The Rest is History receives British Academy President's Medal

The Rest is History has made history this week by becoming the first podcast to be awarded the President's Medal from the British Academy, the highest honour that the national body for humanities and social sciences can bestow.

Queens' Honorary Fellow and alumnus Tom Holland (1986) has co-presented the award-winning podcast with Dominic Sandbrook since it first aired in 2020. It has been downloaded around the globe over 150 million times, attracting a dedicated fan base ranging from casual listeners to die-hard historians.

Part of the podcast's appeal lies in its focus on the narrative of history from the distant past to more recent events, inviting listeners to explore a global scope. A diverse array of subjects from the Spartans to the Sixties are treated with fascination and humour by Holland and Sandbrook, without shying away from some of the more controversial chapters of the past.

Tom Holland has written numerous best-selling books on Classical and medieval history. He graduated from Queens’ with a Double First in English, beginning his career writing fiction before turning to write history, including an authoritative translation of Herodotus' Histories. His latest book, PAX: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age, narrates the history of the Roman Empire at the pinnacle of its greatness. Tom is also an Honorary Life Patron of the College Cricket Club.

The President's Medal was awarded to The Rest is History for presenting historical research in an engaging and accessible way to a wider audience and providing a platform for a range of academics to engage the public with their expertise. Previous recipients include the author Margaret Atwood, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga, and primatologist Dame Jane Goodall.

Awarding the Prize, Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy, said: