Get in loser, we’re making history

THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR

Sony Music

History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2026

⏱️ 4 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We’re often taught that history’s written by the winners. But we’d like to argue that, in fact, it’s the losers who end up making history. In this brand new miniseries from Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day, History’s Greatest Fails aims to answer the simple, but complex, question: Why do losers make history? From Richard III, to Vincent Van Gough, to the purposefully forgotten female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this series is going to help you better understand how the idea of failure changes over time, and what lessons failure has for all of us. Dan and Elizabeth are old friends, fellow history graduates, and fellow authors and podcasters. Dan Jones is host of This Is History — A Dynasty to Die For, a narrative podcast that charts the bloody and complex drama of England’s Plantagenet dynasty, now up to its 10th season. Elizabeth is host of How To Fail, a podcast that has brought together hundreds of luminaries and thinkers including Kate Winslet, Yuval Noah Hariri, and Malala Yousafzai, to reflect on failure in the present. Over six episodes, History’s Greatest Fails will dissect failure of all kinds, from troubled historical rulers, to the failures of remembrance, to the failures that have created the happy accidents that last for generations. As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And for the bonus episodes of this miniseries, Dan and Producer Al are hearing from the favourites directly — join us as they discuss the royal favourites’ special fail mentions. So, join us for the debut episode of History’s Greatest Fails, premiering on Tuesday April 7. –– A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices – Presented by Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Executive Producer - Dan Jones Executive Producer for Daylight Productions - Elizabeth Day Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator - Eric Ryan Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Elizabeth, what's your greatest failure?
0:05.2	I mean, so many to choose from, but the one that is coming to mind is probably this one.
0:12.0	He's asking for help with a bulky parcel that he removed from the passenger seat of his car.
0:17.8	And I question it mildly as we're walking upstairs. I'm like, what's this then? He said,
0:23.4	oh, it's a camp bed. I was like, yeah, your mattress is really uncomfortable and it's so bad for my
0:29.6	lower back pain. So I've brought my own foot on. And what happens, Dan, and you know, apologies
0:35.1	if any listeners or viewers are of a delicate nature.
0:38.3	But we are intimate on my mattress, which is totally fine, FYI.
0:43.9	Oh, God.
0:44.5	And after we have done the act, he sort of unrolls his futon, then rolls onto the futon, like a sort of faithful hound lying at the feet of his Tudor retainer. And I remember going to
0:56.9	sleep thinking, this is totally fine. You know, how great to be with someone who just knows his own
1:01.0	body, who is self-aware enough to acknowledge that he has lumber issues and he's taken action.
1:07.5	And then in the middle of the night, I woke up, sat bolt-up rate, and I just thought
1:12.6	this man cannot be my boyfriend, and I need to break off. And I did the next day. And he said,
1:18.3	well, as long as you don't come back to me in six months having changed your mind, because by then
1:22.5	your ovaries would have dried up and I won't be interested.
1:25.8	Somehow, I find that more horrific than Henry VIII having Anne Ballin beheaded with a sword.
1:32.9	I know it's not and I think it's just the shock of the new.
1:37.6	But that is atrocious.
1:43.3	I mean, nothing could be worse than that, really.
1:47.0	Well, if it's any consolation, Futon Don's got nothing on the epic failures we're about to tell you about on our new show, History's Greatest Fails.
1:57.4	Hosted by me, Dan Jones.
	...

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