The Rest Is History: Live
Let learned hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook lead you through time in this live version of their hit podcast The Rest Is History.
The biggest history podcast in the world takes centre stage at the Southbank Centre for a show exploring the most fascinating historical stories of all time.
Touching on the bloody amphitheatres of Ancient Rome; Montezuma and the fall of the Aztecs; the Napoleonic Wars and Nelson’s mastery of the seas; Hitler’s rise to power and the Second World War; and the calamities of 1970s Britain, The Rest Is History retells the tales that have shaped humanity with bombast, drama and historical precision.
Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook’s combination of penetrating knowledge, wit and superbly judged accents have sold out shows across the UK, Australia and the United States.
Need to know
There is a purchase limit of four tickets per person for this event.
Box package
You can buy an exclusive box package for this event. More details of our Royal Festival Hall exclusive box package.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
05 Sep 2026, 4pm
Run time
1 hour and 50 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £47 + £4 booking fee
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
Become a Member
Members get free entry to the Hayward Gallery and the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.
Join today from £60
Access
Accessible events
To book tickets for BSL interpretation, email [email protected] or call us on 020 3879 9555.
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme
All our access information
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.