About this episode

The episode explores the complexities of Henry VIII's character and actions, questioning whether he was always a monster or a product of his time.

He's known as one of history's most murderous kings, but was he always a monster? Or was he acting in ways expected of a king during his time. Joining Anthony as special guest co-host is author and historian Gareth Russell, to explore the theories that support the latter. Did the break from Rome set him off on a violent spiral? Did a fall from a horse in a jousting tournament really start his descent into darkness?! Or is there just no justifying what he did? You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit Edited by Hannah Feodorov and Anna Brant. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. For tickets to see Anthony and Maddy talking about her new book, Hoax, click here: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/hoax/ Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe .   You can take part in our listener survey here . All music from Epidemic Sounds. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Anthony

Guest: Gareth Russell

Topics covered

• Henry VIII
• history
• monarchy
• violence
• paranormal
• true crime

Keywords

• Henry VIII
• descent into darkness
• Gareth Russell
• history
• monarch
• violence
• break from Rome
• jousting tournament

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit, Epidemic Sounds, After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Books & works: Hoax

More episodes of After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

• Dark Side of Prehistoric Britain · April 26, 2026 · 43 min
• Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand · April 22, 2026 · 49 min
• Titanic's Biggest Myths Debunked · April 19, 2026 · 58 min
• The Murder that Shook Mary Queen of Scots · April 15, 2026 · 48 min
• The Victorian Sex Scandal of Fanny & Stella · April 12, 2026 · 59 min
• The Victorian Era's Wildest Murder · April 5, 2026 · 41 min

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