History Extra podcast

The History Extra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.  

 

Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine, History Extra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past. 

 

We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day. 

 

Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens. 

 

Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history. 

 

Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.  

 

Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.  

 

Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past. 

Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/

History
1
The Terror: everything you wanted to know
David Andress answers listener questions about the paranoid and bloodthirsty phase of the French Revolution known as 'the Terror'
55 min
2
The real Lady Whistledown & the golden age of g...
Historical consultant Hannah Greig unpicks the real history behind the scandal sheets of Bridgerton’s Lady Whistledown
31 min
3
WW2's greatest battles | 5. Guadalcanal
James Holland explores the story and significance of the battle of Guadalcanal, a pivotal clash in the Pacific War
27 min
4
A surprising history of sex between men
Sir Noel Malcolm explores the history of sexual relationships between men in early modern Europe and the Ottoman world
38 min
5
History Behind the Headlines: student protests ...
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter explore the historical undercurrents of current news stories
37 min
6
Tudor ladies-in-waiting: the women who served H...
Dr Nicola Clark explores the lives of the women serving the six queens of Henry VIII, who watched Tudor England convulsed by dissolution, reformation and royal executions
34 min
7
Ancient Greek theatre: everything you wanted to...
Sarah Nooter answers listener questions on the world of ancient Greek theatre, from dramatic tragedies and side-splitting comedies to the rip-roaring ride of the satyr plays
43 min
8
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: is it ok to fiction...
As the new TV adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz hits our screens, Professor Richard J Evans considers the challenges of creating fiction from one of humanity's darkest episodes
24 min
9
WW2's greatest battles | 4. El Alamein
James Holland explores the story and significance of the second battle of El Alamein, a key engagement in the North African campaign
32 min
10
Shardlake: bringing the Tudor murder mystery to...
Historical consultant Peter Wagstaff takes us into the world of Shardlake, a new Tudor murder-mystery drama set during the dissolution of the monasteries
23 min
11
Kublai Khan: life of the week
Nicholas Morton explores the life of a mighty Mongol emperor who left an indelible mark on 13th-century China
33 min
12
Inside a Jim Crow asylum
Antonia Hylton explores the story of Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums in the USA
38 min
13
The Spartans: Everything You Wanted to Know
Paul Cartledge answers listener questions on the the ancient Greek city-state famed for its martial prowess
49 min
14
Death by nostalgia: the curious history of a da...
Agnes Arnold-Forster discusses the surprising history of nostalgia - from its diagnosis as a deadly disease, to its weaponisation for political agendas
26 min
15
WW2's greatest battles | 3. Battle of the Atlantic
James Holland explores the story and significance of the battle of the Atlantic, and considers how it shaped the course of the Second World War
30 min
16
Smash hits: 17th-century style
Professor Christopher Marsh and Dr Angela McShane share some of the most popular tunes of the early modern period – from romantic songs to ballads about crime
34 min
17
Benjamin Franklin: life of the week
Historian George Goodwin discusses the life and legacy of the polymath and founding father of the United States of America, Benjamin Franklin
41 min
18
OJ Simpson: the trial that gripped the world
Following OJ Simpson’s death in April, Joe Street explores the 1995 murder trial that grabbed the attention of audiences around the world – and what the crime and its aftermath tell us about recent US history
22 min
19
Greg Jenner and Campbell Price delve into the c...
Greg Jenner and Campbell Price delve into the curious and fascinating world of ancient Egyptian mummification
52 min
20
The Magus: enlightened magician or Renaissance ...
Anthony Grafton explains the many roles and responsibilities of the practicing Renaissance magicians known as 'Magi'
36 min
21
WW2's greatest battles | 2. Stalingrad
James Holland explores the story and significance of the battle of Stalingrad, and considers how it shaped the course of the Second World War
32 min
22
Aztec myths
Camilla Townsend delves into the stories, myths and legends of the Aztec people
44 min
23
David Lloyd George: life of the week
Professor Richard Toye delves into the life and career of Britain's last Liberal prime minister
37 min
24
Graffiti's golden age: radicalism & romance in ...
Madeleine Pelling explores the stories behind historical graffiti, from chalk markings to glyphs scratched onto windows, to reveal what they can tell us about life in 18th-century Britain
40 min
25
Highwaymen: everything you wanted to know
Bob Shoemaker answers listener questions on the criminal capers of highwaymen
23 min