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
Is democracy doomed? History behind the headlines
Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda explore the long roots of recent tensions in democracies around the world
37 min
252
Catherine of Braganza: the Merrie Monarch's for...
Sophie Shorland discusses Catherine of Braganza, queen of Charles II, whose often overlooked life story offers an alternative picture of Restoration England
37 min
253
The Spanish Inquisition: everything you wanted ...
Giles Tremlett answers listener questions about the Spanish Inquisition, to uncover the real history behind the sinister and bloodthirsty 'Black Legend' of Spain
38 min
254
1217: the year that (almost) changed English hi...
Catherine Hanley revisits the pivotal year of 1217, when English history could have been irrevocably altered
36 min
255
Deeds not words | 6. Mission accomplished?
We explore how the increasingly militant suffragette campaign was brought to a sudden conclusion – and whether it achieved its aims
30 min
256
Kindness & hostility: refugees in wartime Britain
Paul Dowswell reveals how those who fled Nazism didn't always receive a warm welcome in Britain
29 min
257
Catherine de' Medici: life of the week
Leah Redmond Chang unravels the complex life of the royal mother and regent popularly known as 'the serpent queen'
45 min
258
The suffragettes who fell in love
Wendy Moore explores the fascinating lives of two women in love during the First World War – from suffragette pranks to becoming prisoners of war
28 min
259
Servants: everything you wanted to know
Lucy Lethbridge answers listener questions on the daily realities of domestic service in the era of Downton Abbey and beyond
34 min
260
Anxieties of the Edwardian age
Alwyn Turner discusses life in Britain at the turn of the 20th century – an era of music halls, mass media and mixed feelings about the nation's future
34 min
261
Deeds not words | 5. Burning down the house
We explore how the suffragette movement became increasingly militant, escalating from smashing windows to arson attacks and planting bombs
38 min
262
How the Plantagenets forged the English state
Caroline Burt and Richard Partington consider how the reigns of six Plantagenet kings altered the face of English governance
44 min
263
Justinian: life of the week
Peter Sarris explores the long-lasting legacy of a man who ripped up the law books and remade the eastern Roman empire – and had a plague named after him
53 min
264
The woman who saved the children
Clare Mulley discusses the life and work of Eglantyne Jebb, a pioneering campaigner for the rights of children who was spurred on by the horrors of the First World War
33 min
265
Victorian crime and punishment: everything you ...
Drew Gray tackles listener question on crime, courts, policing, punishments and prisons in 19th-century Britain
47 min
266
How the Dreyfus Affair tore France apart
Maurice Samuels explains how the French Army conspired to frame a Jewish officer at the turn of the 20th century, sparking a scandal that threatened the very foundations of the French Republic
41 min
267
Deeds not words | 4. Cat and mouse
We explore the suffragettes’ fractious relationship with the British establishment, revealing how they fought back against brutal treatment on the street and in prison
33 min
268
The surprising lives of ancient women
Daisy Dunn challenges common assumptions about women in antiquity, and explains why they were doing far more than sitting (and weaving) on the sidelines
39 min
269
Boudica: life of the week
Duncan Mackay discusses what we know about the Iceni warrior leader who rose up against the Roman empire
42 min
270
How Stalin ran rings round the west
Giles Milton explores the fractious relationship between the 'Big Three' – Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill – during the Second World War
27 min
271
British general elections: everything you wante...
Professor Richard Toye guides us through the history of general elections in the UK
31 min
272
Medieval keep fit
Keep fit was a surprisingly big deal in the Middle Ages. Professor Carole Rawcliffe explains who was exercising, and why
27 min
273
Deeds not words | 3. Making a statement
From eye-catching merchandise to trouble-making stunts, we explore how the suffragettes mastered the art of making a statement
28 min
274
A 21st-century Holocaust trial
Tobias Buck reflects on one of the last ever legal cases involving the crimes of the Third Reich
29 min
275
Catherine Parr: life of the week
Elizabeth Norton considers the life and legacy of Catherine Parr, the Tudor queen who 'survived' Henry VIII – and why she deserves to be known for so much more
43 min