Historian Tom Holland on Oppenheimer, Napoleon and why the world loves British history

Рет қаралды 155,828

Күн бұрын

Tom Holland, the popular historian who co-hosts the world-famous The Rest Is History podcast, sits down with The Telegraph’s Steven Edginton to discuss his new book on Rome, woke history and why British history is so popular among international audiences. Holland explains why Trump reminds him of Nero, and says attempts to teach moral lessons through history are a “fool's errand”. He continues, saying he doesn’t accept there are those on “the right side of history” or that the arc of history bends towards justice. The production of films such as Napoleon and Oppenheimer are a sign that audiences are still fascinated by history, says Holland. You can listen to the full interview on your podcast app by searching for “Off Script”.
Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now:
www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/...
Get the latest headlines: www.telegraph.co.uk/
Telegraph.co.uk and / telegraphtv are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.

Пікірлер: 326

@andyknuckles2903 10 ай бұрын

Tom Holland is a gold mine. His podcast with Dominic Sandbrook is often a highlight in my week.

@GrumpaGladstone1809 10 ай бұрын

I looked it up, will give it a whirl, thanks!!! :)

@robertgebruers9519 9 ай бұрын

It is THE best podcast.

@vlndfee6481 9 ай бұрын

Learning constant new context and information. Better than any historic lessons on school.

@samgoodway5244 9 ай бұрын

The podcast GOATs.

@user-lp7wo7og4x 8 ай бұрын

I'll give his podcast a go pal

@mithrandirthegrey7644 9 ай бұрын

I've always had a casual interest in history but Tom Holland for sure has made me much more interested in classical history than I ever used to be.

@alanfox8928 8 ай бұрын

it is a shame for the sake of the interview that the interviewer was so poor, but Tom Holland fantastic to listen to as always.

@trytwicelikemice3190 3 ай бұрын

His fixation on trying to bring it back to culture war issues in the middle was very weird...

@johnhealy6494 3 ай бұрын

Absolutely

@jamiearan 3 ай бұрын

Stephen was trying to get Tom to bite on right wing talking points, but I was impressed by Tom's ability to steer from them

@billythedog-309 Ай бұрын

@@trytwicelikemice3190 The fact that this is sponsored by the Daily Telegraph is purely coincidental.

@darrenkaminsky7618 10 ай бұрын

Tom Holland is, of course, terrific and fascinating. He has to find his way around some of the interviewer's clunkier and more short-sighted questions, but he seems to have no problem doing this with grace, agility, and brilliance. The overall lesson is that history doesn't serve a single perspective, and the events and battles of the moment fade quickly. A telling moment was when the interviewer asked Holland whether he'd be able to get his Islam documentary made in today's political atmosphere, obviously under the impression that he wouldn't, and Holland having to remind him--or inform him--of the atmosphere around the subject of Islam in the post 9/11 and Iraq war period, which the interviewer obviously either didn't know about or hadn't bothered to research.

@matthewstokes1608 10 ай бұрын

No… I think this young interviewer is singly the most outstanding interviewer of intellectual quality to have arisen on the western/global stage in years.

@palatine7013 9 ай бұрын

@@matthewstokes1608 i disagree, he's fishing for controversial debate where one doesn't exist. Another useless attempt at stirring the societal pot!

@StumpyVandal 9 ай бұрын

The interviewer was constantly trying to draw Tom into the debate on wokism and political correctness stifling all forms of expression. The right wing newspapers in the US and UK care about little else right now. It’s ridiculous given the actual problems facing society.

@matthewstokes1608 9 ай бұрын

@@StumpyVandal Tom Holland was asked provocative (not leading) questions by a perfectly reasoned and intellectual young man doing a far better job than those we typically see.

@darrenkaminsky7618 9 ай бұрын

@@StumpyVandal Yes, watching again that's what the interviewer is trying to do. He's subtler than some, but it's still a bit scary -- not everything can or should connect to "wokeism" or the political right's bizarre cultural obsessions.

@abcav297 10 ай бұрын

Never expected Spider-Man 4 to be a single room arthouse movie with only two characters and mostly dialogue. Bravo Marvel!

@ceceliategdirb7371 10 ай бұрын

My thoughts exactly

@JeansiByxan 8 ай бұрын

I read Dominion when it came out and it blew me away. Anything Tom Holland writes now I’ll read. His ability to pivot from the present to the past is unparallelled.

@agracier8656 10 ай бұрын

Absolutely riveting interview. So insightful with his modest speaking style. A pleasure to have listened to.

@skp8748 10 ай бұрын

So disappointing he's a raging islamophobe.

@localfox1000 8 ай бұрын

Nice to see the Telegraph give a platform to an elite sportsman

@ssotkow 10 ай бұрын

Didn't know what I expecting when I clicked this video... thought it was another Oppenheimer review, but totally engrossed in this riveting conversation that suddenly popped up from nowhere like a dream.

@paulheydarian1281 10 ай бұрын

Don't get caught up in the latest HollyWeed Hype...Be an original thinker.

@fredlewis6527 10 ай бұрын

Bloody hell that presenter had an agenda

@akjdhajkdjhaghjkadh9804 7 күн бұрын

and what agenda would that be?

@SynapseDriven 10 ай бұрын

Holland is genius and a very generous person because that interviewer is just daft.

@starcapture3040 10 ай бұрын

he is biased

@Joe-og6br 8 ай бұрын

As it went along I could sense a growing distain towards the interviewer.

@scottbuchanan9426 10 ай бұрын

One figure Tom Holland didn't mention when discussing Britain's global cultural-historical influence is probably the biggest one of all: William Shakespeare.

@themsmloveswar3985 10 ай бұрын

Not sure. I reckon Shelley, Dickens, had a larger impact. And possibly Orwel, and Huxley.

@scottbuchanan9426 9 ай бұрын

@@Mickyway Don't think so.

@jamieguthrie1760 9 ай бұрын

Nice to drop in a few buzzwords of the moment using Oppenheimer in the title, but this interview was much more about the Roman Empire and how it relates and has influenced the modern West of today! Fascinating interview btw!

@arthurw8054 Ай бұрын

Yeah, the title might be a bit misleading, but if it's Tom Holland it's going to be superb, period.

@ahothabeth 9 ай бұрын

It is a joy to listen to Tom Holland; Steven Edginton not so much.

@samurai_wack 9 ай бұрын

I had no interest in history until I discovered The Rest is History. I read Persian Fire a couple of months ago and found it utterly fascinating!

@EerieV23 9 ай бұрын

The rest of his books are just as riveting. I highly recommend them.

@samurai_wack 9 ай бұрын

Rubicon is next on my list!@@EerieV23

@andrewturner3580 3 ай бұрын

Great Interview !

@Metta33 8 ай бұрын

Very enjoyable to watch. Good stuff.

@janecote 9 ай бұрын

May I just say, I am very impressed by how such a young man can sound so pompous already

@jonhelmer8591 10 ай бұрын

Great, I've found Tom's podcast on the iplayer! 46 hours of fun.

@profiler4772 2 ай бұрын

Impressive teacher! His own enthusiasm is so fluently transferred to and captured by the listener.

@bengeorge894 9 ай бұрын

So in a parallel universe Spiderman is a middle aged British historian

@patrickquinlan3056 10 ай бұрын

Great interview, although I had to wait 40 minutes for a mention of Oppenheimer, Napoleon or British history. Never mind, I love listening to Tom.

@ozzell 9 ай бұрын

I'm fascinated by this idea of christendom being inherently destabilizing and a potential cause for a lot of social progress and post-christian ideologies.

@dulls8475 Ай бұрын

It gave us the stability for social progress and post-christian ideologies.

@jamesbailey5008 5 ай бұрын

Hooked on the rest is history, love it

@samuelpepys5350 10 ай бұрын

Tom Holland is always great value but the title of this video needs fixing, it's a 47-minute interview and they spend all of 3 minutes discussing Oppenheimer, Napoleon and British history!

@supertuscans9512 10 ай бұрын

He’s brilliant to listen to. He’s actually made me review the way I see the Roman Empire and the influence of the Christian ethos on society ( for better and worse) even when it’s not overt, and in many ways has transgressed from being a religion to a subconscious philosophy. Fascinating!

@dulls8475 Ай бұрын

@@supertuscans9512 With Christianity mocked we are already on the way down.

@ton1 7 ай бұрын

Didn't know Tom Holland was a historian in his free time in between Spiderman movies.

@nathanngumi8467 9 ай бұрын

Great discussion!

@imchrisme5514 9 ай бұрын

I wish I were so bright, interesting, intellectual & articulate.

@TurnCoatTechie 10 ай бұрын

Outstanding views from Tom Holland that I also share ❤

@mcpanorama 9 ай бұрын

Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome by Balsdon, which came out in the 1960s, is still worth reading.

@Clipgatherer 8 ай бұрын

37:45 Britain may not be "Greece to America's Rome"; rather, as someone observed, Britain is Alfred the butler to America's Batman. They provide good advice and experience.

@saattlebrutaz 2 ай бұрын

And Batman is an imaginary figure.

@thomasmitchell7645 10 ай бұрын

British-vetted scientists played a key role in the development of the Soviet atom bomb.

@bj6515 10 ай бұрын

But it was an American who provided Russia with the blueprints then got prison for it.

@paulthomas-hh2kv 10 ай бұрын

Work on atomic bomb was non secret in Uk although Radar was for some reason. There was a Russian scientist working on the development in UK. Very interesting interview with Mark Oliphant with names and dates

@paullewis2413 Ай бұрын

Love Tom Holland’s book “Persian Fire”. There’s so much to digest in this comprehensive survey of a pivotal time in European/Asian history.

@JonniePolyester 10 ай бұрын

Just heard Free Thinking episode on Julian The Apostate with Tom …very good.

@benmclaren 9 ай бұрын

Tom is brilliant but this interviewer asking the most loaded questions my god!

@adventussaxonum448 8 ай бұрын

It's like watching the BBC or Sky, but from the other direction.😅

@matthewstokes1608 7 ай бұрын

@@adventussaxonum448 which is why it is superb

@adventussaxonum448 7 ай бұрын

Makes a nice change.😅

@user-pt7ip2yz9d 8 ай бұрын

Oh of course Britain is our Greece here in the Colonies. It wasn't until Spinal Tap that we finally woke up to the fact than not everyone with a British accent is a genius.

@paulthomas-hh2kv 10 ай бұрын

Very interesting interview with Mark Oliphant about his career working with Ernest Rutherford

@deanedge5988 10 ай бұрын

Best interview post Pax - most revealing; least formulaic. Very cunning in its oh so polite bowling.

@flambr Ай бұрын

his oddyssey is so readable like he's genuinely one of the best classics writers of our time

@DaboooogA 2 ай бұрын

Peter Parker on fire as always

@Ozgipsy 3 ай бұрын

Wow. That was a sharp observation.

@UncriticalRaceTheory 9 ай бұрын

some historians argue that this lack of empire that could control western europe is what made western europe so powerful, as they were constantly in competition with itself.

@jonathanphillips5514 8 ай бұрын

Explains why we are all knackered

@AndyJarman 10 ай бұрын

How extraordinary to assert the British have had minimal influence on the USA.

@judithjohnson5055 9 ай бұрын

He was speaking of the present rather than the past

@leisti 9 ай бұрын

This interviewer is digging quite hard to get an anti-wokeness quote.

@DanforthFrance 2 ай бұрын

Interviewer is a drip.

@akjdhajkdjhaghjkadh9804 7 күн бұрын

very interesting man

@dougiemarks9852 3 ай бұрын

That’s my thinking about the Roman Empire done for the day

@Historian212 8 ай бұрын

Clickbait alert: there’s almost nothing in this video about the new films about Oppenheimer and Napoleon.

@corinaijac4381 7 ай бұрын

Had the best summer ever. Unbelieveble tears, heat, but...summer. Found my lost family, a bit shuttered, still alive, still love them. I forgive, if it does matter to him, to Graham from Fund Daniel for what is done. Today he is still alive. Wish him the best he can get by his own. Corina Miriam Georgeta IJAC autumn, 2023

@gerarddearie-zd2gb Ай бұрын

Steven's lack of self-awareness when he asks about contemporary historians insisting that we must see history through culture was, is something to behold.

@Joseph-ax999 4 ай бұрын

I'm amazed at the stability of the empire in spite of the many assassinations.

@CirclingDuck 8 ай бұрын

Loved him in Spiderman

@RANDALLBRIGGS 9 ай бұрын

The interviewer seems to be constantly grinding an axe.

@otuamab 8 ай бұрын

What is the Best book on Trajan?

@DiamondMind 4 ай бұрын

Love Tom

@gmk2222 2 ай бұрын

Anyone got a link to his brothers podcast, I found a James holland, is that him? Thanks

@McNeish 2 ай бұрын

Love Tom Holland and been reading his books for the last 20 years but wish he’d comb his hair.

@kitl8081 9 ай бұрын

Tom Holland is great! I don’t know what this interviewer is doing though, he’s a mess!

@DavosTheDegen 10 ай бұрын

Tom Holland looks a bit different from the last spiderman movie

@ssotkow 10 ай бұрын

Accumulating cobwebs, not shooting spidey webs

@fhujf 10 ай бұрын

This is a multiverse version of Tom Holland.

@martinaaron609 5 ай бұрын

Hilarious - like watching Slavoj Žižek be interviewed by Harry Enfield's Tim Nice-But-Dim. Comforting and encouraging that in 2023 this is the calibre of young person that The Telegraph can manage to find. But some fascinating insight from Tom - especially r.e. the concept of "pax".

@jayguerero47 4 ай бұрын

Steven Edginton will be a British journalism icon, if not a legend. Stay humble, upright, and excellent, young man.

@williambranch4283 10 ай бұрын

Pop American history was the Western, and died in 1970. We got a WWII resurgence same as GB.

@markcarey67 10 ай бұрын

It might just be the camera angle but Tom looks like a giant next to Steven

@apocalypseblues3897 2 ай бұрын

we gotta do something about that haircut man

@apocalypseblues3897 2 ай бұрын

dude what is going on with this interviewer? 😮

@hatomi_j4920 10 ай бұрын

And he was a great Spiderman as well

@Holoether 5 ай бұрын

Lovely! “Christendom was the peak theme….200 years ago”

@corinaijac4381 9 ай бұрын

Tomorrow is wednesday, my favorite day. So it's Freitag, the day I was born. Corina

@boonedockjourneyman7979 10 ай бұрын

Genius

@corinaijac4381 7 ай бұрын

Good morning. Bună dimineața. Corina Ijac

@corinaijac4381 8 ай бұрын

saw many at the local*

@williambranch4283 10 ай бұрын

Non-Romans hated the Romans. Non-Christians hated the Christians. Those other people need to get over it!

@trytwicelikemice3190 3 ай бұрын

Shame the interviewer has no idea how to read a vibe and had this weird insistance on pushing culture wars issues... still, excellent work by Tom Holland, respectfully navigating that to say something interesting despite the questions!

@philipmartin5757 6 ай бұрын

Love the ironic 'simple Jack' hairstyle...

@corinaijac4381 8 ай бұрын

Often I wondered, how they managed to do it. Bucarest, an area of a theseplaces person with sheeps, Bucur (joy), like David, like others-Odysseus f.ex., is on the same hourlongitude like Cairo. The Delta of the Nile was displaced, but just imagine... Let's say, they agreed to meet for a tea, on see, not at him, not at her. Being in time, have good weather and pleasant ships with lovely friends around, how, when he left it was 4 p.m. , when she left it was the same 4 p.m., to be at 5 o clock was it at the middle?, is it possible?, there is no such thing allways wondered, they had the funny world and managed to drink together a tea. Stunning! All my love! Corina Miriam Georgeta IJAC after 2000 years...

@markwrede8878 2 ай бұрын

Arriving throughout the world with place value math, extortion contracts, and gunpowder, the British made everyone affected by their history.

@AndyJarman 10 ай бұрын

As an occupant of a former British colony, I think Mr Holland greatly underestimates the degree to which Britain is a very central point of reference when defining the meaning of the various liberal femocracies it has given birth to.

@Mrtomcree 9 ай бұрын

I know it’s a typo but femocracy what a lovely word

@jonahtwhale1779 9 ай бұрын

Femunism - illustrates the communitarian nature of female nature but also the authoritarian aspect of the same.

@sirrathersplendid4825 8 ай бұрын

@@Mrtomcree- Is it a typo though? Perfectly describes what was happening in Sweden for several decades. Indeed sums up the dysfunctional world we live in today in most of the West.

@vlndfee6481 9 ай бұрын

Shalom means peace in Hebrew Is very differnent from Rome pax. Shalom start with in the heart by Jesus spirit. Pax is military ruling order.

@frankwitte1022 9 күн бұрын

This interviewer was really trying so hard to shoehorn in Telegraph-talking-points🤣

@supertuscans9512 10 ай бұрын

Too short!

@davekeith576 10 ай бұрын

Disruptive loud advertising interference.?

@artofmusic303 2 ай бұрын

Mr. Holland came very close to saying the concept of justice cannot exist outside the framework of Christianity. Surely he doesn''t believe that.

@boguslawagumuchian2427 9 ай бұрын

How is America a cultural superpower ? What is their culture ?

@tyronebiggums8660 8 ай бұрын

People around the world are influenced by American movies, television, music, innovations

@DavidSaundersPosts 2 ай бұрын

American culture is a huge stew, where cooks from all over the world throw their bits into the pot. What comes out is not always great, but is creative and it sells.

@corinaijac4381 9 ай бұрын

,,I saw your face in crowded place..." , ,,how deep is" the...water. Corina

@Simzoid 8 ай бұрын

Of course a Telegraph journalist starts the question with a religious decline, as opposed to sticking to the traditionally modern term void of religious connotations. Classic. Only here for Tom, who carefully avoids falling down the Douglas Murray route - as probably the Telegraph would enjoy.

@bronson4574 10 ай бұрын

I predict hundreds of jokes with his name

@Gorbyrev 10 ай бұрын

With great power comes great responsibility.

@VaughanMcCue 10 ай бұрын

@@Gorbyrev With great power comes not-so-great electricity bills.

@corinaijac4381 8 ай бұрын

Just five minutes before, left a comment to an interview to some ambassad in bucarest from Ishrael. It was, the comment, erased because of the content. It wasn't offending, they didn't love the content. Wow! How could this happen? Corina Ijac 6 oct 2023/7 oct.

@blancaijuarez5423 10 ай бұрын

@dbarker7794 Ай бұрын

"I don't listen to podcasts." One minute later: "I listen to cricket podcasts." So what's the truth, Mr Historian???

@robertholmes12 8 ай бұрын

Steven is on it again!

@chrisdickens4268 6 ай бұрын

Tom hollad is great, the chatbot reading the bullet points is a bit odd...

@humongousfungus8052 3 ай бұрын

Tom Holland is masterful as always. The guy from the Telegraph is far too tense and uptight in comparison and comes across like an overzealous schoolboy. He needs to relax his sphincter a bit before situations like this. 😉

@asephusnimubarok4691 10 ай бұрын

Good

@robertburke2246 9 ай бұрын

His documentary on Islam was interesting.

@uncletravellingmatt588 10 ай бұрын

Great interview from Holland but the interviewer is awful. He is desperate to turn this into a discussion on wokeism. Wish he'd grow up and focus on real things rather than his own imaginings and insecurities.

@corinaijac4381 9 ай бұрын

We don't live in the past, even if the seaside was left to the nature.

@artofmusic303 2 ай бұрын

I am a strong proponent of accurate headlines. "Oppenheimer, Napoleon and why the world loves British history" occupies approximately 5 minutes out of the 47. About half the interview is about ancient Rome. Do better, Telegraph.

@corinaijac4381 7 ай бұрын

Good morning, Dear Amon, mi-e foarte greu. Ceea ce am știut, am declarat. Poate ne mai întâlnim, cândva, într-un alt timp. Am știut că va fi greu dar am mers drumul până la capăt. ,,Călinescu" și-a falsificat actul de naștere, în ,,Enigma Otiliei" nimeni nu o mai întâlnește pe Otilia iar enigma ei, într-o casă plină de mătuși, e feminitatea. Nu știu să-mi iau rămas bun. Corina