Interviews with Historians

Interviews with Historians was a landmark series of interviews between prominent historians, created in the 1980s and early 1990s. The Interviews were filmed in a talking-heads style between older interviewees and younger interviewers. In them, the interviewees reflect on their lives and their historical interests, how the historical profession and historical research has developed, and where it might develop in future. The collection provides a fascinating insight into the lives of the historians interviewed, as well as rich information about their academic and social milieu and the professional lives of British historians in the 20th century. The exhibition marks the publication of the Interviews with Historians collection afresh, online on the IHR’s website, after a long period of unavailability. The exhibition featured an opportunity to watch the Interviews at the place of their creation, the IHR. Visitors could view ephemera from the original production and the subsequent project to digitise the videotapes to create a new online collection.

Interviews with Historians

Periodicals Room, Institute of Historical Research, Senate House. London

June/ July 2025