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. 

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History
1
How Christianity came to dominate the Roman world
Alice Roberts explains how Christianity took over all aspects of Roman life – and helped perpetuate the empire
40 min
2
The spy next door: Moscow's century-long plot t...
Shaun Walker casts light on Moscow's shocking 'illegals' programme - a daring feat of espionage that saw Russian spies going deep undercover
42 min
3
Edward the Confessor: life of the week
Tom Licence leads us through the legacy of the medieval monarch whose death led to England's Norman takeover – but whose life also left a significant mark on history
45 min
4
Britain and the Caribbean: from slavery to Blac...
Imaobong Umoren argues that we need to take a longer view of British involvement in the Caribbean 
26 min
5
Nationalism: everything you wanted to know
41 min
6
Preview: The forgers who faked a fortune
6 min
7
From dodos to 'lost' tribes: a history of extin...
Sadiah Qureshi explains why the history of extinction is a much murkier story that it initially seems
31 min
8
Europe's last pagans
Francis Young shares the surprisingly long story of the non-Christian parts of Europe 
37 min
9
VJ Day and the story of women's football: histo...
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the historical context behind recent news stories
41 min
10
The tangled legacies of two Americas
Greg Grandin unpacks the tangled legacies of North and Latin America – and the name they share
34 min
11
The Paris Commune: everything you wanted to know
David A Shafer discusses the extraordinary eight weeks in 1871 when Paris embarked on a radical – and ultimately doomed – experiment in municipal self-governance
52 min
12
VJ Day: why don't we talk about WW2 in Asia?
Eighty years on from the end of the Second World War, Kavita Puri considers why stories from the war against Japan remain overlooked and under-told
35 min
13
Zoot suits, mashers & New Romantics: the evolut...
Peter Andersson delves into various dandy subcultures that saw men dressing immaculately, from the early 19th century to the 1980s
25 min
14
Mary of Modena: life of the week
Breeze Barrington explores the extraordinary story of Mary of Modena – the Italian-born queen consort to James VII and II – and considers how her controversial childbirth in 1688 paved the way for the Glorious Revolution
42 min
15
Arson, murder and goddesses: secrets of a Seven...
Bettany Hughes uncovers the secrets of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
30 min
16
Frontier life: everything you wanted to know
Karen Jones unpacks the myths and realities of 19th-century American frontier life – from the Oregon trail to barbed wire and bison
49 min
17
Forgotten stories from South Asian history
38 min
18
Was the atomic bomb necessary to end war with J...
Eighty years on from the end of the Second World War, Richard Overy questions the logic and legacy of the US's aerial assault on Japan that culminated in the use of atomic bombs in August 1945
33 min
19
JMW Turner: life of the week
34 min
20
Hiroshima: in the shadow of the bomb
Iain MacGregor shares personal stories of individuals involved in race to build the atomic bomb – and those affected by its terrible aftermath
39 min
21
WW2 evacuees: everything you wanted to know
30 min
22
Queen Victoria's secret love affair
Did Queen Victoria have a romantic relationship – perhaps even involving a secret marriage and a child – with her servant John Brown? Fern Riddell investigates 
37 min
23
The 300-year battle over free speech
33 min
24
Erik the Red: life of the week
Eleanor Barraclough examines the life and legacy of Erik the Red, the outlaw Viking who settled Greenland and birthed a famous – and infamous – dynasty
40 min
25
Power & terror: a history of the nuclear age
48 min