The Rest Is History

How did the existence of dinosaurs come to be discovered, & what role have they played in the popular imagination over the past 200 years? And what can humanity learn from the extinction of dinosaurs - if indeed they ARE extinct? Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the constantly evolving after-life of dinosaurs.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Joey McCarthy

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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Did the industrial revolution really improve people?s lives? And why was Britain first to industrialise? Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by Emma Griffin, professor of modern history and author of Liberty's Dawn: A People's History of the Industrial Revolution.

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Despite his overwhelming lead in the polls, President Richard Nixon?s paranoia leads to the criminal actions of the Watergate scandal. In this second part of our mini-series, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore the unravelling of the conspiracy and its consequences for US politics.

Tickets for our live show on the 14th November in London can be booked here:

https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/the-rest-is-history-podcast-live-at-podicon-london-14-11-2021/event/35005AD2A0FA2FB3

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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What led Richard Nixon into the greatest political scandal in American history? Dominic Sandbrook, acclaimed historian of the period, leads Tom Holland on an extraordinary journey from Nixon?s humble beginnings through his political rise and to the precipice of his downfall. The first in a two part mini-series.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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The world?s most famous classicist, Professor Mary Beard, joins Tom and Dominic to discuss how the legacy of classical Greece and Rome has been interpreted and re-interpreted over the past millennium and a half. They range from Dante?s Satan snacking on Julius Caesar?s assassins in Hell to recent demands in the United States that Classics itself should be cancelled.

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WARNING: THIS PODCAST INCLUDES SPOILERS ABOUT THE NEW JAMES BOND MOVIE. DO NOT LISTEN UNTIL YOU?VE SEEN THE FILM.

What does the new Bond movie tell us about modern masculinity? And where does the franchise go from here? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland share notes on No Time to Die.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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Something wicked this way comes. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook take a deep dive into the real history of Scotland?s most notorious king. Was he really the murderous man of Shakespeare?s writing? Plus the boys examine the play for its insight into the politics of the time in which it was written. And we discover Dominic?s missed vocation.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Joey McCarthy

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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In today?s episode, Tom and Dominic are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough as they sail across the Atlantic in a dragon-ship, bound for the epic world of the Norse sagas. What society did the Vikings set up in Iceland? How did they get to America? Why were they always so violent?

Produced by Left Peg Media and Goalhanger Films.

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As Angela Merkel bows out of German politics, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore the surprisingly colourful world of Germany?s Chancellors since the Second World War. It?s a story of rebels, exiles, Nazis, chain-smokers, the colossal bulk of Helmut Kohl and the East German youth of the future Frau Merkel. And to Tom?s relief, there?s lots of Christianity.

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The fictional British agent James Bond returns to our cinema screens this week, but what do the history and evolution of Ian Fleming?s iconic character tell us about our changing society? Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore 007 in both book and cinematic form. 

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Vasco Andrade

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

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@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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Writer and critic Tomiwa Owolade joins Dominic and Tom to discuss the pan-African movement and the varying ways in which African states became independent from their European colonisers during the 20th century.

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Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian invasion of Greece. Today, they look at two battles which have echoed down the millennia: Thermopylae, the very archetype of a heroic defeat, and Salamis, the great naval clash which saved Greece from Persian conquest.

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In 480 BC, 300 Spartans made a famous stand at Thermopylae, as hordes of Persian soldiers, led by Xerxes, seemed set to succeed in their aim of conquering Greece. However, although Leonidas and his men were defeated, only a short while later the Greek navy, against superior Persian forces, routed them in the Straits of Salamis, a turning point in the war as the Persians were steadily swept out of Greece. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the epic battle and its outcome.

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Tom Holland is joined by Ali Ansari to discuss the most influential mistresses in history. The definition of success is to impact history, despite often humble beginnings.

Recorded live at the London Podcast Festival.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Vasco Andrade

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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There are estimated to be around 16 thousand churches in England alone. But which are the finest in the UK? Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by the director of Friends of Friendless Churches, Rachel Morley, to decide a top ten. They also discuss some of the listeners? favourites. Just remember: cathedrals not allowed!

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On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked above the US by the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda. What followed was the deadliest terrorist attack in history. Twenty years on, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland look back at the events and discuss their impact.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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The rise of social media is the central subject of our second instalment with tech pioneer Marc Andreessen. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook ask whether social media is the principal force behind an increase in populist politics. The ?Americanisation? of culture plus Marc?s theory on why software is the closest thing to real life magic also feature.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland are joined by tech pioneer Marc Andreessen. Has the internet been the most important force in modern history? In part one of this two part series they look at how the internet developed out of military technology, whether early developers knew they were changing the world, and why business initially built a ?wall of scepticism? around the possibilities of the World Wide Web.

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The year is 1983, and on November the 8th the world is the closest it?s ever been to nuclear destruction, yet nobody at the time realises. Dominic and Tom are joined by author and historian Taylor Downing to discuss how Armageddon was just avoided and why Tom, living near Salisbury, was in more danger than most.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport & Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are live at the Chalke Valley History Festival to discuss the cultural impact of the Fab Four. What were the social conditions that led to their phenomenal success, and will their legacy endure in another hundred years? Plus, why Tom was turned away from John Lennon?s house.  

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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The slaughter and bloodshed on the Western Front in World War One helped shape the narrative of the 20th century. But was it a case of lions led by donkeys?

Gary Sheffield, historian and author of Forgotten Victory: The First World War - Myths and Realities, joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to explore events on the Western Front.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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From the Ice Age to the Winter of Discontent, climate and weather have hugely impacted historical events. Wars halted by freezing conditions, Prime Ministers thrown out of office by an electorate made angrier by the weather. Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland review their top ten weather affected moments in time.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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?A war begun for no wise purpose.? This description of the First Anglo-Afghan War, fought in the early-mid 19th Century, could stand as an epitaph for most conflicts in the region since. William Dalrymple has written extensively about the history of Afghanistan and he joins Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland to take a deep dive into this ?graveyard of empires?.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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In the first of a two-part series exploring the history of Afghanistan, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the nation?s complicated relationships with empires and discuss its role in the ?Great Game?.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Once there was darkness and then there was light. What was the Enlightenment and why did it matter? Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the Enlightenment and its path towards reason, science, revolution and the guillotine.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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The games afoot! Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the world?s favourite consulting detective. Why has the popularity of Sherlock Holmes survived more than a century and what do the stories tell us about Victorian and Edwardian London?

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Even the memory of them is enough to make most people shudder. As thousands of British students wait nervously for their A-level and GCSE results, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by educationalist Daisy Christodoulou to discuss the fascinating history of the examination. Your time starts now.

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60 years ago this month, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) began building a barrier that divided the city of Berlin. It stood until 1989 and came to symbolise the front line of the Cold War.

Iain MacGregor, author of "Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth", joins Tom and Dominic to discuss the history of the Wall, the ideological divide it represented and why it eventually fell.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport & Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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What does it mean to be a Spartan? How much of this Spartan image is real and how much is based on projections and prejudices of others?

Tom and Dominic delve into the Ancient Greek world and take us inside the minds and reality of this civilisation. They also analyse the film ?300? and look at what it got right and wrong. 

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport & Harry Lineker

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Tom and Dominic continue their journey through the history of the Olympics, turning their attention from post-war to the present day. 

They discuss Cold War rivalries, financial extravagance, the influence of TV and the darkest moments in Olympic history.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jon Gill

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

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In 1896 the Olympic Games were reborn in Athens. Here we look at the forgotten tales and little known facts from the start of the modern Olympics through to the outbreak of the Second World War.

Tom tells us about the greatest race of all time, whilst Dominic reveals he is somewhat of an Olympics sceptic.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jon Gill

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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With the Games underway in Tokyo, Tom and Dominic look back to the Ancient Olympics. They discuss the heroic but incredibly violent stories of the Greek superstars of 2500 years ago, and why the Games were bad news for women, animals and cheats. Plus, Tom reveals how his cricketing woes were compounded by an Ancient Greek poet.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Statues: Parliament Square

In the final part of their epic trilogy, Tom and Dominic arrive at Parliament Square to explore the statues of world leaders including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. 

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Tom and Dominic continue their tour of London?s statues, arriving in Whitehall. War leaders, useless royals and courtesans all feature.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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In the first of a three part series Tom and Dominic take a walking tour of central London to examine the statues of Trafalgar Square and explore the stories behind them. 

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Tom and Dominic are joined by historian William Dalrymple to tell the fascinating and shocking story of the East India Company in the 18th century. How could a gang of ?spectacularly corrupt? merchants conquer vast parts of Asia from a small office in London with just 35 employees? And how did the company?s actions pave the way for British government rule in India.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Henry VIII had the most notorious marital relations of any king in history. Tom and Dominic discuss the six women who became his queen. How did they influence the course of the Reformation? And which one would have done best on Love Island?

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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No country has enjoyed a greater influence on the English than Italy. Ahead of the European Championship final, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore the history of Rome, Italy and England.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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No war has divided public opinion more than the conflict in Vietnam. Andrew Preston, Cambridge University Professor of American History, joins Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland to discuss the international politics surrounding the conflict.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Ahead of the two countries? encounter at Wembley, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss Anglo-Danish history through the ages. Vikings, the destruction of Copenhagen and royal dogs all feature prominently.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Tom and Dominic discuss how to write history books for kids. What topics are they interested in? What will they find boring? How much detail is acceptable when writing about mass killings and violence? And why it's best to get an 8 year old to do the proof reading

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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On the eve of a huge sporting encounter in Rome between the English and Ukrainian football teams, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the history binding the two nations. Crimea, The Light Brigade and Florence Nightingale all make the starting line-up.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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The British Empire: good, bad or neither? And how does its legacy shape us today? Journalist Sathnam Sanghera, author of ?Empireland?, joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to explore this timely, fascinating and hugely controversial subject.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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With England and Germany set to do sporting battle once again, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the historical events which have shaped the relationship between two or Europe?s super powers.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Settle down by the fire and prepare to be haunted. Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts, joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to wonder whether ghost stories evolve to reflect the age in which the apparition appears.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Jeremy Thorpe was the most flamboyant politician of his day. Leader of the Liberal Party for nine years he was tried at the Old Bailey for conspiracy to murder his former lover Norman Scott. Although acquitted, the case destroyed Thorpe?s career. Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland discuss this extraordinary story, which includes the murder of Scott?s dog Rinka.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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In the second part of our examination of Adolf Hitler, Sir Ian Kershaw joins Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the Nazi leader?s years leading up to and during the Second World War.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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He was ?the embodiment of modern political evil? according to historian Sir Ian Kershaw. In this first episode of a two-part investigation of the Nazi dictator, Sir Ian joins Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland to discuss Adolf Hitler.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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Does the Magna Carta enshrine the liberties of every free-born Englishman? Or is it now irrelevant? Ted Vallance, Professor of History at Roehampton University, joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss King John and the bill of rights he was forced to sign.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

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No state in America captures the imagination quite like California. With its glitz and glamour and also its enormous economic disparities the state is a symbol of both the American dream and nightmare. Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore California?s origins as well as its modern day politics.

A Goalhanger Films & Left Peg Media production

Produced by Jack Davenport

Exec Producer Tony Pastor

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Email: [email protected]

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.