A new podcast explores historical failure through storytelling and cultural analysis, as Elizabeth Day and Dan Jones reunite for a limited series.
Podcaster and author Elizabeth Day and historian and author Dan Jones are launching History’s Greatest Fails, a six-episode series from Sony Music.
Old friends and fellow Cambridge history graduates, Elizabeth and Dan present the show together, combining their shared interest in the past with a lighter tone.
Each episode focuses on a different example of failure, examining how events and individuals once seen as unsuccessful have shaped wider historical understanding.
Across the series, one host introduces a story while the other responds, creating a conversational format that moves between time periods. They explore how perceptions of failure change over time and why these stories continue to hold relevance today.
The first episode looks at Richard III, including renewed interest following the discovery of his remains. Other episodes cover failed romances, including relationships involving Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Dan Jones said: “Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are the Ross and Rachel of the late medieval world… with the exception that Ross didn’t chop Rachel’s head off.”
Further themes include forgotten women in history, highlighting figures such as Hatshepsut, Joanna Ferrour and Ada Lovelace. The series also examines unintended outcomes, including experiments by Leonardo da Vinci and the origins of gunpowder.
Later episodes focus on artistic reputations, featuring Vincent van Gogh, Artemisia Gentileschi and George Sand, alongside a final instalment exploring conflict and remembrance, including the Hundred Years’ War, the World Wars and the Cold War.
Elizabeth Day said: “Failure is where we grow, where we learn and where some of the most compelling stories about what it is to be human reside.”
“We’re often told that history is written by the winners, but Dan and I wanted to resurrect the people that history overlooks.”
“I hope that listeners and viewers of our show will enjoy this fresh take on history.”
History’s Greatest Fails will be available within the This Is History feed from 7 April on major podcast platforms.
