Dominic Sandbrook

“History is the great teacher, yet too often we fail to listen.” – Dominic Sandbrook

Dominic Sandbrook is a modern historian whose writings offer a fresh perspective on British history, with a particular focus on the post-World War II era. Sandbrook’s early academic focus on American history produced two highly regarded works, including a biography of Eugene McCarthy, the US senator who challenged President Johnson over the Vietnam War. However, his reputation was cemented with his exploration of Britain’s post-war history.

His most acclaimed project has been a series of books on Britain from the 1950s to the 1980s. Who Dares Wins (2019), the fifth installation of the series, delves into the first Thatcher administration, covering the seismic shifts of the early 1980s. The Times praised it as “absolutely breathtaking,” while major outlets like the Daily Mail and BBC History Magazine named it a Book of the Year.

Dominic Sandbrook’s column for The Times delivers a distinctive blend of historical perspective and offers readers a refreshingly original take on today’s political and cultural shifts. He has presented several acclaimed documentaries for BBC Two, including The 70s and The 80s, and is also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4. Sandbrook’s popular podcast, The Rest is History, co-hosted with Tom Holland, has become one of the biggest history podcasts in the world, amassing millions of downloads worldwide.

A Visiting Professor at King’s College London, Dominic Sandbrook has held senior fellowships at Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is currently working on an opera about the life of Margaret Thatcher, Mrs T, which explores the complexities of her tenure as prime minister. It promises to offer an intimate portrait of one of the most polarising figures in British history, with music by composer Joseph Phibbs.