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
326
War, peace & cherry trees: finding hope after WW2
Naoko Abe introduces three remarkable men who took a stand against some of the worst atrocities of the Second World War
30 min
327
Dwight D Eisenhower: life of the week
Iwan Morgan discusses the remarkable life of a titan of the 20th century
36 min
328
Forging first editions: a 1930s crime caper
Joseph Hone transports listeners back to the eccentric world of 1930s book collecting, to explore the audacious crimes of an ingenious forger
27 min
329
The pilgrim fathers: everything you wanted to know
Nick Bunker answers listener questions about the pioneering English settlers who travelled to America on the Mayflower
40 min
330
Beastly Victorians: preventing animal cruelty i...
Helen Cowie explains how the 19th century saw a shift in attitudes toward animals, as early campaigners began to legislate against cruel treatment
32 min
331
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
332
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
333
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
334
Plato: life of the week
Paul Cartledge delves into the life of one of the towering figures of western philosophy
31 min
335
Breastfeeding in the Middle Ages
Historian Hannah Skoda explores what it was like to breastfeed a baby in medieval Europe
32 min
336
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
337
Julian: the Roman emperor who (almost) changed ...
Philip Freeman explains how the pagan Roman emperor Julian almost reversed the rise of Christianity
26 min
338
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
339
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
340
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
341
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
342
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
343
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
344
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
345
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
346
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
347
Agent Zo: spying against the Nazis
Clare Mulley shares the nail-biting story of Polish intelligence agent Elżbieta Zawacka, aka "Agent Zo"
33 min
348
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
349
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
350
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