This is History: History’s Greatest Fails
Sony Music Entertainment
History’s Greatest Fails is a miniseries from Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day that aims to answer the simple, but complex, question: Why do losers make history?
From Richard III, to Vincent Van Gough, to the purposefully forgotten female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this series is going to help you better understand how the idea of failure changes over time, and what lessons failure has for all of us.
Dan and Elizabeth are old friends, fellow history graduates, and fellow authors and podcasters.
Dan Jones is host of This Is History — A Dynasty to Die For, a narrative podcast that charts the bloody and complex drama of England’s Plantagenet dynasty, now up to its 10th season.
Elizabeth is host of How To Fail, a podcast that has brought together hundreds of luminaries and thinkers including Kate Winslet, Yuval Noah Hariri, and Malala Yousafzai, to reflect on failure in the present.
Over six episodes, History’s Greatest Fails will dissect failure of all kinds, from troubled historical rulers, to the failures of remembrance, to the failures that have created the happy accidents that last for generations.
As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And for the bonus episodes of this miniseries, Dan and Producer Al are hearing from the favourites directly via voice notes! Following along as they discuss the failures the royal favourites’ have deemed historic!
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
From Richard III, to Vincent Van Gough, to the purposefully forgotten female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this series is going to help you better understand how the idea of failure changes over time, and what lessons failure has for all of us.
Dan and Elizabeth are old friends, fellow history graduates, and fellow authors and podcasters.
Dan Jones is host of This Is History — A Dynasty to Die For, a narrative podcast that charts the bloody and complex drama of England’s Plantagenet dynasty, now up to its 10th season.
Elizabeth is host of How To Fail, a podcast that has brought together hundreds of luminaries and thinkers including Kate Winslet, Yuval Noah Hariri, and Malala Yousafzai, to reflect on failure in the present.
Over six episodes, History’s Greatest Fails will dissect failure of all kinds, from troubled historical rulers, to the failures of remembrance, to the failures that have created the happy accidents that last for generations.
As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And for the bonus episodes of this miniseries, Dan and Producer Al are hearing from the favourites directly via voice notes! Following along as they discuss the failures the royal favourites’ have deemed historic!
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 13, 2023 • 28min
Season 2 | 12. Richard Interrupted
Richard has worn down French King Philip into agreeing a truce, but still has plenty of enemies to take care of. He heads to a castle in Aquitaine to teach the rebellious lord there a lesson. The Lionheart has won countless sieges and these defenders don’t look well prepared, so he jumps into the action himself. But fate is about to intervene, changing the Plantagenet world forever.
This is History is a Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
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Jun 6, 2023 • 25min
Season 2 | 11. Rain of Terror
Richard’s war to reconquer his empire is in full swing. With John back under his thumb and Philip squarely in his sights, he’s now building a huge castle to act as a forward base against the french king. But as Richard visits the construction site, he’s greeted by a strange and terrifying storm unlike anything in living memory. Is it a bad omen for his campaign?
This is History is a Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 30, 2023 • 24min
Season 2 | 10. Payback
Richard kicks his plan for vengeance into gear. The first step is to flush out his devious brother John, who’s hiding in Normandy. Once John is in his clutches, Richard has the perfect punishment in store: one that’s going to cost his other enemies dearly.
This is History is a Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 23, 2023 • 24min
Season 2 | 9. The Devil is Loose
Richard comes roaring back onto the scene, having finally won his freedom. Now, he’s got his work cut out, reclaiming the lands his brother gave away or lost to the French King. But also, there’s the small matter of revenge. The people who dared put The Lionheart behind bars are about to get what’s coming to them.
This is History is a Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 16, 2023 • 24min
Season 2 | 8. A King’s Ransom
Richard is stuck in prison, and the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, is demanding an eye-watering ransom before he has any hope of release. While Richard’s allies set about raising the funds, his brother John and French King Philip Augustus do everything in their power to keep him there.
This is History is a Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 9, 2023 • 20min
Season 2 | 7. Lockdown
In a hurry to return to England and rescue his kingdom from the clutches of his younger brother, Richard makes the rash decision to sail across the Adriatic in winter. He finds himself shipwrecked off the Italian coast, forced to travel on foot through lands governed by a hostile Duke. The Lionheart is never afraid to ride his luck, but this time, it’s about to run out…
This is History is a Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 2, 2023 • 23min
Season 2 | 6. Brothers Behaving Badly
While Richard is away crusading, back home his brother John and half-brother Geoffrey are up to no good. After being banned from England, John returns to badmouth Richard’s regime and set himself up as a king-in-waiting. The Lionheart sends back trusted advisors and even his mum Eleanor to tackle his scheming siblings, but he’s starting to fear this may not be enough…
This is History is a Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 25, 2023 • 29min
Season 2 | 5. Jerusalem
Riding high after successfully laying siege to Acre, Richard marches his crusading armies towards the strategically vital city of Jaffa. But things take a turn for the worse, as his troops are facing hunger, exhaustion and even poisonous spiders. Plus, the great general Saladin is lying in wait, planning a deadly attack. Can Richard beat the odds and complete his quest to take the biggest prize in the Holy Land: Jerusalem?
This is History is a Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 18, 2023 • 25min
Season 2 | 4. The Battle for Acre
The Mediterranean port city of Acre is under siege by the crusaders, who have been trying to breach its walls for two long years. Conquering Acre is essential if they are to reclaim the Holy Land, but the city is starting to look unbreakable. Morale among the Christian army is at its lowest ebb, when something happens that could turn the tide. Richard the Lionheart finally arrives, and he’s ready for war.
This is History is a Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 11, 2023 • 24min
Season 2 | 3. Here Comes the Bride
Richard the Lionheart continues to terrorise the islands of the Mediterranean, falling out with some very important people as he goes. Meanwhile his mother, Eleanore of Aquitaine, is desperately trying to catch up to the crusaders. She’s bringing someone with her who could throw Richard into a full-blown diplomatic incident.
This is History is a Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer - Clem Hitchcock
Series Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Dave Anderson
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
