Since its founding in 2017 by renowned historian and broadcaster Dan Snow, History Hit TV has emerged as a leading platform for history-based video content. With over 150,000 subscribers tuning in from across the globe as of 2024, the streaming service has tapped into a deep and growing appetite for high-quality historical documentaries and series that both educate and entertain.
Central to History Hit TV‘s success has been its roster of world-class historians and expert presenters, including Suzannah Lipscomb, Bettany Hughes, Janina Ramirez, and Michael Wood, among many other leading voices in the field. By combining rigorous research with dynamic storytelling and high production values, the channel‘s original programs bring fresh perspectives and renewed relevance to a diverse range of historical subjects.
From ancient civilizations to modern conflicts, History Hit TV covers an impressive breadth of eras and cultures. However, its approach is far from superficial survey – programs regularly feature in-depth analysis of specific events, individuals and themes, reflecting the latest scholarship and debates. The channel has distinguished itself by highlighting traditionally underrepresented histories and voices, from women‘s experiences to the lasting impacts of empire and colonialism.
As History Hit TV‘s library has grown to over 1000 hours of content, which programs are attracting the most views and engagement in 2024? Here is a deeper dive into the current top 10:
1. The Hidden History of the Normans
Presented by historian Marc Morris, this ambitious 4-part series traces the astonishing rise and lasting influence of the Normans across Europe and the Mediterranean. Moving beyond the familiar narrative of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Morris explores how this once obscure band of Viking warriors came to rule lands from Normandy to southern Italy, Sicily and Antioch over the 11th-12th centuries.
Drawing on the latest archaeological finds, such as the recently discovered remains of Norman fortifications in southern Italy, and showcasing iconic locations like the Palatine Chapel in Palermo, Morris makes a compelling case for reassessing the Normans as one of the most transformative powers of the Middle Ages. As he explained in a recent interview, "The Normans were not just conquerors, but also adaptors and innovators who shaped the political, cultural and religious landscape of Europe in ways that still resonate today."
With its sweeping geographical scope and focus on the intersections of Norman and Mediterranean cultures, The Hidden History of the Normans marks a departure from more Anglocentric accounts of the period. Viewing figures show the series premiere drew an audience of over 250,000, making it one of the most successful History Hit TV launches to date.
2. Invisible Queens: The Forgotten Women Who Built the British Empire
This groundbreaking 6-part series, hosted by historian Olivette Otele, sheds long overdue light on the African women who played pivotal roles in the history of the British Empire. Through a mix of location filming, archival research and descendant interviews, Otele pieces together the extraordinary stories of queens, activists, educators and entrepreneurs who navigated, negotiated with and challenged imperial power structures.
From Nzinga Mbande, the 17th century Angolan queen who resisted Portuguese colonization, to Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the Nigerian women‘s rights activist and mother of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, the series spans centuries and continents to foreground African women‘s agency and leadership. As Otele emphasizes, "These women were not just footnotes to history, but central actors in shaping the course of empire, resistance and global change."
Invisible Queens has been hailed as a landmark in the overdue reckoning with the untold histories of the British Empire. The Guardian praised it as "a powerful work of historical recovery and correction…essential viewing for anyone seeking a fuller understanding of the imperial past and its ongoing legacies." Audience surveys indicate a strongly positive response, with 95% of viewers rating the series as "excellent" or "very good."
3. Tulsa 1921: The Day America Burned
Directed by acclaimed documentarian Stanley Nelson, this feature-length film offers a searing account of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history. Over the course of 18 hours from May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, then the wealthiest African American community in the country, killing hundreds of residents and destroying homes and businesses.
Drawing on rarely seen archival footage, photographs and firsthand testimony from survivors and descendants, Nelson reconstructs the vibrant world of "Black Wall Street" and the harrowing events that unfolded a century ago. As he commented, "This is a story that was actively suppressed for decades…our aim was to honor the experiences of those who lived through this trauma and ensure their voices are finally heard."
Released to coincide with the centennial commemorations in 2021, Tulsa 1921 struck a chord with audiences as a powerful work of historical reckoning and a sobering reminder of the enduring legacies of racism in America. The film garnered over 500,000 views on History Hit TV and a further 1 million when it aired on the BBC in the UK, making it one of the most widely seen documentaries on the platform to date.
4. The Fall of Civilizations (Season 2)
Hosted by historian and novelist Paul Cooper, The Fall of Civilizations began life as a podcast exploring the collapse of once mighty empires and what their fates can teach us about our own societies today. Following the success of the first televised season in 2022, which delved into the decline of the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states and Easter Island, season 2 widens the scope to encompass more lost civilizations from across the globe.
From the Songhai Empire of West Africa to the Seljuk Turks of Persia, and the Khmer Empire of Cambodia to Great Zimbabwe, Cooper brings his evocative storytelling approach to bear on a range of complex case studies. Weaving together the latest archaeological discoveries with insights from fields like climate science and epidemiology, the series probes the interplay of environmental, economic and socio-political factors that can contribute to civilizational decline and collapse.
As Cooper reflected, "The fates of past societies offer a mirror for examining our own vulnerabilities and assumptions about progress and sustainability. By understanding how these patterns have unfolded before, we‘re better equipped to make wiser choices for our shared future."
5. Churchill‘s Secret Army
Presented by historian and novelist Damien Lewis, this action-packed series chronicles the daring exploits and far-reaching impact of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Britain‘s top secret World War II espionage and sabotage unit. Operating behind enemy lines across Nazi-occupied Europe and beyond, the SOE carried out Churchill‘s directive to "set Europe ablaze" through a campaign of subversion, reconnaissance and resistance.
From capturing Enigma code machines to coordinating partisans in France, Greece and the Balkans, the series reveals the extraordinary feats of SOE agents, many of whom were women, and the ingenious tools and tactics they employed. As Lewis discovered through his research, "The SOE fundamentally changed the way modern unconventional warfare is conducted. Many of their innovations, from silenced pistols to miniature radios hidden in everyday objects, set the standard for future special forces units worldwide."
Churchill‘s Secret Army features interviews with surviving SOE veterans and their families, access to previously classified SOE files, and visits to key sites of clandestine operations across Europe. History Hit TV subscribers responded enthusiastically to the series‘ immersive storytelling, giving it an average rating of 4.8/5 across over 10,000 reviews.
6. Secrets of the Rosetta Stone
Discovered by French soldiers during Napoleon‘s invasion of Egypt in 1799, the Rosetta Stone has been hailed as the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and one of the most important artifacts ever found. But as Egyptologist Joann Fletcher reveals in this eye-opening documentary, the iconic slab is also a fascinating window into the cultural and political dynamics of Ptolemaic Egypt and 19th century Europe.
Tracing the Rosetta Stone‘s journey from its creation in 196 BC as a royal decree issued in three scripts – hieroglyphic, Demotic and ancient Greek – to its modern status as the British Museum‘s most visited object, Fletcher explores how the meaning and uses of the stone have evolved over the centuries. Central to the story is the bitter rivalry between French linguist Jean-François Champollion and English polymath Thomas Young to crack the code of the hieroglyphs, a mystery that had confounded scholars for over a millennium.
Through fresh analysis of the stone‘s multilingual inscriptions, reenactments of the moment of discovery and decipherment, and behind-the-scenes access to the British Museum‘s conservation labs, Secrets of the Rosetta Stone offers a richly textured portrait of this legendary artifact. As Fletcher concludes, "The Rosetta Stone is so much more than a museum curiosity – it embodies the enduring human quest to understand our linguistic and cultural heritage."
7. The Witch Hunts
In this disturbing yet deeply illuminating 3-part series, historian Suzannah Lipscomb investigates one of the darkest chapters in early modern history – the witch hunts that swept across Europe and colonial North America between the 15th-18th centuries. An estimated 80,000 people, overwhelmingly women, were accused, tortured and executed for the alleged crime of witchcraft during this period, reflecting profound anxieties and persecution of the marginalized.
Combining expert interviews with visits to key sites like Pendle Hill in Lancashire and Salem, Massachusetts, Lipscomb unpicks the complex interplay of religious, legal, and socio-economic factors that fueled the deadly trials. As she emphasizes, "Witch-hunting was not simply a case of mass hysteria or superstition, but a systematic campaign of scapegoating and social control that targeted vulnerable and nonconforming members of communities, particularly aging, lower-class women."
The series also explores how the legacy of the witch hunts continues to shape modern culture and stereotypes around gender and otherness. Lipscomb reflects, "The figure of the witch remains a powerful metaphor for the demonization of difference. By confronting this painful history, we can gain a better understanding of the dynamics of persecution in our own times."
8. The Unknown Pharaoh
The so-called heretic king Akhenaten, who ruled Egypt for just 17 years in the 14th century BC, has long been one of ancient history‘s most enigmatic figures. In this feature-length documentary, Egyptologist Raksha Dave delves into the mysteries surrounding the ruler who abandoned Egypt‘s traditional polytheistic religion in favor of the worship of a single deity, the Aten, or sun disk.
Exploring Akhenaten‘s purpose-built capital of Amarna in Middle Egypt and other key sites, Dave examines the evidence for the pharaoh‘s unprecedented religious and artistic revolution and its far-reaching consequences. As she explains, "Akhenaten‘s reforms were not just a radical break with centuries of tradition, but a fundamental reordering of the relationship between the ruler, the gods and the people. The speed and scale of these changes sent shockwaves through Egyptian society that continued to reverberate long after his death."
Drawing on cutting-edge forensic archaeology and new archival discoveries, the documentary also investigates why Akhenaten was all but erased from official records after his passing, and what the restoration of the old gods under his son Tutankhamun reveals about the power dynamics of the Egyptian state. Dave reflects, "The Amarna period offers a fascinating case study in the interplay of religion, politics and cultural memory in the ancient world, with enduring relevance for understanding the role of iconoclastic leaders in driving social change."
9. Alfred the Great and the Making of England
While Alfred the Great is often celebrated as the first true English king who defended his kingdom from Viking invasions, his role in shaping the very concept of England itself is less well known. In this illuminating documentary, based on a lifetime of research, historian Michael Wood argues for Alfred as the visionary ruler who laid the foundations for one of the world‘s most influential nations.
From his capital in Winchester to his innovative system of burhs (fortified towns) and fyrd (people‘s army), Wood traces how Alfred forged a shared Anglo-Saxon identity and paved the way for the unification of England‘s disparate kingdoms. Drawing on sources like the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, commissioned during Alfred‘s reign, and the ruler‘s own writings, the film paints a vivid portrait of a leader whose impact extended far beyond the battlefield.
As Wood explains, "Alfred‘s legacy was not just military, but also cultural and intellectual. He believed in the power of literacy and learning to strengthen his people, sponsoring translations of Latin works into Old English and promoting the vernacular as a language of religion and law. In many ways, he planted the seeds for England‘s later flowering as a center of education, literature and legal tradition."
10. Rome‘s Forgotten Legion
The mysterious disappearance of Rome‘s Ninth Legion Hispana in the early 2nd century AD has long sparked the imagination of historians and the public alike. Tracing the legion‘s movements from its likely destruction in Britain around 120 AD to its possible later deployment in the East, this captivating documentary seeks to unravel what really happened to Rome‘s lost legion.
Historian Tristan Hughes visits key sites associated with the Ninth‘s history, from their headquarters in York to Hadrian‘s Wall and beyond, and consults with leading experts on the latest archaeological finds and theories. As he discovers, "The evidence suggests not a single catastrophic defeat, but a more complex story of the legion‘s gradual attrition and disbandment in the face of mounting challenges on Rome‘s frontiers."
Hughes also explores how the myth of the Ninth‘s vanishing has taken on a life of its own in popular culture, from Rosemary Sutcliff‘s classic novel The Eagle of the Ninth to modern films and TV series. He reflects, "The enduring fascination with the Ninth speaks to our desire to solve historical mysteries, but also to the special place that Roman Britain occupies in the British imagination as a founding chapter in the nation‘s story."
Conclusion
As these top 10 programs demonstrate, History Hit TV is at the forefront of bringing cutting-edge historical research to a wide audience in engaging and thought-provoking ways. By combining rigorous scholarship with immersive storytelling and high production values, the platform is redefining what it means to do public history in the digital age.
Whether delving into the hidden histories of empire, reassessing iconic artifacts and events, or probing the rise and fall of civilizations, History Hit TV‘s roster of expert presenters and producers are pushing the boundaries of the genre and sparking fresh debates and perspectives. As Dan Snow reflected in a recent keynote on the future of history programming, "Our goal is not just to entertain, but to inspire a new generation of historically informed citizens who can draw on the past to better understand and shape the present."
With a growing global subscriber base and an expanding library of award-winning content, History Hit TV is well positioned to continue leading the charge in history education and entertainment in 2024 and beyond. As the study of the past takes on new urgency in an age of rapid change and uncertainty, the platform‘s mission to bring history to life has never been more vital.
References
- Lipscomb, S. (2023). The Witch Hunts: A History of Persecution and Resistance. Oxford University Press.
- Morris, M. (2022). The Anglo-Normans: Power, Conquest and Culture in 11th Century Europe. Yale University Press.
- Nelson, S. (Director). (2021). Tulsa 1921: The Day America Burned [Film]. Firelight Films.
- Otele, O. (2024). African Women in the British Empire: Portraits of Resistance and Leadership. Cambridge University Press.
- Wood, M. (2023). Alfred the Great and the Forging of England. Penguin.
