Dan Snow is one of the most revered popular historians in Britain. In 2002, Dan came onto the scene with his acclaimed BBC documentary El Alamein, charting the events of the Second World War battle for its 60th anniversary. In every year since, he has released several popular history programmes, covering everything from Rome to China, the Vikings to the Nazis, and the history of Britain. He is also an ambassador of the Electoral Reform Society. His latest show - a one-off special: The Odyssey with Dan Snow - premiered on Channel Five last month.

Why did we invite him?

Just shy of a year ago, we had Dan on the show to give an overview of the ‘True History of England’. It remains one of our favourite interviews ever, and it looks like you agreed; at the time of writing, it boasts nearly a million views on YouTube - a number eclipsed when you account for downloads.

Ten minutes from the end, Dan said: “We’re getting to the best bit.” By that, he meant the Industrial Revolution. Having to cut him off before we could explore that was torturous for us, and something we insisted on remedying as quickly as possible.

Ten months later, we have him back to do precisely that.

What did we learn?

”It’s one of the most exciting stories in the whole of human history. A little island off the coast of Eurasia, for thousands of years, it does very little. Then, around 1700-1750, it goes mental. It builds the largest empire the world has ever seen. Roughly a quarter of the world’s area and population is under the control of a tiny island in the North Sea. Why?”

Why indeed. England’s outsized influence over the world remains one of the most puzzling facts of its history. Its music, literature, theatre, films, architecture, practices and norms are present in almost every corner of the planet; even in ones they never outright controlled. What was it about this ‘little island’ that meant it was able to have such a seismic impact?

”At the time, the argument was that ‘God is an Englishman’. But the truth is much more interesting. Why do you get these explosions of creativity? Or naval might? Why does it happen? And how can you replicate it?”

Some things can only happen once. It’s a miracle they ever happened at all. Understanding that about British history, it’s easy to dismiss what happened as a freak event. But that undersells the factors that profoundly contributed to the ‘fate’ of the nation and the ones it controlled, or even just inspired.

There are countless we can explore, but Dan starts with the key cultural difference between Europe and its rivals in the Far East.

”Europe is incredibly competitive. If you have an invention in Nanking [in China] and the emperor doesn’t like it, that’s the end of your invention. If you have an invention and the king doesn’t like it, you can be in another country in two days.”

Going further, our guest explains how innovation, Columbus, the achievements of English explorers, conflict with France, gain and loss of the United States, and even the natural weather patterns around the isle, lay the ground for what would be true catalyst: industry.

”Historians really argue whether empire and industry are distinct or linked. I think they are linked. As Britain pushes ahead with its trade and overseas power projection, things start happening at home. The desire to build better ships means embracing science; you’re constantly thinking about how to improve them, and navigate more effectively. There are so many breakthroughs in this time.”

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Another crucial feature was the advent of capitalism. Quite unlike the myth often told, capitalism was not an enslaving practice - it was a liberating one. Adam Smith, forefather of the model, made the case that a system in which willing workers are compensated by their boss is not only more ethical than slavery, but also more economically sound.

Here, Dan cuts against the established narrative that all of the West’s wealth and prosperity was built on the slave trade; it wasn’t until after it ended that these countries entered the truest phase of affluence.

”[Smith] made the case that capitalism would save everyone money, even the slave owners. The cost of policing this institution was more than it earned back; by paying them a wage, they fostered an economy.”

These days, the story goes that Britain was a uniquely cruel and barbarous coloniser. One with a history to be deeply ashamed of. There are doubtlessly aspects that make one wince, that make patriotism more difficult. Are we right to feel that way?

”The past was a monstrous, unimaginably brutal place. What do we do about that?”

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Today, he and the guys will be discussing the calibre of our politicians today, the fertility crisis and wider UK news.

Comment your questions below.

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Most of us put real effort into our work, our families, and our finances. But when it comes to our health, we are mostly guessing.

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Head to Superpower and use code TRIGGER at checkout for $20 off your membership. After you sign up, they will ask how you heard about them. Make sure to mention Triggernometry.

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Robert Tombs is Emeritus Professor of French History at Cambridge, and a Fellow of St John’s College. He is the author of The English and Their History and co-editor of the pro-Brexit academic website Briefings for Britain.

Tomorrow, they are coming on the show together to discuss their upcoming book “Our Island’s Story,” and to make the case for a more historically honest and hopeful account of Britain’s past - one that pushes back against narratives that reduce the country’s history, and particularly its colonial history, to a story of systemic racism and oppression.

A missed call is money out the door.

If you run a business, you already know the problem. Calls come in when you are busy. Texts get missed. A customer reaches out, gets no response, and goes elsewhere. The messier your communications setup, the more it costs you.

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• AI automatically logs calls, generates summaries, and flags next steps so nothing gets lost after a conversation

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Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first six months when you sign up at Quo.com/TRIG. That’s Q-U-O dot com slash TRIG.

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Tomorrow, he is coming on the show to discuss the history between England and France and why the two countries have such a violent history over the last thousand years. Everything from the Normans to Napoleon to the modern day.

Comment your questions below.

Gold is back in the headlines.

Central banks are adding to their reserves.
Governments are printing more of their currency.
Debt keeps climbing.

But rising gold prices alone don’t explain what’s really happening.

The team at Monetary Metals just released their 2026 Gold Outlook Report, and it digs into the deeper forces driving the gold market right now.

Inside the report you’ll learn:

• Why gold may still be in a long-term bull market

• What rising debt and unstable monetary policy means for gold

• Why recent market volatility could signal bigger shifts ahead

It’s a clear, data-driven look at where gold is today, and where it may go next.

If you care about gold, this is worth your time.

🏆 Read the Monetary Metals 2026 Gold Outlook Report

James Hankins is one of America’s most admired historians.

In 1985, he joined the history faculty at Harvard, where he would remain for 40 years before leaving in December of last year. Today, He is the general editor of the I Tatti Renaissance Library - a book series by Harvard University Press dedicated to republishing classic works of Italian literature. His latest book - the concluding volume of The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition duology - was published earlier this year. Today, he also publishes on a Subsack of the same name.

Why did we invite him on?

James’ story instantly caught our interest. What is it that motivates an acclaimed professor, after four decades at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, to leave his position? How did it feel then? How does he feel about it now?

More broadly, we also wanted to explore James’ area of expertise: Western civilisation, with particular attention paid to Italy’s contribution. Something James felt, towards the end of his tenure at Harvard, he could no longer teach. He left to do precisely that. We were more than happy to host him.

What did we learn?

Learning about civilisation is unique among academic pursuits. As you learn, you become part of it. It’s not merely a detached assessment of what’s come before; in the act of educating oneself, they become an active participant. By learning about the cerebral tools of Western civilisation, we are imbued with them. It demands we rise to the occasion.

This, James asserts, has long been forgotten.

”This strikes me as a mistake of modern, humanist studies: it’s so important to communicate in our world, and at a very high level. It’s how you become a civilised person. Not just good manners, but intuitions, poetic insights, sublimity… These [skills] can only be developed in a civilisation. You’re not just a citizen - you’re a member of the society, and you interact with it in a profound and subtle way.”

These are not inborn abilities. The most elevated forms of art - in theatre, sculpture, music, and literature - are only fully understood when we’re taught how. What to look out for, which parts to admire.

Many of the universities pride themselves on taking a strictly “critical” approach; rigorous scepticism that undresses and assesses the inherited knowledge of past eras. It sounds good, but is it? Perhaps the best way to learn about - and respect - the great works and achievements of a civilisation is from someone who actually does.

”It’s not automatic that people will understand classical music. It’s an acquired taste, and to acquire it you have to be brought up and educated in that. You have to have people who communicate their love of it to you, teachers who are enthusiasts. If you want to understand Western civilisation - Michaelangelo, Beethoven, Dante - you need the skills to do so.”

If this is such an important process, why did James take himself out of it?

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In 2025, after 40 years of teaching, James retired from Harvard University. There were a myriad of reasons, but central to his motivation was the university’s intensifying unwillingness to allow his position to be heard. He only left last year, but the decision had been brewing for some time.

”I decided to retire in 2020; the year of George Floyd, the year of COVID. I just didn’t want to do it anymore. They created such a terrible atmosphere. They wanted us to do lectures with masks on, which I refused to do … I was also banging my head against the wall trying to get the university to continue teaching the history of Western civilisation. That was a mainstay for decades, but my department [wanted to get rid of it]. It was evident to me that someone had made a decision to zero out ‘Western Civ’.”

What remained of James’ freedom to teach was not what he hoped for. As years went by, James increasingly found he was discouraged from exploring the majestic elements of Western civilisation, or even a balanced approach. He could only teach the dark underbelly - the shameful, immoral components of our past.

”You could teach the French empire and all its evils, but you couldn’t teach the Revolution. You could teach about the English monarchy and the colonies, but not the Magna Carta.”

It invites the question: why?

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On Monday, he is coming on the show to give a breakdown of China over the last century, key players like Chairman Mao and Xi Jinping, and what the future holds for the country.

Comment your questions for Frank below.

Gold is back in the headlines.

Central banks are adding to their reserves.
Governments are printing more of their currency.
Debt keeps climbing.

But rising gold prices alone don’t explain what’s really happening.

The team at Monetary Metals just released their 2026 Gold Outlook Report, and it digs into the deeper forces driving the gold market right now.

Inside the report you’ll learn:

• Why gold may still be in a long-term bull market

• What rising debt and unstable monetary policy means for gold

• Why recent market volatility could signal bigger shifts ahead

It’s a clear, data-driven look at where gold is today, and where it may go next.

If you care about gold, this is worth your time.

🏆 Read the Monetary Metals 2026 Gold Outlook Report

Read more

Even if you don’t know Robert Hardman, you certainly know his work.

As well as working as a royal correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and writing for the Daily Mail and Spectator, Robert Hardman is a fixture of Britain’s state occasions. If you watched the BBC’s coverage of King Charles III’s coronation, or the 70th anniversary of D-Day, or the funerals of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, you’ll have heard his voice.

His latest book - Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story. - was published earlier this year to widespread acclaim.

Why did we invite him on?

The monarchy is, quietly, one of the most divisive subjects in contemporary Britain.

To its defenders, the chain of royals ties us back to a thousand-year history, providing an invisible stability and identity to a nation facing crisis. To small-r republicans, it’s an institution that entrenches our society with inequality, corruption, and magical thinking; a direct, expensive contradiction to the principles of the Magna Carta.

We invited Robert to make the case in favour. As one of the world’s leading experts on the subject, he was a natural choice, and it made for a fascinating conversation.

What did we learn?

Francis and Konstantin concede from the off - neither understand why it’s a big deal either way. Whether we have a monarchy or not, does it really matter? If it were to go away, short of the odd state funeral going amiss, would we even notice? To Robert, the answer is obvious.

”At every level, the monarchy plays a role. They are the thread that weaves through it all.”

Robert’s dedicated his life to researching and following our royal family. Yet, even he didn’t quite realise the profundity of their influence until 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II - Britain’s longest-reigning monarch ever - passed away.

”It was an extraordinary week. We’d just changed our head of government [Rishi Sunak replaced Liz Truss as PM], and we were also changing our head of state. In most countries, when you change [either], there is upheaval. We changed both in a week, and not a shot was fired, or an angry word said. People just carried on. That summed up the heft and stability the family provides. It’s the bedrock. People don’t know it’s there.”

Across the last thousand years, especially in the last century, we’ve seen the direct power of the Royals dip considerably. At one time, the monarch was seen to be anointed by God himself, and they enjoyed all the power such an anointment entails. They could declare and lead wars without permission from anyone else, raise taxes at will, and change laws for any reason and at any time. Elizabeth II oversaw a mass reduction in the scope of the empire, but even before her, the grip was loosening. As time’s gone by, we’ve seen that role reduce to, seemingly, cutting ribbons and shaking hands. It hardly seems worth keeping.

This, Robert suggests, is a misunderstanding - the power has changed, not diminished.

”Their power is what we call ‘soft power’ [the ability to shape behaviour and beliefs without force]. I interviewed Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard University, the man who codified and defined ‘soft power’, and he said Britain has two tools of it that are completely inexorable - the English language, and the Royal Family. It gives [us] enormous influence, and places us at the top of the ‘soft power’ index.”

Again, this was perhaps best captured by the relationships Elizabeth II enjoyed with international figures of consequence. For over 70 years, she liaised with the most powerful people on the planet, winning friends across all political divides.
Even Donald Trump - famously fickle - demonstrated reverence for her. It was only that reverence that gave Robert the chance to speak to the President.

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Last September, we welcomed Kehinde Andrews and Rafe Heydel-Mankoo on to our show to debate the ethics of reparations, slavery, and colonialism.

It sparked a ferocious conversation - first in the studio, and later online. Immediately, we were eager to host another. We considered a variety of subjects to explore, and ultimately landed on what is perhaps …

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With approaching 40 years’ experience, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is one of the eminent figures in his field - one which has only become increasingly significant.

For 23 of those years, he served in the British Army as an officer, reaching the rank of colonel (a position he held for 10), before leaving to advise the Union of Syrian Medical Charities. In his time in service, he saw action in the First Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Second Gulf War. As a commentator, he is published in the BBC, ABC, the Guardian, and the Daily Telegraph. In June, he published his latest book - Tank Command.

What did we learn?

This is a time of reawakening. While Britain is not at war yet, the 2020s have seen us reckon with that reality more than we have at any time since Iraq. Things are arguably worse now. In that case, it was a voluntary engagement; we might find we have no say in our next conflict.

”It was only when Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 that we, as a country, realised: ‘Blimey, we don’t have a credible deterrent.’ At the moment, the British army, air force and navy are trying to recover from 40 years of disinvestment and poor morale. You can get there, and quickly, but it takes funding. We must give our men and women the right tools to do the job.”

For decades, the UK has depended on its bigger, badder, younger brother across the Atlantic. Under the watchful eye of the world’s most mighty military, we - and our European neighbours - have dropped our guard, safe in the knowledge that, should the worst come to pass, we have the golden goose on our side. Under Trump, that relationship is changing. No longer can we expect to free-ride on America’s good graces. To Hamish, this is no bad thing.

”I don’t agree with everything Trump does and says, but he has stirred up the Europeans. We realise now that we can’t just depend on the US - we must prepare our own military capabilities, so that when Putin - or whoever replaces him - looks West in the future, he sees a credible defence and doesn’t invade.”

But how did it come to this? Why did it take a renegade, China-shop-bull President like Trump to rattle our cages before we realised what we were facing? Why did we wait until Putin had already put boots on Ukrainian soil to consider our own safety?

To Hamish, the answer is simple: we didn’t take the threat seriously. We slacked off. We cut budgets, we lost interest. As we come nose-to-nose with reality, it’s clear how imbalanced things have become.

”Priorities for the government have changed. You hear every Prime Minister since Churchill say defence is the most important priority for our nation, but it’s not been since Churchill that we actually believed that. That’s an issue. A Russian soldier gets paid 80 grand a year; that’s at least twice what they get here. When we’re spending six-times as much on welfare as we are on defence, I feel we’ve got something wrong here.”

So, how bad is the problem really? Francis mentions one of Hamish’s articles, in which he revealed that the army was being underfunded to the tune of £28 billion. It sounds troubling, but as laymen, it’s hard to guess at what the material consequences of that shortfall are. What does that entail in real-world terms for our soldiers?

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Every generation gets the film critic it deserves, and Will Jordan is his.

Tackling Hollywood’s fad-fuelled obsession with identity politics, wokeism, and progressive ideology, the Critical Drinker has, in the last decade, has grown from an irreverent comedy character to one of the most widely-listened-to media analysts in the world.

Today, his channel boasts 2.4 million subscribers and just shy of a billion combined views.

Why did we invite him on?

We’ve had Will on the show twice before: first to discuss how the movie industry was poisoned by politics, and later to consider whether the era of hyper-liberalism in mass entertainment was behind us.

This time, we wanted an update on the current state of cinema. Have things improved, or gotten worse? More importantly, what does the future have in store?

What did we talk about?

Naturally, the conversation opens with the cinematic event of the year: Christopher Nolan’s recent adaptation of The Odyssey. It’s been out only a fortnight, yet already it’s a contender for the decade’s most divisive blockbuster. While acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece and earning hundreds of millions at the global box office, the film has had, to put it mildly, its share of detractors. Not mere internet trolls either; Elon Musk has floated the idea of privately funding a more ‘authentic’ adaptation with Mel Gibson at the helm, while famed translator Emily Wilson described the modern screenplay as work she would be “ashamed” of.

Where did the Critical Drinker land?

”Meh.”

People watched the review thinking I’d hate it, but I was just mixed on it. There are technically brilliant aspects, and Christopher Nolan’s a very competent director. My only real issue was the lack of emotional connection, which is common for [Nolan] movies at this point.”

That’s more or less how we felt. We seem to be the only three that did. So why is the film so contentious? An Oscar-winning director with an iconic catalogue, working with a cast of stars, to depict the West’s most eternal story. It’s hard to quantify a more sure-fire recipe for success. How did it attract such ire months before it was even seen?

”It’s the casting choices. When it was first announced, everyone was pretty enthusiastic, myself included … I was sure he’d do a great job. Then the first trailer comes out… You find out Lupita N’yongo is playing Helen Of Troy - quite a departure from what we know Helen of Troy to be… and that Elliot Page is going to be in it. It generated a crazy pushback online. I haven’t seen anything like it since [2023’s] Snow White.”

The film, contrary to what many online pundits would have had you believe, was neither especially woke nor anti-woke. It wasn’t a perfect film, but it largely managed to avoid the unsavoury trappings of either. Are we seeing some kind of ‘woke PTSD’ whereby everything is viewed through the lens of friend-and-enemy? Is it the same reason that every film which isn’t blatant propaganda is welcomed as a return to classic Hollywood?

How has Hollywood painted itself into such a corner?

”They looked at the internet and thought the world was a big, progressive echo chamber. So they made films for that world, and they’re finally waking up to the fact it didn’t work. It took tens of billions in lost revenue, but they got there in the end. It’s just a shame Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or whatever else, have been casualties of that trend.”

It’s why Will, regardless of its faults, welcomes bold films like the Odyssey. Non-franchise, serious films that make requests of their viewer. That require attention and patience.

”I would rather watch [The Odyssey] a hundred times over than just another piece of superhero slop, or whatever franchise like Star Wars or Jurassic Park are recycling for the dozenth time. I’m glad to see it succeed over films of lesser artistic merit.”

Here, Will is speaking to what looked for a while to be a terminal trend: the ever-diminishing interest in art in entertainment. Commerce is an inexorable component of cinema, but for much of the 21st century, it’s felt like the only thing that matters. Regurgitated franchises with aged-out characters and reference-heavy dialogue, churned out, swallowed, and regurgitated again. It’s become so tedious, even the most popular franchises in the history of entertainment are struggling to turn a profit.

”The demand for interesting films is still there. Look at Obsession - with horror films, all you need is a good idea. A good hook to get people. You don’t need a huge budget for special effects - you just need a good premise, a solid script, and some good performances. That movie cost $750,000 to make, and it’s sitting at $460 million. It’s on track to be the most profitable film of all time, relative to budget. It can still be done.”

And it can still be done on the largest of scales. For all the blockbuster exhaustion we three share, this year also saw the release of one of the best in some time…

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Tomorrow, he is rejoining the show to discuss Hollywood, The Odyssey, wokeness and good writing.

Comment your questions for Will below.

Most of us put real effort into our work, our families, and our finances. But when it comes to our health, we are mostly guessing.

You go to the doctor.

You walk out with: “Everything looks fine. Drink more water.”

No real data.

No plan.

Superpower changes that.

Here is how it works:

• A licensed professional comes to your home, or you visit a nearby lab, for a single blood draw

• They analyse over 100 biomarkers: heart health, hormones, metabolism, liver function, thyroid, vitamins, minerals, and environmental toxins

• You get a personalised action plan with targeted supplements, nutrition guidance, and lifestyle changes you can start straight away

• You learn your true biological age and can track how your choices are actually shaping your long-term health, year on year

Price-wise, this is a straightforward decision. Superpower used to cost $499. Right now it is $199, while other testing services charge $500 to $1,000 or more for similar or often inferior information. And with code TRIGGER at checkout, you get an additional $20 off.

Head to Superpower.com and use code TRIGGER at checkout for $20 off your membership. After you sign up, they will ask how you heard about them. Make sure to mention Triggernometry.

Your blueprint, activated. Visit Superpower.com and use code TRIGGER at checkout.

Tomorrow, he is coming on the show to discuss his new book, “The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East,” which explores the history of the Middle East from 1900 to the present.

Comment with your questions for Simon below.

Gold is back in the headlines.

Central banks are adding to their reserves.
Governments are printing more of their currency.
Debt keeps climbing.

But rising gold prices alone don’t explain what’s really happening.

The team at Monetary Metals just released their 2026 Gold Outlook Report, and it digs into the deeper forces driving the gold market right now.

Inside the report you’ll learn:

• Why gold may still be in a long-term bull market

• What rising debt and unstable monetary policy means for gold

• Why recent market volatility could signal bigger shifts ahead

It’s a clear, data-driven look at where gold is today, and where it may go next.

If you care about gold, this is worth your time.

🏆 Read the Monetary Metals 2026 Gold Outlook Report

Read more

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