D-Day: The Tide Turns

Paul McGann narrates this gripping 15-episode series from Noiser that follows the real people behind the Normandy Landings. Each episode runs between 30 and 64 minutes, reconstructing the preparation and execution of D-Day through multiple perspectives — soldiers storming the beaches, French resistance fighters, weather forecasters making impossible calls, and commanders wrestling with life-or-death decisions. The production quality is outstanding, with original music by Dorry Macaulay and Oliver Baines layered under McGann's distinctive voice. Producers Duncan Barrett and Miriam Baines clearly spent serious time in the archives, because the details here go well beyond the usual Omaha Beach narrative. You get intelligence operations, the paratroopers' chaos behind enemy lines, and civilian stories that most D-Day accounts skip entirely. Apple Podcasts named it one of their Favourites of 2024, and the 4.9-star rating from 353 reviews backs that up. It plays more like a high-end audio documentary than a typical history podcast — think of it as a BBC drama meets a rigorous historical account. The serial format means you really should start from episode one and work through in order. At just 15 episodes, it is a contained, satisfying listen you can finish in a long weekend. If you want one podcast that captures the full scope of June 6, 1944, from the planning rooms to the sand, this is the one to start with.