Dan Snow

Daniel Robert Snow (born 3 December 1978) is a British-Canadian historian, author and television presenter. He is known for his work on BBC history programmes, including Battlefield Britain and 20th Century Battlefields, and for presenting on major national events such as Trooping the Colour and the Lord Mayor's Show. Snow is the founder of History Hit, a digital history network encompassing podcasts, online video, and a streaming service. Appointed MBE in 2019 for services to history, he has also presented numerous history documentaries for Channel 5 and took part in the Endurance22 expedition that located Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance in 2022. He is an ambassador for the Electoral Reform Society and serves as president of the Council for British Archaeology.

Early life and education Dan Robert Snow was born on 3 December 1978 in Westminster, London. He is the youngest son of Peter Snow, BBC television journalist, and Ann MacMillan, a Canadian who is managing editor emerita of CBC's London Bureau; he therefore holds dual British and Canadian nationality. Through his mother, he is the nephew of the historian Margaret MacMillan and a great-great-grandson of the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Snow was educated in London at Westfield Primary School (now Barnes Primary School) and at St Paul's School, where he was Captain of School and rowed for its VIII. He then went to Balliol College, Oxford, where his father had studied, and graduated with first-class honours in Modern History. A keen rower since his secondary school days, he won the U-23 men's division at the 2000 British Indoor Rowing Championships and rowed three times in the Boat Race. He won in 2000 and lost the controversial 2001 Boat Race, when he served as club President.

Career Snow presented his first programme in October 2002, shortly after graduating from university, co-presenting the BBC's 60th anniversary special on the Battles of El Alamein with his father. The series covers battles around the world and is presented in a similar fashion to Battlefield Britain.

In 2015, he founded History Hit, his own History media brand. It began as a podcast and has grown into a network encompassing a streaming service, Youtube channel, and multiple podcasts.

Snow presented on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's specials, with his mother for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 and the coronation of Charles III and Camilla the following year.

In early 2022, Snow took part in the Endurance22 expedition that located Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's lost vessel, Endurance, 107 years after it sank in the Weddell Sea. He danced with Nadiya Bychkova in the 2023 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.

Personal life On 27 November 2010, Snow married the criminologist and philanthropist Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor, the second daughter of the 6th Duke of Westminster. The couple were married by the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, at his official residence, Bishop's Lodge. They have three children, the eldest and youngest being daughters. Their home, in the New Forest, has a private beach.

On 18 April 2010, Snow and a group of friends took three rigid-hulled inflatable boats from Dover to Calais to help 25 people return to Britain after they had been stranded in France by the air travel disruption caused by the Icelandic eruption. At Calais, they were told by the French authorities that they could not return to collect any more.

In August 2011, he chased a group of rioters through Notting Hill in west London before tackling and performing a citizen's arrest on a looter who was fleeing from a shoe shop.

Snow serves as president of the Council for British Archaeology and is a member of the Royal Historical Society. As an atheist and a humanist, he is a patron of Humanists UK and an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. He is also an advocate for political reform, serving as the Electoral Reform Society's first ambassador. He played a prominent part in the 2011 Alternative Vote referendum in the UK; after he released a viral video, the campaign used a version of it, featuring him, as their final referendum broadcast.

In August 2014, Snow was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in the September referendum. In June 2019, Snow wrote in a Twitter thread that if Brexit happened and the Scottish National Party won a majority of votes in Scotland, he would "get" why Scottish people might want a second referendum, as leaving the European Union could "put up barriers" for Scotland. He was then asked whether this meant he now advised Scots to vote for independence, and he replied, "No way. One thing Brexit has taught me is the utter insanity of trying to rip countries apart".

Snow was one of 16 board members of More United, which endorsed parliamentary candidates who supported its values. The movement was set up in July 2016 "to stand up for our values of opportunity, tolerance, the environment, democracy, and openness".

Snow is an Honorary Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve.

Television Year Work Channel Notes 2002 El Alamein BBC Two 60th anniversary special of the Battle of El Alamein. Co-presented with Peter Snow. 2004 Battlefield Britain BBC Two Won – 2004 BAFTA Craft Awards (Visual Effects). 2005 Trafalgar 200 BBC Two Co-presented with Neil Oliver. 2006 Shipwreck: Ark Royal BBC One 2007 20th Century Battlefields BBC Two Co-presented with Peter Snow. Edwardian Winners and Losers BBC Four In Living Memory BBC One 2008 What Britain Earns BBC Two Co-presented with Peter Snow. Britain's Lost World BBC One Co-presented with Kate Humble and Steve Backshall. Hadrian BBC TwoBBC Wales Won – 2009 BAFTA Cymru (Best Presenter). 50 Things You Need To Know About British History History Channel My Family at War BBC One 2009 Grouchy Young Men Comedy Central Cameo (pilot only). Montezuma BBC Two 2010 Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World BBC Two Battle for North America BBC Two Little Ships BBC Two Dan Snow's Norman Walks BBC FourBBC Two How the Celts Saved Britain BBC Four 2011 Filthy Cities BBC Two China's Terracotta Army BBC One National Treasures Live BBC One 2012 Dig WW2 with Dan Snow BBC One Northern IrelandHistory Channel Three-part series investigating stories of World War II battlegrounds through excavations and dives. Battle Castle History ChannelDiscovery Channel Rome's Lost Empire BBC One 2013 Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways BBC Two Three-part series exploring the history of rail transport in Great Britain from its beginnings in the 18th century until the World War II. A History of Syria with Dan Snow BBC Two This World episode exploring Syria's complex past and the roots of the current crisis. The Dambusters: 70 Years On BBC Two Episode marking the 70th anniversary of the Dambuster raids, presenting veterans accounts of the events. D-Day: The Last Heroes BBC One Two-part series exploring the story of the D-Day landings planning and execution through the accounts of surviving veterans. Dan Snow's History of Congo BBC Two This World episode exploring Congo's history of slavery, colonialism, endemic corruption and war. Airport Live BBC Two Originally intended to be one of the presenters, but was unable to because of family reasons; involved in pre-recorded clips. Have I Got News For You BBC One 2014 Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow BBC Two Two-part series recreating John Wesley Powell's 1869 trip of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, where a team of nine men in period-correct boats and equipment navigates the canyon's 280 miles of river. Dan Snow's History of the Winter Olympics BBC Two Episode exploring the 20th and 21st centuries political upheaval impact at the 90 years of the Winter Olympic Games. The Birth of Empire: The East India Company BBC Two Two-part series exploring the story of the East India Company and how it changed British lifestyle, creating an empire and today's global trading systems. 2015 Armada: 12 Days to Save England BBC Two Three-part series exploring the story of the Spanish Armada using discovered documents and computer-generated imagery. World's Busiest Railway 2015 BBC Two Four-part series, exploring the science, systems and staff at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.Co-presented with Anita Rani and Robert Llewellyn. 2016 The Vikings Uncovered BBC One 90 minute episode exploring the Vikings expansion to the west and uncovering new settlements. New York: America's Busiest City BBC Two 3x60 minute episodes exploring New York City, co-presented with Anita Rani, Ant Anstead and Ade Adepitan Hunting the Nazi Gold Train BBC Two 60-minute episode exploring Project Riese, Schloss Fürstenstein and the search for the "Nazi gold train". Operation Gold Rush BBC Two 3x60 minute episodes exploring the Klondike gold rush. Dan Snow on Lloyd George: My Great-Great-Grandfather BBC Wales 60 minute episode exploring the personal life and political career of David Lloyd George. First broadcast on 7 December 2016. 2017 1066: A Year to Conquer England BBC Two 3x60 minute episodes exploring the events of 1066 in English history2020 Tutankhamun With Dan Snow Channel Five 4x60 minute episodes about the history of Tutankhamun. The Dambusters Channel Five 3x60 minute episodes about the RAF's 617 'Dambusters' squadron during WW2. 2022 Dan Snow: Into the Valley of the Kings Channel Five Documentary exploring the history of the Valley of the Kings. Into Dinosaur Valley with Dan Snow Channel Five Documentary about America's most significant dinosaur fossil discoveries. 2023 The Black Death Channel Five Two-part documentary series. Pompeii: The Discovery with Dan Snow Channel Five Documentary about the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. 2024 Atlantis: The Discovery with Dan Snow Channel Five Documentary about the lost city of Atlantis Stonehenge: The Discovery with Dan Snow Channel Five Documentary about the prehistoric megalithic Stonehenge The Terracotta Army with Dan Snow Channel Five Documentary about the mausoleum complex of the First Qin Emperor of China and its Terracotta Army The Colosseum with Dan Snow Channel Five Two-part documentary (The Arena of Death and Blood & Sand) about the history of the Colosseum 2025 Dan Snow & the Lost City Channel Five Documentary about Machu Picchu. Pompeii: Life in the City with Dan Snow Channel Five Four-part documentary series. King Tut: The Discovery with Dan Snow Channel Five Documentary about King Tut. 2026 Egypt With Dan Snow Channel Five Three-part documentary series. The Odyssey with Dan Snow Channel Five One-off documentary. World War II with Tom Hanks History Channel World War II documentary series. The Great Wall of China with Dan Snow Channel Five One-off documentary.

Radio Art in the Trenches, Radio 4 At War with Wellington, Radio 4 Prince of Wales, Radio 4, a look at the history of the office of Prince of Wales and the current occupant

Online

Dan Snow’s, History HitNetwork The Historic Present Pod, Charlie Gordon & Jonah Howe

Books

Awards and honours Snow was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to history. In 2019 Snow was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) honoris causa from Lancaster University. Other awards and honours include:

BAFTA (Visual Effects) for 'Battlefield Britain' Sony Award (Best Live Coverage) for Boat Race Day BAFTA Cymru (Best Presenter) for 'Hadrian' Maritime Media Award for best television, film or radio for 'Empire of the Seas' 2011 History Makers Award (Most Innovative Production) for 'Battle for North America' a 1-hour special on Snow's book 'Death or Victory.' Produced by Snow's production company Ballista Voice of the Listener & Viewer Special Award 2013

Ancestry