The overarching, omnipresent narrative of history is often too complex and vast for most of us to even comprehend. The Romans, Tudors and Saxons are all terms that we mostly associate with the fixed criteria of the education system; writing essays on kings and queens in A5 cardboard bound exercise books. The irony is that history is so much more than that outplaying of chronology and can often have a significant impact on the future world we live in. Writer, broadcaster and historian Dominic Sandbrook has devoted his entire career to making history relevant to a 21st century audience and embracing the frequently surprising comparisons between our society and those of our ancestors. A graduate of Bailoil College, Oxford where he studied history and French, which was succeeded by a Masters in History followed by a philosophy PHD, it’s easy to understand why he has earned the prestigious title of a cultural historian.
Growing up fascinated by myths and legends, the heroes which he loved most were those he created inside his head. With an early passion for Star Wars, Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker became the protagonists to a whole world of imagination which would unknowingly be of value in the years to come. Unlike most people we welcome onto the podcast, Dominic’s whole career has been centred around profiling others and therefore any interview is inevitably going to find its way back to discussing the figures and periods of his particular interest. Therefore the interview wasn’t so much a celebration of his career but a delve into his greatest passions.
Growing up through the 1980’s, there was only one woman who dominated Dominic’s early life and it wasn’t Kylie Minogue. Remaining in office for an unprecedented eleven years, Margaret Thatcher dominated the 1980’s with her enterprising political ideology which divided the nation. While the ambitious, materialistic upper middle classes benefited greatly from the heady days of Thatcherism, those who were unable to be ambitious or successful as a result of their socioeconomic status. Sadly, this demographic was sadly cast aside and forgotten about while the upper middle classes enjoyed the fruits of their labour. No thought or precautions were ever taken for the people who physically couldn’t make this happen and this created a natural separation in society.
For Sandbrook himself, one of his first television appearances came in 2009 when he was asked to contribute to a BBC4 documentary entitled Caravans: A British Love Affair. This came with a significant amount of irony that he wasn’t even fond of the four wheeled social phenomena which reminded him of underwhelming holidays of his youth. Looking back, Dominic is amused by his contributions to such an affectionate documentary as this is definitely not the sentiment he shares for the makeshift version of a holiday home on wheels. However, this contribution helped to forge Dominic’s career forward and honed his on air style which has now become synonymous with the popular podcast The Rest Is History.
In 2015 Dominic fronted the first of many documentaries for BBC4 entitled Let Us Entertain You in which he explores Britain’s rich history of popular culture. From Charles Dickens to Stormzy, our island boasts quite a unique tapestry of art which has created a worldwide reputation. Britain used to be a place of industrial production but ironically today that industry is recognised for being a creative one. We may not be the manufacturing capital of the world which we once were but mechanical engineering has been replaced with another kind of industrial production. This is a fascinating documentary and invites the audience to reflect upon our own cultural identity.
By this time, Dominic had already built a reputation for insightful, reverential programmes that took the audience on a journey. In 2012 he wrote and presented the series The 70’s in which he took an analytical glance at the significant events which defined the decade. Exploring politics, society and pop culture, he was able to examine all the different aspects that defined the decade in a positive and negative way. This was a documentary like no other which aimed to capture a representative image of what it was like to live through the decade that spawned The Three Day Week, The Generation Game and T Rex. This was certainly not a cozy, nostalgic celebration of days gone by, more an analytical glance at a decade that changed Britain.
Such a formula proved successful and a year later Dominic returned to BBC2 to front The 80’s. Obviously the decade was dominated by the forthright ideology of Thatcherism which divided the country but the 1980’s was so much more than the Iron Lady. From the phenomenon of New Romantics to Tupperware parties and Only Fools and Horses, much of the decade helped to lay the foundations for modern Britain. In just ten years, the country went from being a place of high unemployment to a nation of financial prosperity and this was reflected in the music we listened to, the food we enjoyed and the TV we consumed. We emerged from the 1980’s as a stronger, resilient and richer nation than we began the decade, thus making it one of the most important eras in our modern history.
Despite building a formidable body of work profiling some of the most significant events in our modern history, Dominic’s most important contribution to pop culture was still yet to come. In 2020 he teamed up with the author and historian Tom Holland for the podcast The Rest Is History. With such a vast landscape to explore, the show’s scope for content is endless and being given free reign to explore different themes and topics are constantly evolving. Working with such a flexible medium of a podcast allows you to adapt the content around the format that you’re executing. Obviously being under the umbrella of Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Productions has been a huge benefit in offering a platform to the fledgling podcast and gaining a loyal following. Dominic remains excited about the magic of history and The Rest is History is the perfect vessel in which his passion is harnessed.
Welcoming a cultural academic to the show could be seen as a gamble in terms of attracting a universal audience. Yet with Sandbrook’s soaring passion for all he does, together with his supreme eloquence, makes him the perfect raconteur. It was a fantastic achievement to welcome him to Beyond The Title and I really hope you enjoy listening to the episode.
Beyond The Title