'The History Guy' Dan Snow heading to Midlands with tour

On his best-selling tour An Evening With the ‘History Guy’ On The History Hit UK Tour, the historian and broadcaster will be telling audiences why.

With 42 confirmed dates, Dan’s first stop will be early in the new year and he will play Cannock’s Prince of Wales on February 7 and Birmingham Town Hall on February 26.

He also recently published a new book On This Day In History, which saw him bring to life a key event in history for each day of the year.

Dan, who runs his own online TV Channel History Hit TV and has a regular ‘history’ slot on The One Show, will share memorable anecdotes from his career as a historian and broadcaster during the show.

And audiences are in for an additional treat as every show will have its own exclusive ‘local’ element that will see Dan present historical facts about each town and area on the tour. There will also be a chance at the end of the show to engage with Dan during a 20 minute Q&A. And Dan’s tales will be enhanced with compelling digital imagery.

The son of legendary broadcaster Peter Snow and the nephew of Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow, Dan is the great great grandson of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George. Attributing his love of history to his childhood when he recalls spending weekends being taken to castles, battlefields, country houses and churches, Dan went onto study history at Oxford University. During his stint at Oxford he also rowed in the Boat Race three times.

He says: “What began my journey was the family time I spent as a kid. Family time was all about seeing railways and going for family adventures. There were holidays on Ireland and in Northern France where we learned so much. I grew up with this passionate sense of being excited about history.

“But history is so important, particularly in the modern age. If you want to understand why the world is the way it is at the moment, if you want to understand why Birmingham is a giant city surrounded by industrial areas, you have to understand the past. You have to understand the breakthroughs made in the Midlands, the coming of the railways, the creation of the Ironbridge. For a while, Birmingham was a wonder of the world. It became a rich and vibrant city and it is to this day.

“So if you want to know why modern Britain the way it is or why Syria is in a state of civil war the answer is its history. Hisotry has always been in my family and now my kids are fascinated by it too. We talk about the past every day.

Interesting

“The show is interesting for me because I have a lot going on, including my digital platforms. So if I come to Cannock, I’ll spend the day having an adventure and stick it on my history channel. There’ll be audio on the podcast and in the evening I’ll turn up for the show and use elements from the day. There are books, there’s everything. It’s a great project.”

When Dan left Oxford he started presenting history programmes with his father and their series Battlefield Britain went on to win a Bafta. Over the years Dan has made programmes on a number of historical topics and has presented shows such as Armada, Grand Canyon and Vikings.

Dan also hosts his own podcast History Hit and is part of the BBC Events team presenting anniversary programmes commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the landings at Gallipoli in 2015. He has written or contributed to several books including Death or Victory, the story of the siege of Quebec in 1759, The World’s Greatest Twentieth Century Battlefields and most recently The Battle of Waterloo Experience.

“I’m fascinated by all parts of history and that’s what the show is about; it focuses on why history is the most important and exciting project in the world. From Greenland to the South Island of New Zealand to the deserts of China and all around the UK, history is inescapable.

“I like to scour this country for wonderful stories. There are amazing stories out there and my show is a celebration of them.

“When I come to Birmingham, I’ll spend the morning interviewing a lady who served in Bletchley Park who is now aged 95.

“I enjoy work. I start writing at 6am in the morning and if I’ve not finished it by 11am my brain turns to mush.”

Dan likes the connections he makes with people, both those who read his books and those who attend shows. He also enjoys connecting with people through his TV work or through such digital channels as Facebook.

“I love that. I also love research and love seeing these magical pieces of paper that have made history. When you look at impact that some of these documents have had it’s remarkable. When you look at King Charles 1 death certificate, the warrant for his death, you realise how important those things are and you also realise that we are connected with those things. They have shaped the world in which we live.”

He looks back on his period at Oxford University with great affection.

“I was very lucky, the quality of study was great. One thing that is nice there is that you’re surrounded by the buildings. You’re drinking in a pub or going to a library where a great scientist or statesman or woman once sat. It’s easy to love history and be obsessed by history when you’re surrounded by it.”

Andy Richardson