Bold claim: Apple has crowned The Rest Is History as the Show of the Year for 2025, marking a milestone for a British podcast that’s been making waves worldwide.
EXCLUSIVE: The Rest Is History, the podcast hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook and produced by Goalhanger, has been selected by Apple Podcasts as the 2025 Show of the Year. This award honors programs that combine high quality production with meaningful cultural impact. The Rest Is History becomes the first UK-based show to receive this honor, joining previous winners Hysterical, Slow Burn, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Wiser Than Me.
The momentum behind the series is clear: it ranked as the 17th most-listened-to podcast globally from November 2024 to October 2025 and was among the top ten in terms of follower growth in that same window. U.S. monthly listens surged by 37% over the past year, underscoring its expanding international audience. Netflix-level reach isn’t the goal here, but the numbers show a compelling growth curve and broad appeal.
Meanwhile, interest in adapting the show for television continues to build, with Wheelhouse, Brent Montgomery’s production company, developing a TV version of The Rest Is History.
Behind the show's success, co-host Dominic Sandbrook attributes much of the appeal to a lack of moralizing. He explains that the show doesn’t judge the past; instead, it approaches history with genuine enthusiasm, aiming to celebrate curiosity and the eccentricities of historical figures rather than condemn them.
Holland echoes this enthusiasm, calling the award the biggest thrill imaginable. As the first British podcast to win, he expresses patriotic pride and gratitude, especially toward Apple for recognizing the program.
Goalhanger—the company Lineker co-founded with Tony Pastor—also steers other titles in what they call The Rest Of… franchise, including The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Entertainment, The Rest Is Money, The Rest Is Classified, and The Rest Is Politics. Pastor emphasizes that The Rest Is History represents elite storytelling: intelligent, witty, and deeply engaging, making history accessible to a global audience. Being the first UK-based show named Apple Podcasts’ Show of the Year, he says, highlights the worldwide hunger for long-form, high-quality content and the powerful chemistry between Holland and Sandbrook.
Apple’s own executive, Oliver Schusser, praises the series for turning a vast subject—human history—into something that educates, entertains, and builds community. He expresses delight at recognizing The Rest Is History as the 2025 Show of the Year, signaling what’s possible in podcasting when curiosity, humor, and scholarship come together.
Would this win spark renewed interest in history-focused podcasts from other regions? Do you agree that a show should be recognized for broad cultural impact even if its format is unconventional? Share your thoughts in the comments about what makes a history podcast truly stand out.
