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 two then collaborated on an eight-part documentary series, Battlefield Britain, which aired in 2004 and won a BAFTA Craft Award for special effects. In the same year, Snow won a Sony award as one of the presenters covering the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames.

Snow has presented on many state occasions, including the 200th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Trafalgar, Beating Retreat 2006, the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the 90th anniversary of the First World War Armistice in November 2008, Trooping the Colour, and the Lord Mayor's Show. He again collaborated with his father to present BBC 2's 20th Century Battlefields and its print edition. 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

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

References

External links

• Snow's History Hit Podcast

• Dan Snow (official Periscope channel)