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
226
Ordinary Vikings: hidden histories of the Nordi...
Eleanor Barraclough explores the daily lives of the Vikings who weren’t warlords or kings, but farmers, merchants, wives and lovers
33 min
227
Tea history: everything you wanted to know
Jane Pettigrew charts the extraordinarily long history of one of the world's most popular hot drinks
43 min
228
Victorian women detectives
From sting operations to thief-taking, Sara Lodge delves into the secretive world of women detectives in the 19th century
28 min
229
1066: the battle for England | 2. The power beh...
Marc Morris reveals how the powerful Godwin family rose to prominence during the reign of King Edward the Confessor
34 min
230
A hidden history of black civil rights
Dylan Penningroth explores the history of black Americans' engagement with the legal system, from the era of slavery to the present day
42 min
231
Eleanor Roosevelt: life of the week
Susan Ware joins us to discuss the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, from her role as First Lady to her lasting legacy as a human rights advocate
43 min
232
How did the US get so many guns?
Andrew C McKevitt charts the forces behind the postwar weaponry boom which has seen US civilian gun ownership skyrocket
44 min
233
Communism: everything you wanted to know
Maurice J Casey answers listeners' questions about the revolutionary ideology, its key thinkers and its impact on modern history
44 min
234
Liberating WW2 Naples: triumph and tragedy
Keith Lowe tells the story of the first major European city to be freed by the Allies during the Second World War – a tale of ingenuity and heroism, immorality and despair
25 min
235
1066: the battle for England | 1. Vikings, Norm...
Marc Morris explores the long roots of the Norman Conquest of 1066
48 min
236
Churchill's prewar crisis meetings
Katherine Carter reveals how Winston Churchill hosted crucial meetings at his country home, Chartwell, in the run-up to the Second World War
32 min
237
Henry VII: life of the week
Nathen Amin tracks the astonishing rise of Henry VII, the Welsh usurper who seized the English Crown and founded the Tudor dynasty
52 min
238
Tokyo 1946: the war crime trial that shaped Jap...
Gary Bass revisits the Tokyo Trial of 1946-48, in which top Japanese leaders stood accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace
42 min
239
The Stuarts: everything you wanted to know
Anna Keay answers listener questions on the dynasty that dominated Britain in the turbulent 17th century
36 min
240
Hidden environmental histories of the last 500 ...
Sunil Amrith looks at the major historical shifts of the past 500 years from an environmental perspective, exploring how war, colonialism and exploitation have gone hand in hand with destruction of the natural world
31 min
241
Ancient Egypt | 5. a lost world?
Egyptologist Campbell Price considers the legacy of ancient Egyptians, and asks: why are we still so obsessed with them?
46 min
242
Congo, Cold War & CIA plotting: the 1961 assass...
Stuart A Reid discusses Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba's assassination in 1961, and the devastating implications for the new nation
34 min
243
Viking trade, Titanic and Olympic rings: histor...
45 min
244
How ancient India transformed the world
William Dalrymple explores how ancient India influenced the peoples of Eurasia and helped shape the world we live in today
37 min
245
The Hittites: everything you wanted to know
Mark Weeden answers listener questions about the ancient civilisation whose existence was almost completely forgotten for three millennia
44 min
246
The Iranian embassy siege: an SAS hostage drama...
Ben Macintyre tells the dramatic tale of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege and the dramatic SAS operation that brought it to an end
35 min
247
Ancient Egypt | 4. religion and death
Egyptologist Campbell Price takes listeners on a tour of the dark and dangerous ancient Egyptian afterlife
40 min
248
Native Americans: a history of power and survival
Kathleen DuVal looks back at 1,000 years of Native American history to uncover a rich, complex picture of North America's indigenous people
31 min
249
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: life of the week
Tim Bryan explores the innovative work of an engineering polymath whose creations changed the face of Victorian Britain
39 min
250
The 1943 battle of Kursk – and its present-day ...
Peter Caddick-Adams explores the Second World War battle of Kursk – and its parallels with today's Russia-Ukraine conflict
48 min