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
251
Michelangelo: life of the week
Catherine Fletcher explores the life, legacy and extraordinary artistic output of the Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect and poet
27 min
252
The Battle of Megiddo: ancient Egypt's greatest...
Nicky Nielsen tells the story of a battle that supercharged the rise of one of Egypt's most formidable pharaohs
26 min
253
Prehistoric stone circles: everything you want ...
Vicki Cummings answers listener questions on prehistoric stone circles, from how they were built to what they were for
35 min
254
The plague that brought the Roman empire to its...
Colin Elliott explores the mysterious history of the Antonine Plague and its impact on the fall of the Roman empire
39 min
255
Ancient Egypt | 2. everyday life
Egyptologist Campbell Price reveals what daily life along the Nile was like for ordinary ancient Egyptians
41 min
256
False rumps & rotten teeth: 400 years of bizarr...
Margarette Lincoln reveals the extraordinary lengths women have resorted to in the pursuit of beauty over the past 400 years
29 min
257
Emperor Vespasian: life of the week
Guy de la Bédoyère charts the life of a man who defied his humble origins to return Rome to its former glories following a ruinous civil war
29 min
258
An audacious escape from slavery
Ilyon Woo shares the extraordinary story of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple who launched a dramatic escape
37 min
259
The Abbasid caliphate: everything you wanted to...
Hugh Kennedy answers listener questions on the multicultural medieval caliphate that stretched from Tunisia to the frontiers of India
43 min
260
Crusader criminals: how the Holy Land became a ...
Steve Tibble delves into the rotten underworld of crime and punishment in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages
41 min
261
Ancient Egypt | 1. civilisation
Egyptologist Campbell Price charts the story of the ancient Egyptian civilisation
47 min
262
Ancient Egypt: the big questions | Trailer
0 min
263
Gulag doctors: saving lives in Stalin's prison ...
Dan Healey explains how medical personnel battled to provide healthcare for millions of inmates in the brutal Soviet labour camps
34 min
264
The far right in Britain: history behind the he...
41 min
265
Practical magic: curses, spells & cunning folk
From casting love spells to lifting curses, Tabitha Stanmore explains how practical magic was once a part of everyday life in medieval and Tudor England
30 min
266
The history of migration: everything you wanted...
Ian Goldin answers listener questions about the history of migration, from the earliest examples to upheavals caused by colonialism and war
49 min
267
Eighteen-year-olds who changed history
Alice Loxton charts over 1,000 years of Britain's history through the young lives of extraordinary individuals, and reveals how young people have shaped the course of historical events
31 min
268
Toilets through time | 4. Victorian lavatories
David Musgrove and Jerry White revisit the avant-garde sewerage systems, shining porcelain cisterns, and unsanitary conditions of the Victorian era
26 min
269
How games changed history
From Chess and Go, to the ancient Egyptian game of Senet, Kelly Clancy reveals how, throughout history, games have had an impact on real world events
27 min
270
George Orwell: life of the week
Laura Beers explores the life and times of the writer responsible for conjuring up Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four
37 min
271
Lines on a map: borders that shaped world history
Jonn Elledge considers how the lines we draw on maps have determined the course of history, defining lives and identities
29 min
272
Tartan: everything you wanted to know
Peter MacDonald charts the long history of the colourful criss-cross textile, from its early origins to its growing status as a national symbol
37 min
273
Olympic History: everything you wanted to know
David Goldblatt revisits some spectacular - and surprising - moments from the history of the Olympic Games
39 min
274
Hidden labs, sex gardens & torture attics: secr...
Professor Kate Williams shares some of the tawdry, gory and often discomforting stories witnessed by Britain's beloved royal palaces
39 min
275
Toilets through time | 3. Tudor garderobes
Tracy Borman tells David Musgrove about the secrets of the royal Tudor water closet
31 min