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
351
Saladin: life of the week
Jonathan Phillips details the astronomic rise of Saladin – who went head to head with crusading forces and was able to reclaim the holy city of Jerusalem
51 min
352
Back in the USSR: the Soviet Sixties
Robert Hornsby reveals how the 1960s was a defining, yet often overlooked, era in Soviet history
42 min
353
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: everything you wanted to ...
Joanna Story answers listener questions about the Anglo-Saxon kings and kingdoms
39 min
354
Dinosaurs: a Victorian obsession
Michael Taylor reveals how the discovery of dinosaur bones challenged ideas about natural history and religion in Victorian Britain
37 min
355
Tiger Tamer | 6. battling against Bovril
David Musgrove explores what the life of celebrity pedestrian Bob Carlisle can reveal about a Victorian revolution in athleticism, transport, advertising and consumer goods
30 min
356
How was Elizabeth I shaped by her childhood?
Dr Nicola Tallis looks back at Elizabeth I's youth to explore how the famous monarch's early years shaped her later life
24 min
357
Joan of Arc: life of the week
Anne Curry traces the story of Joan of Arc, the medieval peasant girl who took war-torn France by storm
50 min
358
Leftovers: how our ancestors battled food waste
Eleanor Barnett reveals how people in the past tackled food waste, from the Tudor almoner to the rag-and-bone man
26 min
359
WW1's eastern front: everything you wanted to know
Nick Lloyd answers listener questions on Germany and Austria-Hungary's bloody clash with the Russian empire from 1914–18
37 min
360
Eric 'Winkle' Brown: Britain's most extraordina...
Paul Beaver charts the remarkable life of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown – a death-defying Second World War pilot
29 min
361
Tiger Tamer | 5. crazy about wheelbarrows
David Musgrove revisits the great wheelbarrow craze of 1886-7, alongside some of the strangest other crazes to grip Victorian Britain
24 min
362
Will the real Jesus please stand up?
Catherine Nixey reveals how the Christian story was transformed in its first few centuries
24 min
363
Mary Wollstonecraft: life of the week
Bee Rowlatt explores the life and legacy of 18th-century firebrand, feminist and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft
38 min
364
An obscenity trial that shocked Victorian Britain
Michael Meyer reveals how an 1877 court case revolving around birth control – and the fearless woman at the heart of it – scandalised the nation
35 min
365
The Capetians: everything you wanted to know
Justine Firnhaber-Baker answers listener questions on the long-standing and influential medieval French dynasty
52 min
366
Lothar II vs Theutberga: a marriage scandal tha...
The Carolingian king Lothar II was embroiled in a scandal that destroyed his reign and ended his kingdom – Professor Charles West shares the story
31 min
367
Tiger Tamer | 4. celebrity pedestrian
David Musgrove travels back to the jeopardy and exhilaration of the Victorian circus, to explore Bob Carlisle’s hair-raising career as a clown and tiger tamer
33 min
368
A political earthquake: Britain's first Labour ...
David Torrance revisits what happened when the first socialist prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald, entered 10 Downing Street a century ago
30 min
369
James VI and I: life of the week
Joe Ellis explores the life and dual reign of King James VI of Scotland and I of England
44 min
370
From Russia to Texas: the search for a Jewish h...
Rachel Cockerell shares the little-known story of the Jews who fled antisemitism in early 20th-century Europe to forge new lives in the southern United States
35 min
371
British Redcoats: everything you wanted to know
Saul David answers listener questions on the evolution of the British Army from the Civil War to the Victorian era
31 min
372
The West's attempt to crush Bolshevik Russia
Anna Reid discusses how armies from Britain, France, America and Japan invaded Russia during the First World War in a bid to topple the Bolsheviks
35 min
373
Tiger Tamer | 3. would you let a tiger lick you...
David Musgrove travels back to the jeopardy and exhilaration of the Victorian circus, to explore Bob Carlisle’s hair-raising career as a clown and tiger tamer
32 min
374
Mary & George: the real history behind the new ...
Benjamin Woolley introduces the mother-and-son duo who changed the face of the royal court in the early 17th century
34 min
375
History Behind the Headlines: ageing politician...
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the history behind current headlines – from the age of politicians over time to the new names for London's Overground.
36 min