1. Thomas Cochrane: The Real Master and Commander

Dan tells a story as dramatic, unlikely and exciting as any ever penned by an author about one of Britain's greatest sailors. Thomas Lord Cochrane was a naval commander with an illustrious career in the Napoleonic Wars who once strapped himself to a floating bomb, in a rising storm, in the dead of a moonless night to take out a French fleet. Another time, he convinced an enemy force to surrender to a navy that didn’t exist. Napoleon dubbed him 'The Sea Wolf'.

In part 1 of this 3-part series, Dan delves into Cochrane's early life and career starting out as a young man discovering a penchant for the sea, adventure and war.

The whole series is available now for paying subscribers- you can sign up for the Apple app or at the link below.

The rest of the series will be available for all listeners from Monday 8th January.

Written by Dan Snow, produced by Mariana Des Forges, edited by Joseph Knight and sound designed & mixed by Dougal Patmore.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.