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
301
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
302
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
303
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
304
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
305
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
306
Olympic History: everything you wanted to know
David Goldblatt revisits some spectacular - and surprising - moments from the history of the Olympic Games
39 min
307
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
308
Toilets through time | 3. Tudor garderobes
Tracy Borman tells David Musgrove about the secrets of the royal Tudor water closet
31 min
309
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
310
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
311
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
312
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
313
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
314
Toilets through time | 2. Medieval privies
David Musgrove and historian James Wright revisit the dark and dangerous world of medieval latrines
33 min
315
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
316
Francis Drake: life of the week
Robert Hutchinson revisits the expeditions and adventures of Elizabethan England's most famous sea captain
39 min
317
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
318
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
319
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
320
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
321
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
322
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
323
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
324
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
325
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