of it, it's true that it's likely the most exposure I get to anything British in any given week.
Unrelatedly, your mention of the audience member being confused for matching the wrong face to the wrong voice makes me wonder if I got them right having never seen them in a video/live.
The first time I saw a picture of Dominic after having listened to the podcast for over a year I was taken aback that he didn’t look like how I pictured him based on his voice. I imagined something of a British Tom Hanks.
TRiH is balm and bliss in the slough that is modernity. I had read both of them before discovering the podcast, so I knew some of their foibles and stylistic quirks (and period preferences). My 1492 came in Baltimore around 2021 (so, unwittingly, I was an early-ish adopter too) and once fished, forever hooked. I proselytized my American friends and they were curious and then addicted.
What comes across is that they both appear to be, as Ed says, normal, genuinely nice men who like one another and the study of mankind in all his many forms and environs. Crooked timber is infinitely more interesting to study than sainted prigs, of whom there are few in TRiH.
What fascinates me is how they cam up with the concept, how it is made, how it interferes with their own individual careers, interests and work. And how they keep it fresh and engaging.
What I can say is that their telling of history has changed my own views about certain events and periods. To name one: the history of Ireland, especially from the Act of Union 1801 through the Famine (and the response to it), the Anglicization of Ireland in the wake of famine and Empire, Home Rule, its impact across the British Isles and then 1916 and all that.
Something else: their style makes me think of what I would have done, or felt, or how I would have reacted if I had lived at the time of the telling. It does prove as refreshing and and as terrifying as a dousing by an Atlantic winter storm.
The Age of Invention substack by Anton Howes, an independent scholar. Covers science and technology history, the kind of critically important history which The Rest is History can't really cover as its hard to make entertaining.
Very much agree, this is our best cultural export going. And the fact that it is so normal - just interesting, informative, funny, (mostly) apolitical, and with no agenda being pushed - makes the show a refreshing oasis in an otherwise depressingly toxic and fraught media landscape. Its popularity proves we do still want this kind of media which is encouraging, and as you say, is a rebuke to prevailing mainstream media producers and their ideologies.
Dom is also an astute reader of the political landscape (proving knowing history is more valuable than polling!). I remember watching the livestream of the 2024 Trump election. Dom was the only one to call it rightly and he had his sound reasons as to why. Its as if history helps you to actually see and read the times correctly... (On a side note, I wonder what the history literacy of our current crop of MPs is.)
Long may The Rest is History continue (I reckon it has a better chance of enduring than the 'Rest is Politics')
Also listened from that first episode & have turned my daughter into an equally avid fan. I do find it amazing that they’ve maintained the high standard for so long, and not even becoming big in the US has dented their stubborn non-wokeness. I guess there’s a real audience out there who can handle complexity without expecting you to ‘contextualise’ everything you discuss or make it relevant to today. Hope they’ve got loads more good stuff to come- however much dosh they’re making, they deserve it!
Strange coincidence, but I went to one of the more recent RiH live shows at the Royal Albert Hall, on Tchaikovsky and Wagner, and I also happened to walk past James Marriot
I've only listened to the podcast a couple of times, but I've listened to some of both men's books on Audible and thoroughly enjoyed them. They had me positively looking forward to the Saturday trudge to the shops.
Per your recommendation I just watched/listened to my first episode, on the history of the Beatles with Conan O'Brien. (Ten demerits to Dom for bowing out because he doesn't like John Lennon. Which John Lennon?) Thank goodness for YouTube, I am practically in love.
My only gripe is that since the BBC finally shook off Gary Lineker, the number of ads on the free version of TRIH has exploded from about two minutes worth to about eight. As I’m reluctant to pay him any more than I have to by becoming a paid subscriber , I’m wearing my fingers out jabbing at the side of my earbuds. People’s Postcode Lottery, how humiliating!
Hive drivel on for about two minutes, but the Uber ad is the most embarrassing, “friends are always there for you”. I wonder how much extra T&D get for reading them out personally.
Out of interest, has anyone ever listened to any of the other "Rest is" podcasts? I haven't, and probably never will, partly because of the lineups and partly down to it seeming like a copy of the original. Am I wrong or?
The Rest is Politics parades its centrism but they recently surveyed their listeners and found only 10% identified as right wing vs 40% as left. Plus usually you need to listen with a towel at hand because Rory Steward is so wet these days.
I’ve started listening to “Entertainment” after avoiding it for a while, as despite liking Richard Osman I thought I disliked Marina Hyde. After I gave it a shot, I must admit they make a decent pair, and they both have decent insights into what goes into making film and TV (Richard’s behind the scenes gameshow explanations are very much up my street). None of the other “Rest of” floats my boat.
There's definitely something strangely familiar and yet unique in our time in TRiH.
They could be on BBC4 or Channel4 in the early 2000s. Just quintessentially British academic straight white men, being themselves with no self censorship, political agenda, or pent up anger about something.
The kind of people we all know, but no longer exist anywhere else on normal broadcasting.
Even stranger to know that Gary Lineker is involved and hasn't interjected (yet).
Not necessarily straight, David Starkey fits the bill.
True. And pretty much any show would benefit from the inclusion of David Starkey.
Lineker does a few cross promotions now in the ads.
Russell Hogg’s “Subject to Change” podcast is also excellent. It’s a simple format, historians talking about their books. Russell is (I think) a London-based Scottish lawyer, but he’s engaging and enthusiastic and fantastic at bringing out their stories, many weird and wonderful - Welsh witches, Byzantine eunuchs, doomed Arctic exploration and the History of Taiwan. Give it a try.
Yes he is, I've been on twice.
Taiwan episode made me really want to learn more about their history.
Sorry Ed, I missed you!
I love The Rest is History. One of my former Japanese students emailed me the other day to say she listens to it to improve her English - she prefers British accents.
There is something about the podcast which feels like all life is included: a bit of philosophy, a bit of psychology, a bit of politics, a bit of scandal and fashion and everything else we humans are interested in. I quickly tire of podcasts that have very specific subjects because I'm always aware of how esoteric it is. But while tRiH takes one event in history at a time, I'm always left with the impression that every aspect of life is in there.
Even more important, there is nothing annoying about either men. Usually someone has an annoying voice, or they interrupt to soon, or they talk over each other, or they have stupid views (i.e. ones that don't align with mine). But with Tom and Dom everything is just right: their enthusiasm, their jokes, their patriotism, their laddishness. None of it is overdone. Everything is in balance.
I recently watched the series on WWI and watch is the correct word. The illustrations that accompanied their commentary were so good that I wasn't able to put my earbuds in and do something useful in the kitchen. Instead I was glued to my armchair. The visuals really added to the whole thing.
'nothing says the holiday season like that festive subject, the Nazis'. That made me laugh out loud.
The dynamic between Tom & Dominic is what makes it work so well. They have great 'host' chemistry which is always a joy to listen to.
Hadn't thought of TRiH as such a big export of Britishness but come to think of it, it's true that it's likely the most exposure I get to anything British in any given week.
Unrelatedly, your mention of the audience member being confused for matching the wrong face to the wrong voice makes me wonder if I got them right having never seen them in a video/live.
The first time I saw a picture of Dominic after having listened to the podcast for over a year I was taken aback that he didn’t look like how I pictured him based on his voice. I imagined something of a British Tom Hanks.
TRiH is balm and bliss in the slough that is modernity. I had read both of them before discovering the podcast, so I knew some of their foibles and stylistic quirks (and period preferences). My 1492 came in Baltimore around 2021 (so, unwittingly, I was an early-ish adopter too) and once fished, forever hooked. I proselytized my American friends and they were curious and then addicted.
What comes across is that they both appear to be, as Ed says, normal, genuinely nice men who like one another and the study of mankind in all his many forms and environs. Crooked timber is infinitely more interesting to study than sainted prigs, of whom there are few in TRiH.
What fascinates me is how they cam up with the concept, how it is made, how it interferes with their own individual careers, interests and work. And how they keep it fresh and engaging.
What I can say is that their telling of history has changed my own views about certain events and periods. To name one: the history of Ireland, especially from the Act of Union 1801 through the Famine (and the response to it), the Anglicization of Ireland in the wake of famine and Empire, Home Rule, its impact across the British Isles and then 1916 and all that.
Something else: their style makes me think of what I would have done, or felt, or how I would have reacted if I had lived at the time of the telling. It does prove as refreshing and and as terrifying as a dousing by an Atlantic winter storm.
The Rest is History and the Ed West and James Marriott substacks. No other subscriptions necessary.
Thank you!
The Common Reader is worthwhile.
The Age of Invention substack by Anton Howes, an independent scholar. Covers science and technology history, the kind of critically important history which The Rest is History can't really cover as its hard to make entertaining.
Very much agree, this is our best cultural export going. And the fact that it is so normal - just interesting, informative, funny, (mostly) apolitical, and with no agenda being pushed - makes the show a refreshing oasis in an otherwise depressingly toxic and fraught media landscape. Its popularity proves we do still want this kind of media which is encouraging, and as you say, is a rebuke to prevailing mainstream media producers and their ideologies.
Dom is also an astute reader of the political landscape (proving knowing history is more valuable than polling!). I remember watching the livestream of the 2024 Trump election. Dom was the only one to call it rightly and he had his sound reasons as to why. Its as if history helps you to actually see and read the times correctly... (On a side note, I wonder what the history literacy of our current crop of MPs is.)
Long may The Rest is History continue (I reckon it has a better chance of enduring than the 'Rest is Politics')
I was actually at their first online chat with fans (before the discord server).
That’s like being at the Free Trade Hall when the Sex Pistols played
Also listened from that first episode & have turned my daughter into an equally avid fan. I do find it amazing that they’ve maintained the high standard for so long, and not even becoming big in the US has dented their stubborn non-wokeness. I guess there’s a real audience out there who can handle complexity without expecting you to ‘contextualise’ everything you discuss or make it relevant to today. Hope they’ve got loads more good stuff to come- however much dosh they’re making, they deserve it!
The Rest is History is the soundtrack to my week.
It’s so good it’s even worth the pain of funding Lineker.
Strange coincidence, but I went to one of the more recent RiH live shows at the Royal Albert Hall, on Tchaikovsky and Wagner, and I also happened to walk past James Marriot
I've only listened to the podcast a couple of times, but I've listened to some of both men's books on Audible and thoroughly enjoyed them. They had me positively looking forward to the Saturday trudge to the shops.
Per your recommendation I just watched/listened to my first episode, on the history of the Beatles with Conan O'Brien. (Ten demerits to Dom for bowing out because he doesn't like John Lennon. Which John Lennon?) Thank goodness for YouTube, I am practically in love.
My only gripe is that since the BBC finally shook off Gary Lineker, the number of ads on the free version of TRIH has exploded from about two minutes worth to about eight. As I’m reluctant to pay him any more than I have to by becoming a paid subscriber , I’m wearing my fingers out jabbing at the side of my earbuds. People’s Postcode Lottery, how humiliating!
Afraid you just have to stump up - give the mighty LINEKER his money.
Do they still have adverts for 'Better Health'?
Oh yes!! So successful that you haven’t picked up it’s Better Help. Premium subscriber seems better and better.
Fortunately, they're all exactly 15 seconds long, so a quick skip on Spotify gets you exactly where you want to be :)
Hive drivel on for about two minutes, but the Uber ad is the most embarrassing, “friends are always there for you”. I wonder how much extra T&D get for reading them out personally.
Out of interest, has anyone ever listened to any of the other "Rest is" podcasts? I haven't, and probably never will, partly because of the lineups and partly down to it seeming like a copy of the original. Am I wrong or?
The Rest is Politics parades its centrism but they recently surveyed their listeners and found only 10% identified as right wing vs 40% as left. Plus usually you need to listen with a towel at hand because Rory Steward is so wet these days.
I’ve started listening to “Entertainment” after avoiding it for a while, as despite liking Richard Osman I thought I disliked Marina Hyde. After I gave it a shot, I must admit they make a decent pair, and they both have decent insights into what goes into making film and TV (Richard’s behind the scenes gameshow explanations are very much up my street). None of the other “Rest of” floats my boat.
Empire is probably the biggest disappointment. Looks fascinating on the surface but pretty much unlistenable.
I certainly wouldn't touch war criminal Campbell with a bargepole. The rest of the rest is seems inconsequential and not worth the time or effort