What are your video podcasts about?
It's virtually all brand new content as part of a podcast trial the BBC is running. The podcasts give me a chance to include some of the stories and provide the insight that we couldn't fit into the actual programme. I also add in some extra bits of background and behind-the-scenes stuff, and explain how and why we chose to film in a particular way. I really want to get across to the user the difficulties you face in programme making, such as what needs to be emphasised, what battles to show, and then which bits of the battles we need to feature. There will also be some inclusion of the computer graphics that my dad [Peter Snow] talks about using his battle board. These podcasts will also allow the user a bit more time to reflect on the programme they have just seen and hopefully prompt them to discuss their thoughts on our message boards.
Do the video podcasts help you to tell the history better?
I think they do. No-one likes to be lectured to and podcasting is really quite relaxed and informal. I'm a massive fan of communication - getting connected - and have just bought my first PDA. It's great. Everything is suddenly synchronised between me, my phone and my computer. The idea that you can get the programme content you want, whenever and wherever you want, is just amazing. These podcasts are a really nice addition to the programme for the people who want to know more, and this sort of thing can only be good for history as a whole.
What's it like working with your dad?
We've become very good friends and it's great on a personal level to get to know your dad so well. But it's also great professionally. He is so good at his job and a real role model for me. I have had front row seats watching him all the time - it's a bit like having an apprenticeship in a way. I'm definitely still learning, although it's easy with this series as we're telling such fascinating stories.
What battles do you wish you could have covered in Twentieth Century Battlefields?
So many battles spring to mind. I guess the Battle of Moscow, as that was a turning point when Hitler's plans for invading the Soviet Union really fell apart, since he wasn't able to take Moscow before the onset of winter. The Battle of Kursk - as that was really the biggest battle of the Eastern Front. It involved a spectacularly large number of tanks and men, and really was the end of the Wehrmacht [German army] as a fighting force, making it only a matter of time before Hitler was defeated. There are also some of the battles of the Russo-Japanese war, such as the Battle of Tsushimi in 1905, which was a naval battle that proved a major turning point in the Pacific, heralding the rise of the Japanese empire. I would also have loved to have done more of the battles in the First World War, such as Passchendaele, the first battle of the Marne, Gallipoli, Somme and Verdun. And then there's the Second World War where I would have wanted to do D-Day, which was an amazing moment for the Allied troops.
What is the most pivotal battle of all time?
For me, the most astonishing battle of all time in terms of scale and drama is Stalingrad, which is covered in the series. Stalingrad was just one of the series of gigantic battles on the Eastern Front [1941 - 1945]. When you look at warfare on that scale it blows your mind. I'm just thankful I didn't have to fight in it. There are a number of pivotal battles, such as Waterloo and the Spartans' stand in the pass at Thermopylae, that I would like to know more about.
Do you have a military hero?
My greatest hero would have to be my grandpa who is in his nineties. As a Canadian he fought during the Second World War. I am proud of what he achieved as he had a very humble background. He had a great influence on my early life, as he was the one that got me interested in history through telling me stories about the war. It was these stories that developed my passion for history. The telling of history often focuses on war as one of the most extreme conditions for humans. I suppose the thing with wars is that they provide people with so many different experiences - both bad and good - that stay with them for the rest of their lives. For example, some people who landed on D-Day walked up the beach and didn't see a single German defender. Yet you talk to other soldiers who lost all of their mates in the first wave. If I had to choose a historical figure, it would have to be Nelson, who was an extraordinary man. Every account I've read shows that he had a presence about him that had a profound effect on the people who served with him. As a leader I don't think there is anyone who has surpassed that.
Is the way wars are fought changing?
Definitely. For example, a huge dimension of the war on terror is the internet, and the propaganda war being fought on the internet through websites that Al-Qaeda and other Islamic militants use. Not just the internet, but the whole communications revolution that happened at the very end of the 20th century has changed war incalculably. It's probably the biggest single revolution, even bigger than all the advances in weaponry. It's extraordinary that you can now sit in the White House watching a raid going on in Basra, as it happens. The amount of information available to commanders who can now watch their soldiers on the front line fighting in real time is really incredible. At the beginning of the 20th century, war was fought on the surface of the land, and on the surface of the sea. By the beginning of the 21st century war was being fought on the surface of the land, the surface of the sea, under the sea, in the air, in space and in the ether. So whole new dimensions have been opened up which have inevitably been militarised.
Will we still fight wars in the future?
As long as there are people with different views, I don't think you'll see an end to war. But as some military powers become totally dominant on the battlefield, you'll see a shift to guerrilla warfare such as is happening in Iraq at the moment. It's tough to predict how future wars will look, or even what they will be fought over. It's a multimillion-dollar question. The US and British armed forces are spending billions of dollars on trying to figure out how these wars are going to be fought and what kind of weapons they are going to need. You can only hope there are fewer of them.