On the Record at The National Archives

About On the Record at The National Archives

1000 years of history, 1000 years of stories to uncover. The National Archives presents On the Record, a podcast that unearths the real life stories found in our vast collections. Join our experts and special guests as we dig deep into the people behind the paper and bring fascinating stories from more than 11 million records to life. Discover tales of forbidden love, spies, protest, and the everyday people of the past.

Publisher

The National Archives

Category

government · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Apr 2019

Latest episode

23 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

93 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Oct 2026

   Trailer: The American Revolution

   The American Revolution is the origin story of the United States. But what did it look like from the other side? In a special two-part On the Record, we turn the map around, using original records held at The National Archives in Kew, London, to explore how the American Revolution was seen and understood in Britain. Subscribe now and join us when the series launches.

2. 

   13 May 2026

   The People's Charter

   In this episode of On the Record, we explore Chartism, Britain's first mass political movement, driven by the working classes. It emerged in response to the failure of the 1832 Reform Act to extend the right to vote beyond those who owned property. The Chartists published newspapers, organised mass rallies, and, in some cases, took up arms, becoming a driving force for reform. To guide us through this movement, we're joined by Joe Cozens, a historian at The National Archives whose work explores working-class politics.

3. 

   12 May 2026

   Trailer: The People's Charter

   In our next episode of On the Record, we explore the rise of Chartism, the 19th-century working-class mass movement that shook Britain's political establishment.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

2,832,320

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

11 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

17 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

92

Contact On the Record at The National Archives

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.