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
276
Gulbadan Begum: princess, explorer, author
Ruby Lal explores the life of Gulbadan Begum, princess, explorer and author of an extraordinary account of the rise of the Mughal empire
23 min
277
Anne Frank: life of the week
Clare Mulley shares the remarkable story of the young Jewish girl whose diary documenting her time in hiding from the Nazis became a global sensation
27 min
278
Stealing the Mona Lisa
Dr Noah Charney explores stories surrounding the Mona Lisa – from its audacious theft in 1911 to the many conspiracy theories that surround it
29 min
279
The Great Exhibition: everything you wanted to ...
Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth answers listener questions on the spectacular showcase of arts and innovation that wowed Victorian London in 1851
37 min
280
Dismemberment & disgrace: the grisly fate of Si...
Sophie Thérèse Ambler explains why rebel leader Simon de Montfort met such a gruesome fate after he was killed at the Battle of Evesham in 1265
43 min
281
Toilets through time | 2. Medieval privies
David Musgrove and historian James Wright revisit the dark and dangerous world of medieval latrines
33 min
282
Has imperial history become too politicised?
With Britain's imperial past still prompting fierce debate, a new book sets out to recentre the views of historians. Three people behind the project – Alan Lester, Bronwen Everill and Sathnam Sanghera – explain its aims
38 min
283
Francis Drake: life of the week
Robert Hutchinson revisits the expeditions and adventures of Elizabethan England's most famous sea captain
39 min
284
Our long obsession with the end of the world
Human history is riddled with apocalyptic visions – Dorian Lynskey explores what our terror of the future reveals about our past
36 min
285
The Grand Tour: everything you wanted to know
From classical sites to society scandals, Lizzie Rogers answers listener questions on the 18th-century travellers who visited continental Europe
39 min
286
Black Death: everything you wanted to know
Professor John Hatcher answers listener questions on the plague pandemic that ravaged 14th-century Europe, in this archive episode from 2021
39 min
287
The Decameron: sex, plague, and a medieval Love...
With the release of a new Netflix drama based on Boccaccio's The Decameron, Rebecca Bowen explains why this text was a medieval bestseller, which helped people come to terms with the horrors of the plague
41 min
288
Toilets through time | 1. Roman latrines
David Musgrove pays a visit to the revolting world of Roman toilets, in the company of Dr Hannah Platts
31 min
289
Assassinations that shaped US history
Adam IP Smith explores the ways in which presidential assassinations – and attempted assassinations – have transformed the history of the United States
29 min
290
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
291
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
292
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
293
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
294
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
295
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
296
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
297
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
298
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
299
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
300
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