It’s time to embark on a journey through history with "Oh What A Time…" a comedy history podcast hosted by renowned comedians Elis James and Tom Craine along with award winning podcaster Chris Scull. Tackling a brand new subject each week, (from ‘childhood’ to ‘a life at sea’, ‘marriage’ to ‘holidays’) your hosts will dive into the very weirdest and worst that history has to offer, in an effort to answer the question… "Was the past as awful as it sounds?"For all the links, including our Patreon, head to" ohwhatatime.comYou can get in touch with the show by emailing: hello@ohwh...
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Sep 28, 2026 · 29:45
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Here it is: our 200th episode and we’ve chosen to mark the occasion by celebrating you, our listeners, via the medium of your…
Sep 27, 2026 · 33:24
Here it is: our 200th episode and we’ve chosen to mark the occasion by celebrating you, our listeners, via the medium of your wonderful letters. It’s a special episode dedicated…
Sep 21, 2026 · 31:44
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week on the show we’re looking at the greatest book collections history has to offer as well as the historical figures who…
Sep 20, 2026 · 38:35
This week on the show we’re looking at the greatest book collections history has to offer as well as the historical figures who themselves loved to read. We have for you this…
Sep 14, 2026 · 29:55
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re taking a historical audio holiday to some of our favourite French towns. We’ll head to the very Roman Nîmes, we’ll…
Sep 13, 2026 · 41:05
This week we’re taking a historical audio holiday to some of our favourite French towns. We’ll head to the very Roman Nîmes, we’ll dine out in Dinan and finally we’ll get the…
Sep 7, 2026 · 34:24
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re travelling through time to see how surgery has been performed through the ages! We’ll head to 990AD to see what…
Sep 6, 2026 · 38:46
This week we’re travelling through time to see how surgery has been performed through the ages! We’ll head to 990AD to see what surgical innovation followed a monkey eating some…
Sep 1, 2026 · 28:39
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re discussing some classic hymns and all round total anthems through history. We’ll discuss a favourite on the UK…
Aug 31, 2026 · 32:06
This week we’re discussing some classic hymns and all round total anthems through history. We’ll discuss a favourite on the UK football terraces: The Battle Hymn of the Republic.…
Aug 24, 2026 · 31:27
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Ahoy captains! We’re back after our summer break and this week we’re discussing Captains! We have for you this week, the big one:…
Aug 23, 2026 · 38:22
Ahoy captains! We’re back after our summer break and this week we’re discussing Captains! We have for you this week, the big one: Captain Cook. Another huge captain in Captain…
Aug 17, 2026 · 47:51
We're on our annual two-week summer break, but don't worry! Please enjoy these subscriber episodes from last summer while we're away! From September 2025, this is.. It's another…
Aug 16, 2026 · 44:32
We're on our annual two-week summer break, but don't worry! Please enjoy these subscriber episodes from last summer while we're away! From September 2025, this is.. Following…
Aug 10, 2026 · 41:03
We're on our annual two-week summer break, but don't worry! Please enjoy these subscriber episodes from last summer while we're away! From August 2025, this is.. #129 Fascism:…
Aug 9, 2026 · 46:10
We're on our annual two-week summer break, but don't worry! Please enjoy these subscriber episodes from last summer while we're away! From July 2025, this is.. #124 Mummies Tom…
Aug 3, 2026 · 33:06
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re discussing some of the greatest mysteries that history has to offer: we’ve got the infamous tale of The Princes in the…
Aug 2, 2026 · 33:44
This week we’re discussing some of the greatest mysteries that history has to offer: we’ve got the infamous tale of The Princes in the Tower, and the big one - Who Shot JFK? Plus…
Jul 27, 2026 · 35:32
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re joined by one of our favourite historians in the whole world, it’s Dan Snow! We treat this episode like we’ve cornered…
Jul 26, 2026 · 38:36
This week we’re joined by one of our favourite historians in the whole world, it’s Dan Snow! We treat this episode like we’ve cornered Dan at a BBQ and just ping him with…
Jul 20, 2026 · 33:47
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re joined by friend of the show, producer, writer and actor (and proud Welshman), Jonny Owen to discuss the golden age of…
Jul 19, 2026 · 36:39
This week we’re joined by friend of the show, producer, writer and actor (and proud Welshman), Jonny Owen to discuss the golden age of Industrial Revolution era Wales! We’ll chat…
Jul 13, 2026 · 31:40
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re turning to the natural world to see how humans have adapted various plants for all kinds of uses through history.…
Jul 12, 2026 · 40:40
This week we’re turning to the natural world to see how humans have adapted various plants for all kinds of uses through history. We’ve got the chequered history of opium, the…
Jul 6, 2026 · 27:47
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at what happened to the First Ladies of assassinated US Presidents. The tale of Mary Todd Lincoln, Jackie…
Jul 5, 2026 · 41:09
This week we’re looking at what happened to the First Ladies of assassinated US Presidents. The tale of Mary Todd Lincoln, Jackie Kennedy and the loser-known story of Lucretia…
Jun 30, 2026 · 24:09
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re taking a look at buildings which have had an interesting second life in Germany’s capital; East Germany’s Palast der…
Jun 28, 2026 · 37:42
This week we’re taking a look at buildings which have had an interesting second life in Germany’s capital; East Germany’s Palast der Republik, what became of Albert Speer’s New…
Jun 23, 2026 · 27:46
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at theme parks which simply no longer exist! We’ve got London’s glamorous and failed Segaworld, the slightly…
Jun 21, 2026 · 44:23
This week we’re looking at theme parks which simply no longer exist! We’ve got London’s glamorous and failed Segaworld, the slightly less glamorous Mr Blobby inspired Blobbyland…
Jun 16, 2026 · 25:54
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! We’ve got a brilliant episode this week: we’ve turned to history to find the worst jobs we can. We’ve got tanning (leather, not the…
Jun 14, 2026 · 41:57
We’ve got a brilliant episode this week: we’ve turned to history to find the worst jobs we can. We’ve got tanning (leather, not the sun beds), bridge painting, and the Victorian…
Jun 9, 2026 · 43:39
** We're 'off' this week due to half term, so please enjoy these old subscriber episodes in the mean time! And for more bonus episodes (and next week's episode) head to:…
Jun 7, 2026 · 51:13
** We're 'off' this week due to half term, so please enjoy these old subscriber episodes in the mean time! And for more bonus episodes (and next week's episode) head to:…
Jun 2, 2026 · 36:45
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at commercial entities that went bigger than their wildest dreams. We’ve got for you: Japanese consumer…
May 31, 2026 · 35:04
This week we’re looking at commercial entities that went bigger than their wildest dreams. We’ve got for you: Japanese consumer electronics firm Casio, how did Cadbury make that…
May 26, 2026 · 29:32
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! For the eighteenth-century gentleman few things marked a rite of passage more than the grand tour - so this week we’re seeing what…
May 24, 2026 · 34:24
For the eighteenth-century gentleman few things marked a rite of passage more than the grand tour - so this week we’re seeing what exploring Europe, the UK and North America was…
May 19, 2026 · 35:56
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! **THIS EPISODE CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND THEMES OF AN ADULT NATURE** Our guest this week is British historian and author Dr Kate…
May 17, 2026 · 40:07
**THIS EPISODE CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND THEMES OF AN ADULT NATURE** Our guest this week is British historian and author Dr Kate Lister who is here to discuss her new book…
May 12, 2026 · 34:55
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re chatting education: what did schooling look like in Ancient Greece and Rome? What has corporal punishment looked like…
May 10, 2026 · 31:55
This week we’re chatting education: what did schooling look like in Ancient Greece and Rome? What has corporal punishment looked like in schools through history? And how has the…
May 5, 2026 · 29:41
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! We are truly honoured this week to be joined by one of our favourite historians in the world; it’s German-British author, who penned…
May 3, 2026 · 38:07
We are truly honoured this week to be joined by one of our favourite historians in the world; it’s German-British author, who penned of one of Elis’ favourite ever books (Beyond…
Apr 28, 2026 · 31:36
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week on the show we’re talking about the sporting prowess of history’s most well-known revolutionaries; we have baseball-loving…
Apr 27, 2026 · 42:32
It's a special bonus episode! This one from June 2025, never heard before on the main feed! If you want more Oh What A Time and both parts at once, you should sign up for our…
Apr 26, 2026 · 43:51
This week on the show we’re talking about the sporting prowess of history’s most well-known revolutionaries; we have baseball-loving Fidel Castro, Chairman Mao’s love of ping…
Apr 21, 2026 · 28:17
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at attempts through history at mass observation; we have Britain in the late 1930s, American culture after the…
Apr 19, 2026 · 40:21
This week we’re looking at attempts through history at mass observation; we have Britain in the late 1930s, American culture after the Great Depression and the Soviet diaspora in…
Apr 14, 2026 · 31:20
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re discussing that wonderful land of Australia! We’ll be finding out what was suspected about a land down under in…
Apr 12, 2026 · 46:42
This week we’re discussing that wonderful land of Australia! We’ll be finding out what was suspected about a land down under in Antiquity, south-east Asia’s Australian mythology…
Apr 7, 2026 · 26:41
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at 3x US First Ladies and their extraordinary lives: we have Louisa Adams (1775-1852), the extensively…
Apr 5, 2026 · 46:09
This week we’re looking at 3x US First Ladies and their extraordinary lives: we have Louisa Adams (1775-1852), the extensively travelled Lou Hoover (1874-1944) and the powerful…
Mar 31, 2026 · 24:22
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we have three stories of incredible female leaders from throughout history: Queen Boudica and how she took on the Romans,…
Mar 30, 2026 · 52:12
We have a special bonus ep for you from our bonus ep archive! This one was first made available for subscribers in December 2024. On our Patreon you’ll now find: •The full…
Mar 29, 2026 · 36:38
This week we have three stories of incredible female leaders from throughout history: Queen Boudica and how she took on the Romans, trailblazer author Christine de Pizan and…
Mar 25, 2026 · 26:59
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at various invasions and subsequent occupations through history; we’ve got Nordic allied invasions in WW2…
Mar 23, 2026 · 36:02
This week we’re looking at various invasions and subsequent occupations through history; we’ve got Nordic allied invasions in WW2 (including Iceland!), the Norman occupation of…
Mar 18, 2026 · 31:21
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re discussing the various attempts through history to create a Utopia right here on earth. We have for you The Diggers of…
Mar 16, 2026 · 35:42
This week we’re discussing the various attempts through history to create a Utopia right here on earth. We have for you The Diggers of the 1600s, Brook Farm in 1850s America and…
Mar 11, 2026 · 35:20
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Get the atlas out because this week we’re analysing some of the world’s smallest countries! We’ve got for you Brunei, the Vatican City…
Mar 9, 2026 · 33:46
Get the atlas out because this week we’re analysing some of the world’s smallest countries! We’ve got for you Brunei, the Vatican City and how about we take a trip to Andorra?…
Mar 4, 2026 · 30:02
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re working through a bit more of your correspondence before dealing with our first ever ‘Oh What A Crime’ episode which…
Mar 2, 2026 · 29:57
This week we’re working through a bit more of your correspondence before dealing with our first ever ‘Oh What A Crime’ episode which today focuses on: The Great Train Robbery of…
Feb 25, 2026 · 35:18
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at some of the most famous families that history has to offer. We’ve got the House of Cromwell for you, plus…
Feb 22, 2026 · 35:07
This week we’re looking at some of the most famous families that history has to offer. We’ve got the House of Cromwell for you, plus the Astors and the incredible story of the…
Feb 18, 2026 · 32:58
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at those who achieved the extraordinary and at incredibly youthful age! We have the Tudor boy King, Edward VI,…
Feb 16, 2026 · 42:36
This week we’re looking at those who achieved the extraordinary and at incredibly youthful age! We have the Tudor boy King, Edward VI, to discuss. Britain’s youngest ever Prime…
Feb 10, 2026 · 31:38
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re looking at some of the greatest comebacks history has to offer. Where else to begin than the epic comeback that is…
Feb 9, 2026 · 34:43
This week we’re looking at some of the greatest comebacks history has to offer. Where else to begin than the epic comeback that is Skoda cars! And what about the comeback of the…
Feb 3, 2026 · 30:57
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re tracing the life of one of the most famous people to have ever lived: Caesar! We’ll see his relatively humble origins,…
Feb 2, 2026 · 36:55
This week we’re tracing the life of one of the most famous people to have ever lived: Caesar! We’ll see his relatively humble origins, we’ll travel with him to Gaul and Britain…
Jan 27, 2026 · 31:17
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Yes, despite the fact we’re closer to episode 200 than 100, this really is episode 100! (We’d planned this ep a long time ago but only…
Jan 26, 2026 · 38:31
Yes, despite the fact we’re closer to episode 200 than 100, this really is episode 100! (We’d planned this ep a long time ago but only just got round to recording). For the first…
Jan 20, 2026 · 29:27
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re popping into history’s local - it’s a whole episode dedicated to pubs! We’ve got a brief history of the British pub,…
Jan 19, 2026 · 39:11
This week we’re popping into history’s local - it’s a whole episode dedicated to pubs! We’ve got a brief history of the British pub, this history of the pub landlord and how some…
Jan 13, 2026 · 29:00
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! We’re back for 2026! And our first subject is the life story of one of the most prominent Welsh historians of the 20th century; Gwyn…
Jan 12, 2026 · 39:05
We’re back for 2026! And our first subject is the life story of one of the most prominent Welsh historians of the 20th century; Gwyn “Alf” Williams. We’ll trace his life from…
Jan 6, 2026 · 39:53
We'll be back next week but until then, we have one final bonus subscriber episode for you to enjoy: this time, on the subject of the navy. BUT CRUCIALLY, DON'T FORGET! The…
Jan 5, 2026 · 54:12
We're back next week but until then, we have ANOTHER bonus subscriber episode for you to enjoy. BUT CRUCIALLY, DON'T FORGET! The comedy history podcast that has spent as much…
Dec 30, 2025 · 43:44
Yes we're still off on our Christmas/New Year holidays but never fear! We have ANOTHER bonus subscriber episode for you to enjoy. BUT CRUCIALLY, DON'T FORGET! The comedy history…
Dec 29, 2025 · 46:19
While we're off on our Christmas holidays, please enjoy ANOTHER bonus episode! AND DON'T FORGET! The comedy history podcast that has spent as much time talking about the…
Dec 22, 2025 · 52:08
While we're off on our Christmas holidays, please enjoy this bonus episode! AND DON'T FORGET! The comedy history podcast that has spent as much time talking about the invention…
Dec 16, 2025 · 45:48
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we have a Christmas special for you in which we’ll take a good look at a whole array of festive traditions. This history of…
Dec 15, 2025 · 40:16
This week we have a Christmas special for you in which we’ll take a good look at a whole array of festive traditions. This history of the Christmas annual, the history of the…
Dec 9, 2025 · 31:49
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re here with the first of two episodes on the history of maps! We’ve got 27,000 year old maps carved onto tusks, maps in…
Dec 8, 2025 · 42:36
This week we’re here with the first of two episodes on the history of maps! We’ve got 27,000 year old maps carved onto tusks, maps in ancient Egypt and, the big one, the Mappa…
Dec 2, 2025 · 30:27
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re taking a good look at some of the biggest companies ever to grace the planet; expect to hear from The Hudson’s Bay…
Dec 1, 2025 · 40:03
This week we’re taking a good look at some of the biggest companies ever to grace the planet; expect to hear from The Hudson’s Bay Company, the greatest (and most pungent) fish…
Nov 25, 2025 · 33:42
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re discussing US Presidents who, through various interventions of fate, weren’t actually President for any great length…
Nov 24, 2025 · 33:08
This week we’re discussing US Presidents who, through various interventions of fate, weren’t actually President for any great length of time. We’ve got poor old Zachary Taylor…
Nov 18, 2025 · 29:38
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! In our most meta episode ever, this week we’re discussing the history of audiobooks and podcasts! Firstly, what was the equivalent of…
Nov 17, 2025 · 42:21
In our most meta episode ever, this week we’re discussing the history of audiobooks and podcasts! Firstly, what was the equivalent of podcasts in Ancient Rome? How Thomas Edison…
Nov 11, 2025 · 27:34
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! Everyone is talking about Traitors (the TV show) but this week we’re talking traitors (of the disloyal kind). We have a range of World…
Nov 10, 2025 · 39:10
Everyone is talking about Traitors (the TV show) but this week we’re talking traitors (of the disloyal kind). We have a range of World War 2 turncoats to discuss for you: Lord…
Nov 4, 2025 · 26:22
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re going back in time to look at that most curious of careers: jesters! We’ve got the earliest professional farters,…
Nov 3, 2025 · 47:47
This week we’re going back in time to look at that most curious of careers: jesters! We’ve got the earliest professional farters, we’ve got Harlequins and we’ll see what jesters…
Oct 28, 2025 · 25:29
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! This week we’re taking a look at interesting memorials. We’ve got a brief history of statues in Britain, the history of the blue…
Oct 27, 2025 · 31:52
This week we’re taking a look at interesting memorials. We’ve got a brief history of statues in Britain, the history of the blue plaque and we’ve got a little on the history of…
Oct 21, 2025 · 28:20
This is Part 2! For Part 1, check the feed! It’s a new series of Oh What A Time and this week we have for you: Luddites! Swing riots! Rebecca riots! Yes, this week we’re talking:…
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