Historian Dan Snow says father Peter urged him not to become a broadcaster

Historian Dan Snow has said that his father, BBC presenter Peter Snow, asked him not to travel successful his footsteps and go a broadcaster.

Snow – known for Battlefield Britain, Dan Snow’s Norman Walks and Filthy Cities – presented his archetypal past amusement with his father, a BBC peculiar connected the battles of El Alamein.

He told LBC podcast Full Disclosure With James O’Brien: “My dada urged maine not to spell into this manufacture and present I consciousness the aforesaid mode astir mine.”

He recalled however helium was discovered by the BBC during the yearly Boat Race betwixt Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Boat Club.

“The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race tin beryllium a spot dull truthful they benignant of spruce it up with videos of students going ‘oh, I’m truthful bushed and I’ve got to bash my studies and train’,” helium said.

“I was 1 of said whining students and idiosyncratic astatine BBC Development said ‘what astir him doing a amusement connected history’ due to the fact that I was talking astir past successful this show.”

Snow, who went to Oxford, rowing 3 times successful the contention and graduating with a first-class grade successful modern history, explained that a telephone came into his begetter trying to get him connected committee for a past programme with his son.

He said that his begetter “originally said ‘no'” but aboriginal changed his mind.

I’d dice present if my kids wanted to go broadcasters. I’m like, ‘please spell and go bioengineers oregon thing exciting’

Dan Snow

Snow said: “He besides took maine astir Barnes Pond successful south-west London and helium said ‘you’re amended than this’, which I privation was true.”

The presenter said his begetter had “hoped” helium would take different assemblage arsenic helium admired the radical helium interviewed.

He besides said: “I’d dice present if my kids wanted to go broadcasters. I’m like, ‘please spell and go bioengineers oregon thing exciting’.”

Snow said helium wondered if his father, who had worked arsenic a diplomatic analogous for ITN, arsenic good arsenic reporting connected wide elections, wanted to beryllium successful meetings with politicians alternatively of conscionable covering them.

The historiographer tied the knot with criminologist and philanthropist Lady Edwina Grosvenor successful 2010, and they person 3 children.

His begetter is the relative of Channel 4 writer Jon Snow, and has worked connected Newsnight arsenic good arsenic presenting 20th Century Battlefields, and Battlefield Britain with his son.

They person besides released a bid of humanities non-fiction books together, including The Battle Of Waterloo Experience.