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
D-Day: was Churchill really against the operation?
Richard Dannatt and Allen Packwood discuss the prime minister's role in one of the major moments of the Second World War
45 min
252
D-Day: Land
In the final episode of the series, Giles Milton reveals what happened to Allied troops after they landed in Normandy and pushed deeper into the French countryside
29 min
253
A 17th-century scandal & a writer's secret life
Lisa Hilton delves into the case of the scandalous 17th-century affair of Lady Henrietta Berkeley – and reveals how its dramatic twists and turns proved a source inspiration for the writer Aphra Behn
28 min
254
Plato: life of the week
Paul Cartledge delves into the life of one of the towering figures of western philosophy
31 min
255
Breastfeeding in the Middle Ages
Historian Hannah Skoda explores what it was like to breastfeed a baby in medieval Europe
32 min
256
Death and mourning in Britain: everything you w...
Professor Douglas Davies answers listener questions about treatment of the dead through British history – from burial traditions to funeral practices
48 min
257
Julian: the Roman emperor who (almost) changed ...
Philip Freeman explains how the pagan Roman emperor Julian almost reversed the rise of Christianity
26 min
258
D-Day: Sea
Nick Hewitt examines the contributions of the Allied navies on D-Day and during the difficult months that lay ahead
41 min
259
A Soviet road trip through 1930s America
Lisa Kirschenbaum retraces the route of Soviet satirists Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov on their eye-opening road trip across 1930s America
36 min
260
Galileo: life of the week
James Hannam explores the life of Galileo Galilei, from his groundbreaking observations of the night sky to his censure by the Catholic church
36 min
261
What was life like as a peasant?
Patrick Joyce considers what peasant society was like – and how this way of life has disappeared
28 min
262
The history of museums: everything you wanted t...
Dr Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth reveals how museums have evolved over the centuries – and what their collections can reveal about the people who created them
47 min
263
Forgotten women writers of the Renaissance
Ramie Targoff delves into the work of four extraordinary – and forgotten – women who were writing in Shakespeare's England
38 min
264
D-Day: Air
In the first episode of our new Second World War series, Saul David tells the story of 6 June 1944 from the perspective of the airborne troops who struck the first blow
32 min
265
Cat crazy: the Victorian mania for moggies
Kathryn Hughes explores changing Victorian attitudes to cats and charts the emergence of the modern moggy through the life and career of artist Louis Wain
28 min
266
Maria Theresa: life of the week
Pieter Judson charts the remarkable life of the Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa, who transformed Austria into a formidable power in the 18th century
33 min
267
Agent Zo: spying against the Nazis
Clare Mulley shares the nail-biting story of Polish intelligence agent Elżbieta Zawacka, aka "Agent Zo"
33 min
268
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
269
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
270
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
271
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
272
History Behind the Headlines: student protests ...
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter explore the historical undercurrents of current news stories
37 min
273
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
274
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
275
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