Podcast appearances and mentions of Al Murray

Why is VE Day celebrated on May 8th? What did the end of the war look like for Field Marshal Montgomery and his men? What happened at the surrenders, when Supreme Commander Eisenhower refused to sign? Al and Jim discuss what the Nazis were doing to get a favourable surrender for Germany after 6 years of barbaric conflict, and how the Allies disagreed on how and when the end should come. Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe. SERIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was life like for Germans as the Third Reich collapsed all around them? What did Soviet troops discover in the hunt for Hitler? What did the remaining Nazi leadership do to keep the war going, in the face of inevitable defeat? Al and Jim discuss the often very human stories of individuals on both sides of the conflict trying to survive the last days of their war, in the rubble of bombed-out Berlin. Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe. SERIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In which comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland talk about their new book Victory '45 and our twin national obsessions, the Second World War and The Beatles. Includes:….how being emotionally shut down enabled Montgomery to collect the surrender at Luneburg Heath….how a profound sense of duty helped Harry Truman make the most dreadful decisions anyone has ever faced…how German soldiers could keep on invoicing right until the end…what all this has to tell us about our present predicament…why thousands of blokes in camo (and a surprising amount of women) attend their We Have Ways Fest every summer: https://wehavewaysfest.co.uk/….what it is that continues to fascinate us about World War II.….how its story is being told in new ways…how they both came to The BeatlesBuy Victory '45 here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victory-45-history-bestselling-historians/dp/0857507958Help us to keep the conversation going by joining our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland talk about their new book Victory '45 and our twin national obsessions, the Second World War and The Beatles. Includes:….how being emotionally shut down enabled Montgomery to collect the surrender at Luneburg Heath….how a profound sense of duty helped Harry Truman make the most dreadful decisions anyone has ever faced…how German soldiers could keep on invoicing right until the end…what all this has to tell us about our present predicament…why thousands of blokes in camo (and a surprising amount of women) attend their We Have Ways Fest every summer: https://wehavewaysfest.co.uk/….what it is that continues to fascinate us about World War II.….how its story is being told in new ways…how they both came to The BeatlesBuy Victory '45 here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victory-45-history-bestselling-historians/dp/0857507958Help us to keep the conversation going by joining our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did Hitler really commit suicide in his underground bunker in 1945? Which top Nazis hid under Berlin as it perished? Why are conspiracy theorists not convinced by the official set of events? From shotgun weddings to murdered pets, the true horror of the Führer's condition are revealed by Al Murray and James Holland as they detail Adolf Hitler's final days in his secret bunker. Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe. EPISODES 5-8 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the Battle of Berlin begin? Was Germany doomed from the start? Did Stalin make the situation worse? Al Murray and James Holland explore the opening moments of the Battle of Berlin - from Stalin's psychotic leadership style, the pincer movement that captured the heart of Nazi Germany and the race to capture the Reichstag. Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe. EPISODES 5-8 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did the Allies discover in the concentration camps in the heartlands of Nazi Germany? How did they struggle to help the survivors they found? Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe - from the grand international politics of the new Cold War superpowers, down to often intense individual tragedies of the survivors. EPISODES 5-8 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did Allied forces cross the last defences of Nazi Germany? How does Operation VARSITY compare to the chaos of the landings in Arnhem just a year before? Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe - from the grand international politics of the new Cold War superpowers, down to often intense individual tragedies of the survivors. EPISODE 4 IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textThe old is the new: Graham on experiencing modern US jazz star Kamasi Washington at Project House in Leeds.Good news for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture as art deco venue is to reopen in August with new Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra launch.Record Store Day boost for Bradford and the lingering influence of Leeds indie scene of 25 years ago.Charles reports on seeing both Al Murray (The Pub Landlord ) and John Simpson, journalist and broadcaster. The political connection is interesting in the light of the rise of Reform.Keep in touch with Two Big Egos in a Small Car:X@2big_egosFacebook@twobigegos

What challenges did the Allies face crossing the river Rhine? How did Montgomery and Patton invade the Nazi homeland? What lessons had been learned and put in place after six years of fighting in order to invade Germany? Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe - from the grand international politics of the new Cold War superpowers, down to often intense individual tragedies of the survivors. EPISODES 3-4 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To defeat the Nazis once and for all, the Allies must cross the Rhine into Germany. The first challenge - the bridge at Remagen Why did the Second World War end in 1945? How did Hitler die? Were the Americans the big winners of WW2? Join James Holland & Al Murray as they uncover the pivotal but often overlooked final moments of WW2 in Europe - from the grand international politics of the new Cold War superpowers, down to often intense individual tragedies of the survivors. EPISODES 1-4 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did Truman become president in 1945 when FDR died? Was Roosevelt a Machiavellian populist? Why don't modern politicians study more history? Al Murray and James Holland are joined by star of The Rest Is Politics US and former Trump press secretary - Anthony Scaramucci - to discuss the most pivotal men of the 20th Century and their impact on the world today. EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What connects the Final Solution with a Chilean crabmeat factory? How were Pinochet and Mossad using Nazis? Did the war really end in 1945? Join James Holland, Al Murray, and guest Philippe Sands as they deep dive into the ratlines of high-ranking SS war criminals who became influential advisors for South American dicatorships - and how they still cast a long shadow on the world today. EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the future of WW2 Museums? What did Dominic Sandbrook say about tanks, and David Olusoga say about machine guns? What happened to civil aviation during WW2, and was Lend-Lease powered by Spam? Join James Holland and Al Murray for a packed episode of war waffle, including Jim's recent scouring of Europe, a chance encounter in a hospital, and what Ukraine can expect based on Soviet negotiation tactics in 1945. EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello Buglers! While Andy is off bringing his unique brand of satirical Irish language rap and extremely English-sounding spoken word to Dublin and Belfast, we wouldn't dream of leaving you without your dose of hot takes on global news!This week, we're diving into Top Stories, our show that revisits the history of The Bugle, one headline at a time. And since April is upon us, We've handpicked three classic April episodes for your listening pleasure:

Despite a tremendous armada and preliminary bombardment, American forces quickly learn they are going to pay for every inch of Iwo Jima. Imperial Japanese forces, low on supplies, fight to the last. Join James Holland, Al Murray, and John McManus as they uncover the truth behind that iconic 'Raising The Flag' picture, as well as how Iwo Jima foreshadowed the use of atomic bombs... A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A tiny sulferous island in the Pacific, Iwo Jima became notorious for the deathtoll on both sides. Was the American invasion worth it? Join James Holland, Al Murray, and John McManus as they recount the bloody struggle, with firsthand accounts from the soldiers on both sides. EPISODE 2 IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter - packed with discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first episode of Series Five hear Olly Belcher, Immediate Past President of the St Edmund Hall Association, in conversation with the British Comedian, Al Murray.   Al came up to the Hall in 1987 to read Modern History.   Since then he has become known as the “Pub Landlord” as well as appearing on TV, recording podcasts, writing history books, playing the drums with Queen and dabbling in Politics.  Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians. The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford.

As a free bonus livestream episode, James Holland and Al Murray discuss the life and times of the last surviving RAF veteran of The Battle Of Britain, John 'Paddy' Hemingway, who sadly passed away this week at 105. It is also a good time to revisit the myths of The Battle Of Britain, and show concisely the superiority of RAF forces during the summer of 1940, versus their Luftwaffe counterparts. EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan & Joey McCarthy Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch exclusive livestreams, get presale events, and our weekly newsletter - packed with discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bulge series has concluded, but there is still so much to explore. The perfect compliment to the recent series, this episode covers areas not covered in the main series, as well as answering questions from listeners. Join James Holland, Al Murray, and John McManus as they discuss the Ardennes Offensive, winter and medical support for troops, and the American nurse that halted the offensive... EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY & AD FREE - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the weather clears in the Ardennes, Allied air forces sweep enemy planes from the skies and attack panzer columns with ease. What is next for both sides? Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The battle everyone remembers. This siege has become the symbol of the whole campaign - but how well do we know what actually happened here? Find out what Band of Brothers got right, and why McAuliffe said 'Nuts!' to the German offer of surrender. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. EPISODE 8 IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of the surprise offensive through the Ardennes, Generals Bradley and Hodges seem to have lost it, while Patton is jockeying to charge ahead. Firm control is required, so it is up to commanders Eisenhower and Montgomery to grip the situation and stop the Germans getting to the River Meuse - the red line that the allies cannot allow the panzers to cross. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. EPISODES 7-8 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joachim Peiper was regarded as a princeling of the Nazi regime, and a celebrated tank commander. But he was also a cruel monster who encouraged his units to commit war crimes. Discover more about Peiper's part in The Battle of The Bulge, stocked with Pervitin and Panther tanks, and how his desperation to meet Hitler's impossible objectives led to massacres like at Malmedy. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. EPISODES 5-8 ARE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone remembers Bastoigne. But here, we uncover the ferocious fighting around the Two Villages area, a hotly-contested part of the Ardennes Offensive that deserves to be better known to history. Here, isolated bands of American soldiers, low on ammo, held off thousands of Nazi forces against the odds, buying valuable time for allied forces with their blood. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. A Goalhanger Production PARTS 5-8 WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY: Sign up at patreon.com/wehaveways Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Battle Of The Bulge is launched with a dawn barrage on December 16th 1944 at unsuspecting Allied defences. But even with the element of surprise, and some tragic miscommunication between American leadership, the fêted fallschirmjäger and Hitler's prized panzers are quickly behind schedule. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. EPISODE 4 IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS NOW - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Battle Of The Bulge is America's victory. In popular retellings of the campaign, myths surrounding Allied unpreparedness in this new series are proved conclusively to be wrong. From Eisenhower at the top, to the many brave GIs on the frontlines of what should have been a quiet sector at Christmas, the Nazi war machine was stopped in its tracks by American grit. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. EPISODES 1-4 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Battle of the Bulge is often called Hitler's Last Gamble, but rather than a bold offensive on the brink of success, it was a rushed and hopeless attack. The usual narrative highlights Allied shortcomings, but in reality, it was a remarkable American victory. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they debunk the myths and expose the real failures behind Nazi Germany's final Western offensive—a reckless plan that wasted countless lives. EPISODES 1-4 ARE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is a land mattress? And what did it have to do with Allied victory in the West? Al Murray and James Holland argue morality, press campaigns and rocket launching in a vintage war-waffle episode. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is a tank? Were tank destroyers a mistake? Is the tank obsolete in 2025? Join James Holland and Al Murray as they grill their guest - WW2 armour expert and Osprey author Steve Zaloga - about American tanks of World War Two. From the glories of combined arms, to the shortcomings of future planning in US Sherman guns, Steve gives us a comprehensive survey with tank philosophy still applicable in modern conflicts like Ukraine. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the concluding chapter of our Auschwitz story, Al Murray and James Holland speak to the UK's most famous barrister - Robert Rinder. Robert lost many members of his family to the Holocaust, and has spent his life working with charities and schools in commemoration and remembrance. To find out more about 45 Aid Society, head to 45aid.org A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Goalhanger's Tony Pastor explores building the U.K.'s leading independent podcast production company which includes shows like The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics and The Rest is Football. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian: I'm Damian Fowler and welcome to this edition of The Current Podcast. This week we sit down with Tony Pastor, the co-founder of Goalhanger, the UK's leading independent podcast production company. After a career as a TV producer, first at the BBC and then at ITV in the sports department, Tony teamed up with Gary Lineker, the former international football star turned broadcaster, to create the company. It launched its podcast hub in 2019. In just a few years, Goal Hanger has gone from strength to strength with hit podcast shows like The Rest is Football and The Rest is History, which apparently clock up 42 million downloads a month and counting. We'll get into the creative process in a minute about what makes these shows so successful. But first, I wanted to ask Tony about how Goalhanger was created.  Tony: I set up Goal Hanger with my co host Gary Lineker, who in the UK is a well known media figure and former [00:01:00] footballer back in 2014. I'd been, a producer at ITV, a big TV company in the UK, and then left to set up my own production company. We concentrated largely on making sports documentaries, and then slowly the business changed, and, by 2019, we were launching our own podcasts, and in the last couple of years, it's become the main part of our business.  Damian: You know, the podcast hub was launched, I know more recently than the actual whole production company and it's now like hosting some of the UK's most popular podcasts. I know that the company's just reported record audience figures for the May, July period this 2024. Big hit shows like the rest is football, which is co hosted by Gary Lineker. And the rest is politics and several others, you know, I'm kind of curious to how you achieved this in a world with, let's say, tens of thousands of podcasts.  Tony: Well, it's a good question. [00:02:00] And the big challenge in the world of podcasting is discoverability. It's not easy for audiences, listeners to find new content. There's an awful lot of really good podcasts out there, but unfortunately they're not easy to find. We have had a bit of luck on that front because once you build a successful podcast, you can then tell people about anything new that you do. And there's no doubt that the number one way you can make sure that people know about a new podcast is if they're already listening to a podcast because they're on the right platform there, then they're enjoying the right form of medium. Once we had the rest is history at a super successful level, it made the launch of political shows and our entertainment shows and our sports shows that bit easier . Damian: So the rest is history was the kind of vehicle was the kind of prototype as it were. Is that fair?  Tony: Well, actually we launched a podcast, that was a real niche podcast, in 2019. It's called we have ways of making you talk and [00:03:00] it's all about the history of the second world war and I did it really almost as a hobby. It was great fun. I launched it with a great historian called James Holland and a comedian called Al Murray, both of whom are real aficionados of the period. It quite quickly became a bit of a cult. No doubt lockdown during the COVID period helped in a way because it meant people were stuck at home seeking content. Podcasts are, producible remotely, we were able to really up the amount of content we produced. Suddenly it went from being very niche to some, to having quite a significant audience. And then the next iteration really was to say, we've got a successful podcaster that is, doing north of a million downloads a month, it's making some money and what would happen if we, did a podcast about more than just six years of history? In fact, let's do the whole of history. And that's how the rest is history was born and it broke out, became a super success and it really showed us that the format of intelligent people talking in an entertaining way about something they know a great deal about [00:04:00] really could work.  Damian: That's pretty ambitious. I've got to say, the idea of doing the whole of history. And I've got to say, I am an avid listener to the rest is history. Absolutely fantastic show with the two co-hosts, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, who've got this got this brilliant rapport. Between them, I'm wondering if you could sort of like for people who haven't heard it  just give a kind of distillation of the kind of tone and style of that podcast.  Tony: Sure, it's a history podcast. It tells narrative stories, fabulous stories from history. Be that the story of Napoleon or the French revolution or the sinking of the Titanic, the rise of the Nazis. These are all subjects that have been covered extensively in the last 12 months, for example. But what it really does is it's two, people who know an awful lot about the subject, who research it really, really well, but then have a fantastic conversation. Fairly light conversation in a very entertaining, witty, well informed way. The best way I can [00:05:00] describe the tone of voice of The Rest is History is if you could imagine being sat in a bar or a cafe and hearing two people who know each other really well and are good mates chatting about something they're fascinated by in a very entertaining way. That's The Rest is History.  Damian: And that formula also kind of carries over into the other podcasts, like for instance, the rest is football similarly, it's like, three guys having a kind of elevated, smart, funny conversation about what's just happened in the week, the week in, whether it be the Premier League or international football or what have you, is that fair?  Tony: Yes, I think that is fair. I mean, we don't, create relationships on air with our podcasters. We basically, listen in on relationships that already exist. So Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, all great soccer players in their own right. But more important than that, their mates, and you get a real strong sense of that when you listen to them talking, they love their football, they watch it endlessly, they [00:06:00] have a WhatsApp group that frankly you could publish and probably get 100,000 subscribers to, it's so entertaining, it's all about what's going on in football constantly, and they basically bring that conversational style, that very matey friendly, but intelligent and analytical style to their conversations three times a week on a Monday, they look back over the weekend's action on a Wednesday. They try and answer as many of the audience's questions as they can. And on Friday they review the midweek and look forward to the weekend. So it's an ongoing conversation, between three guys who frankly. If we weren't recording it, would be having the same conversations anyway. Damian: I love that, insight. Damian: So I want to shift a little bit to ask you about the, business perspective. And what need, as it were, did you tap in the UK market? Which, obviously has a wide variety and diversity of broadcast options because the BBC is there. So, how did you get that market?  Tony: Well, I think first of all, I would say that the BBC does a brilliant, brilliant [00:07:00] job. It's a wonderful broadcast that makes an incredible amount of diverse content, but it has to, it has to serve an awful lot of people so it can, find itself spread a little thin. One of the great attributes of podcasting as we discovered with our second world war history pod is that you can super serve a group of people who want something very specific. So the second world war pod is listened to by about 80 to 100,000 people. But it's listened to by them religiously twice a week and that means we get 1. 2 million downloads a month. That audience is not being served anywhere else. So that was our first insight. We then looked at kind of the broader history offering in traditional radio and it was all slightly stale. It had been the same for a long time when we wanted to have a slightly fresher, newer, more entertainment focused approach and, I'd like to tell you it was super planned, but in fact, it was about getting too [00:08:00] great talent to have good conversations. And, we spent nothing on marketing the entire growth of that podcast. The question I get asked most, which is really insightful in many ways, I think was it, why wasn't history taught like this at school? If it had been taught like this at school, I would never have dropped it as a subject. I've always loved history, but it was always done in such a dry way. Why couldn't it have been taught in this entertaining fashion at school? And I hope that's what we're actually providing for those for all those millions of people who love their history. We're giving them a new access point to it. Damian: Yeah, absolutely. I just listened to the five part series on Martin Luther and I remember going back to my history A level where I had, you know, hopefully she's not listening, but a pretty dull history teacher, but I learned everything about Martin Luther now, all these years later from that podcast. Absolutely brilliant with all its references.  Tony: Absolutely, so there's one other thing I'm going to say to you which is, I think the commissioning model is slightly broken. I think the traditional model whereby somebody in their [00:09:00] broadcast ivory tower decides whether or not a pitch, a content pitch, will be the right thing for their audience. I think it just doesn't work anymore. There's, it's too, we've got to a point now where commissioners are trying to satisfy too many things at once. Whereas we can just say, this is what we want to do. We don't need a commissioner. We don't need, the finances of a traditional broadcaster. We'll self fund this. We believe in it. We can experiment. We can try stuff and it's been liberating for us creatively because we can, we can decide we want to do a podcast on Martin Luther which frankly nobody would ever commission and we can do it. And lo and behold it found a terrific audience,  likewise we did, you know we did four parts on the falklands war. We did an extended season on custer. We did a long series on the nazis now the nazis will always get covered  in traditional media. But,  we were able to do, for example, this year, we took the guys to Sarajevo to talk about the start [00:10:00] of the first world war and the first shot that was fired, the assassination of our shoot, Franz ferdinand, you know, that's the kind of thing I just don't think traditional broadcasters are going to commission, but we're able to do it and find an audience with it. Damian: Yeah, I want to ask you a little bit about the revenue model from a business perspective. you know, um, a little bit, we, we keep hearing in the U S about the ad opportunity, especially in podcasts. I'm curious from your perspective, what's that opportunity like in the UK?  Tony: Well, the ad part of it is challenging. The UK is not a very big market. It is nothing like the US market. For example, the advertising slash sponsorship market in the US around podcasting is something like $4 billion a year. In the UK it's more like a hundred million. Dollars a year. It's a pretty small pizza in terms of, that needs slicing up between, all the commercial players in the UK and frankly, if the BBC enter into this market as they're [00:11:00] threatening to do, it will be even more challenging for us. We've had to be pretty creative around the commercial side of it. So yes, we're absolutely fishing in the advertising and sponsorship pond, but we're also looking at subscription models. In fact, we've got six very successful subscription clubs for our podcasts. This is where audiences, super fans who really love the pod can get access early, can get it ad free, can get bonus content, can get live show tickets early, et cetera. And that's proved very successful. We also do live shows and the live shows, do very well. You know, the rest is history last night we did it live in Cambridge, in the university center, Cambridge in front of more than a thousand people. The rest is politics is going on a nationwide tour. We're doing seven cities. We've sold 30, 000 tickets across that tour. So yes, we've had to be quite. Smart, frankly, and see disparate potential,  financial models for our podcasts so that they can really function.  Damian: Yeah, it makes [00:12:00] sense. I know,  people talk a lot about the kind of, the special relationship that, Podcast hosts have with their audience and sort of ipso facto that kind of translates a little bit into advertising and how advertising works, whether it be host read or ~whether it comes in, Tony: programmaticly Damian: programmatically. yeah. that's the word. I'm kind of curious to hear what response you've had from advertisers, in terms of what's your pitch to them?  Tony: Yeah. I mean, our pitch to them is really relatively straightforward unlike nearly all other forms of media currently we're growing, the traditional TV and radio commercial radio models are shrinking. They're struggling. It's not easy for them. The streamers, Netflix and Apple And all the usual customers are now. Causing traditional TV to have to be very inventive and work with smaller budgets. We're the opposite. We know the, the podcast market is growing. every year. Our audience is very [00:13:00] young, so we skew much younger than all of the other mediums. So, 48 percent of our listeners are under 34. So half of our audience is effectively in their teens, twenties and early thirties, which is,  attractive to commercial partners. And, we have very, very long listen times. People are fine, find the content compelling and engaging. So,  the rest of history's average listen time is 41 minutes. Now,  this is great news. I'm always very reassured by this because people have told me for a long time that young audiences want only bite sized content that they can swipe through and everything has to be a minute or less. What we might call the tick tock generation. Well, we're discovering that's not true  People in their twenties and thirties want long form, intelligent, entertaining conversations. They want, they want to hear content that entertains them, that informs them, that educates them. I'm starting to sound positively BBC wreathian, but you know, they basically They basically do want [00:14:00] long form. People are commuting, they're exercising, they're walking dogs, they're cooking. They want to have something that entertains them, that, that informs them and a lot of people we know listen to our podcasts while they're doing something else. So I think the sell to commercial partners really is that, our listeners are super engaged. They're young, they're highly educated and by and large,  we've done surveys, by the way, large scale surveys of over 20, 000 of our listeners, they earn really good salaries. They usually are executive and managerial levels in their businesses. These are the movers and shakers, the people who inform the way that,  that our nations are moving. So there are really, really interesting and valuable audience.  Damian: Yeah, it's, such a cliche now to say that young people have no attention. Clearly that's, that's not the case.  Tony: It's, it's, it's absolute nonsense. It's not true.  Damian: Yeah, it really is. And It's reassuring to hear that too. You know, in terms of the,  you mentioned it's growing. How far can it grow? What's the sort of [00:15:00] scale you can, when you think about I think the statistic I read was that 20 percent of UK listeners listen to a podcast every week. That's a lot of headroom, right? You've got left.  Tony: Oh, it's super exciting on that score. We are definitely nowhere near peak podcasting. I can tell you why, because nobody over about 55 is listening to podcasts because they, they never did. They didn't do growing up with it. The older generations, the people who are perhaps retired and who would enjoy our podcast most are just not listening. , They're perhaps didn't grow up with the technology. They're not quite as comfortable, opening an app and downloading audio content. I think that as people age with that native ability to use the technology and enjoy the content, there's a whole generation of people we will add between say 55 and 80, whatever, who will suddenly become listeners. There's probably 30 percent upside just when we start being listened to and enjoyed by an older generation, which is not happening at the moment. Damian: [00:16:00] That's a great point. Yeah, I think as people, get used to the tech, that's it. And then I don't, who knows what's coming up. You also have talked about, pushing podcasts into video as well.  And I are talking right now on zoom, but people listening are just listening to this, with their air pods or what have you, what's the benefit in a way of, pushing podcasts, onto video, is it to see those hosts sparring with each other, people are curious. Tony: This is the area that intrigues us most about what we do. The advent of video really came from the US. We started to hear Prominent podcasters talk about watching podcasts rather than listening to podcasts. And we started to ask ourselves, why are they doing that? What is the gain? Surely it's not just for the programmatic ads on YouTube or Facebook. We were determined to trial it and see what the benefits were by practice, by actually trying it out.  And what we discovered was, This was [00:17:00] an entirely different audience. So for example, during the euros, as I mentioned, 9. 7 million audio downloads and 10 million video downloads. They're not the same people with that. This was entirely additional audience. The other thing about it is, but there's a couple of things. One is that it helps with cross promotion. We can cut this content up, put a push it out on social, on Insta and Tik TOK and Twitter, et cetera. But also when it comes to having partnerships, you know, with some of the bigger brands, there's that, that hundred million dollar UK podcast market is suddenly much greater. If you're talking to brands about partnerships that include video and social, there's a whole extra set of people you're in conversation with. And so you can effectively turn a podcast back into a show, a 360 show, which. Frankly, we don't mind where people encounter. We don't mind whether you watch, you listen, you see the clips on your social media feeds. As long as you're encountering our [00:18:00] content, we're happy. And that's really why we've pushed so heavily into video. So we take the opposite position of the walled garden. We're not a walled garden. We're not going to tell you to come over to our place and enjoy our content. We're going to say, Where are you comfortable? Where do you want to be? Damian: Yeah, love that. Love that thought. Is podcast growth dependent to a certain extent on those different platforms and platform growth? You know, if people listen through Spotify or Apple, what have you?  Tony: Well, I don't know whether it's dependent on that growth. It's an interesting question. What I can say is that we're agnostic. We don't mind where you are. We have a really good relationship with Spotify who are our, ad and sponsorship sales partner. But similarly, you know, we have a great relationship with Apple too, who handle a lot of our subscription clubs. And frankly, as I say, you know if you're there on YouTube or if you're there on Apple or Spotify, that's all fine. Yes, it does require people to be digitally native and comfortable with the digital platforms, but increasingly, as I say, apart from [00:19:00] perhaps my father's generation, who I still have to download podcasts for, you know apart from his generation,  I think most people now are pretty comfortable with the media.  Damian: So one of the great advantages of podcast production is that you, have a very close relationship with your audience. Could you give me some insight into how that breaks down in terms of subscribers and people who listen for free? What are you seeing? Tony: Sure. What we're seeing is that unlike the traditional, media relationship whereby a production company like us, we're Goalhanger. We would go in to see the commissioner at the BBC or channel four or ITV or NBC and we pitched them our idea and they would either say yes or no, usually no. But if they did commission it, we'd make it for them. We'd hopefully keep doing it. 10 percent production fee, they would then put it out. They would sell the ad slots to,  commercial partners and ultimately the relationship between the production company and the final audience is really remote. So ours is [00:20:00] really close. When we put our pods out free to air,  the audience listens to them. They contact us. We incorporate their questions. We have a very good relationship, very close relationship, but not nearly as close as we do with our subscribers. We've got about 90, 000 subscribers across our various podcasts. And what they get is a direct personal relationship with us. There's no, advertising. There's no sponsorship.  They don't have to wait for a podcast. So for example,  we'll, do a, six part series on the sinking of the Titanic. You can listen to that content spread out over three weeks for free with ads, Monday, Thursday, Monday, Thursday, Monday, Thursday, or if you're a subscriber on that first Monday, you can have all six episodes immediately as a box set. That kind of a relationship is, I think, unique to podcasting where you love the content. You decide that for the Cost of an oat milk latte. You can basically get all six episodes immediately. And many of our listeners now are just saying, you know what? I want my content clean. I'd like to just come to you direct. I'll have it [00:21:00] immediately. By the way, I'd love to get prioritized for the live tickets for the show in New York. I'd like to get them ahead of the rest of the public. And so you develop this fantastic relationship with your listeners and your fans.  Damian: There seems to be a kind of recognition that staying authentic, is the way to scale. I was just, I was reading some comments by, Netflix boss Ted Sarandos at the RTS conference, Royal Television Society conference, who was saying, one of the big hits this year for them was Baby Reindeer, which is a very UK, British sensibility, but yet it's done really well. They didn't pander to a global audience. They kept it authentic. It seems like that is the same formula that's having success for you.  Tony: Well, it's really interesting this, isn't it? Because,  I've got three, I've got three, sons, two teenagers and a 20 year old, and they're watching tons of content on Netflix and, uh, and the variety of the streamers, and they're very happy watching, for example, Korean TV with subtitles. They'll watch dramas from Scandinavia with subtitles. They're very comfortable. [00:22:00] Watching authentic drama and cultural content from other nations. I don't know whether the kind of globalization of content has finally happened, the days when, if it didn't, when, if a movie didn't have a, an American star, it could never be watched around the world. I think it's gone. I think people are much more comfortable enjoying content from a variety of nations. Damian: Well, Tony, thank you so much for these insights. Great talking with you.  Tony: An absolute pleasure. Thanks very much for having me on. Damian: And that's it for this edition of The Current Podcast. We'll be back next week, so stay tuned. The current podcast theme is by Love Caliber. The current team includes Kat Vesey and Sydney Kearns. And remember, Tony: We're not a walled garden. We're not going to tell you to come over to our place and enjoy our content. We're going to say, Where are you comfortable? Where do you want to be. Damian: I'm Damian and we'll see you next time. And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a review. Also tune into our other podcast, The Current Report.

How did a small Polish town on the outskirts of civilisation become the epicentre of the Holocaust? Al Murray and James Holland tell the story of the Final Solution, through the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In the third episode, the Holocaust at Auschwitz reaches a horrifying zenith. Even as Nazi Germany faces defeat, The Final Solution escalates the mass executions of Jews, Roma, and other groups Hitler and Himmler wanted dead. **This episode contains content that may upset some listeners.** EPISODE FOUR IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS EARLY - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did a small Polish town on the outskirts of civilisation become the epicentre of the Holocaust? Al Murray and James Holland tell the story of the Final Solution, through the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In the second episode, we explore the perverse connection between capitalism and Nazi cruelty. As Operation Barbarossa continues to falter, the Final Solution evolves into its most horrifying form. **This episode contains content that may upset some listeners.** A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did a small Polish town on the outskirts of civilisation become the epicentre of the Holocaust? Al Murray and James Holland tell the story of the Final Solution, through the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The first episode focuses on the formation of the concentration camp, the torturous existence of its first prisoners and the horrendous dehumanisation they were forced to endure. **This episode contains content that may upset some listeners.** EPISODE TWO IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS NOW - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Agents of SOE did more than undermine the Nazi occupation of France, but how far did their reach extend? What theatres of war did these female agents excel in, and what impact and legacy did they leave behind after 1945? Join James Holland and Al Murray as they talk to SOE expert, Clare Mulley, on a thrilling series about the extraordinary women of SOE in an epic, but overlooked, part of WW2 history. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the years and months before the liberation of Europe and D-Day, the female agents of SOE played an integral and highly dangerous role in undermining Nazi rule. Many paid the ultimate sacrifice, often alone and in horrific circumstances - including Noor Inayat Khan, 'The Spy Who Never Lied.' Join James Holland and Al Murray as they talk to SOE expert, Clare Mulley, on a thrilling series about the extraordinary women of SOE in an epic, but overlooked, part of WW2 history. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olympic skier, cigarette smuggler, countess, beauty queen, spy. Krystyna Skarbek was the first female agent of the Allied war effort, but far from the last. What drove women to join the fight against the Nazis, often deep into enemy-held territory and with nothing but their wits to aid them? Join James Holland and Al Murray as they talk to SOE expert, Clare Mulley, on a thrilling series about the extraordinary women of SOE in an epic, but overlooked, part of WW2 history. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

January 2020 now and Anuvab Pal and Al Murray joined Andy as India's government took part in a bit of time travel. It's Bugle issue 4138, A Long Tradition of Sedition.Hear more of our shows, buy our book, and help keep us alive by supporting us here: thebuglepodcast.com/This episode was produced by Chris Skinner and Laura Turner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 80th Anniversary of the end of WW2 is in our sights. Do Allied leadership, like Winston Churchill, think the end of the war - or the British Empire - was inevitable in 1945? Why did Axis forces keep fighting when surrender seemed the obvious choice in order to stop the suffering? ...And whatever happened to the wonder weapons? James Holland and Al Murray as they set the scene for the armageddon that is the last year of the Second World War. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan + Joey McCarthy Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the first of a rash of new pods, Ned pops round for a long overdue chat with 2019 Tour de France commentator Al Murray.Get Your AG1 Offer here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does 'SAS' stand for? Why is Paddy Blair Mayne considered the perfect military man? What does the new hit BBC show 'SAS Rogue Heroes' get right about the historical inspirations for the hit television series, and what more is there to learn once it ends? Join James Holland and Al Murray as they give their verdict on series 2 so far, and discuss the controversy surrounding the main character in the programme, both on and off screen. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan + Joey McCarthy Edited by Aaliyah Akunde Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the dead of winter, 1944, the frozen forest of Ardennes erupted in chaos. In a desperate, last-ditch attempt to turn the tide of the war, Hitler threw his armoured divisions at the thinly spread Allied frontline. The battle that followed was the bloodiest fought by the Americans in the war, and their determined defence helped to seal the fate of Nazi Germany.For the latest instalment in our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, Dan is joined by Professor John C. McManus, author of 'Alamo in the Ardennes'. They delve into this fierce German winter offensive in terms of its strategic significance, and the tenacity of the American soldiers that thwarted Hitler's plans.Written by Dan Snow, produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.To hear more of our 'D-Day to Berlin' series, you could check out:Operation Market Garden - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/operation-market-gardenThe Battle of Arnhem with Al Murray - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/the-battle-of-arnhem-with-al-murrayThe Other D-Day: The Eastern Front - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/the-other-d-day-the-eastern-frontThe Falaise Pocket: WWII's 'Corridor of Death' - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/the-falaise-pocket-wwiis-corridor-of-deathD-Day: The Land Invasion - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/d-day-the-land-invasionSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

As a new year's treat, Al Murray has recorded a chapter of 'Eclipse' by Alan Moorehead. This incredible history, republished by We Have Ways, was first published in 1945. In chapter 14, Moorehead reconstructs, in terrifying detail, the collapse of Germany and Hitler's fragile grasp on reality slipping away. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan & Joey McCarthy Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Schinnen, The Netherlands, Christmas 1944. The men of the Sherwood Rangers have a choice for Christmas 1944. Around 100 soldiers, after nearly 5 years of fighting, are eligible to return home for extended leave. But can the unit survive such a significant loss of experience in such a crucial period of fighting? Join James Holland as he tells Al Murray and John McManus all about how the men of one of Britain's most decorated units in WW2 tried to bring a little Christmas cheer to each other and the starving Dutch children all around them. A Goalhanger Production Produced by Joey McCarthy & James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The morning of Tuesday 19 September 1944 was ripe with possibility for Allied forces at Arnhem, says Al Murray. Just 24 hours later, the die of defeat had well and truly been cast. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, the comedian and history buff discusses the failure of this bold attempt to deliver a crushing blow to Nazi Germany – and considers how poor planning, over-confidence and strong German resistance came home to roost in 24 fateful hours. (Ad) Al Murray is the author of Arnhem: Black Tuesday (Bantam, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arnhem-Tuesday-Classic-Battle-Before/dp/0857506560/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Hear more from Al Murray here: https://link.chtbl.com/x2R-SHj_. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

German-Belgian border, Christmas Eve 1944. John McManus tells James Holland and Al Murray all about the surprising Christmas story of a family trying to survive, and an incredible reunion half a world away. As three American soldiers seek refuge with a civilian family, they hear a knock at the door. German soldiers, desperate to seek warmth from the snow also walk in. Produced by Joey McCarthy & James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Holland and Al Murray reminisce about our record-breaking 2024 and their highlights from this year. Including a pitch for Guy Ritchie's next blockbuster, obsessing over capturing the high ground, and their love affair with a P-38 Lightning. A Goalhanger Production Produced by Joey McCarthy & James Regan Assistant Producer: Alice Horrell Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Far from being a quiet end to the war, December 1944 was incredibly busy. As the Home Guard was getting demobilised, women in Nazi Germany were being forcibly volunteered... Join James Holland and Al Murray as they discuss all things December 1944, including Noël Coward's diaries, the Conservative Party's conspiracies against Churchill, and their Christmas book wishlist from Santa. A Goalhanger Production Produced by Joey McCarthy & James Regan Assistant Producer: Evan Green Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring, 1945. Two high-ranking SS officers in Hitler's empire, who have seen the writing on the wall for the Third Reich, are plotting their escape. With warehouses of counterfeit cash and hoards of stolen art, Karl Wolff and Ernst Karltenbrunner aren't just concealing their treasonous plots against their colleagues, but also each other. Join James Holland and Al Murray as they uncover the audacious plans of two rivals plotting the same escape... and all unwittingly connected by the Allied spymaster, Allan Dulles. A Goalhanger Production Produced by Joey McCarthy & James Regan Assistant Prodcuer: Alice Horrell Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' to watch our livestreams, get earlybird tickets and our weekly newsletter - packed with deals. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices