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
401
Boston Tea Party | 2. The Sons of Liberty
27 min
402
Amazing Grace: a story of salvation and slavery
Professor James Walvin tells the story of Amazing Grace, the hymn that was written by a one-time slave trader and ballooned to become a global phenomenon
30 min
403
Life of the week: Amelia Earhart
Clare Mulley charts the daring life of Amelia Earhart, the American aviator who mysteriously disappeared while trying to fly around the world in 1937
30 min
404
Nazi Germany: the myth of the innocent bystander
Mary Fulbrook explores the role of ordinary Germans in the rise of Nazism, the Second World War and the Holocaust
33 min
405
1970s Britain: everything you wanted to know
Alwyn Turner traces the history of Britain in the 1970s – from politics to the punk movement
26 min
406
Caesar | 4. Honourable men
Rob Attar is joined by Professor Barry Strauss and Professor Philip Freeman to dissect the characters of the men who organised Caesar’s murder.
17 min
407
Caesar | 2. Was this ambition?
Rob Attar is joined by Professor Catherine Steel and Professor Philip Freeman to examine the early life and career of a man who would reach the pinnacle of Roman political power.
18 min
408
Caesar | 3. Master of his fate
Rob Attar is joined by Professor Philip Freeman, Dr Jane Draycott and Dr Volker Heuchert to explore the final – and most dramatic – decade of Caesar’s life.
22 min
409
Caesar | 5. The dogs of war
Rob Attar is joined by Professor Philip Freeman, Professor Barry Strauss and Dr Volker Heuchert to plunge into the aftermath of Caesar’s murder.
24 min
410
Caesar | 6. The evil that men do
Rob Attar is joined by Dr Jane Draycott, Professor Philip Freeman, Professor Catherine Steel and Professor Barry Strauss to take the story to its conclusion and reflect on the legacy of the Ides of March.
27 min
411
Caesar | 1. Beware the Ides of March
Rob Attar and Professor Barry Strauss describe the assassination of Julius Caesar – a day that would transform Rome forever.
15 min
412
Netflix's The Crown: history and storytelling
Annie Sulzberger, head of research for Netflix's flagship historical drama 'The Crown', explains how the show's real history elements are stitched into the storylines, and offers her take on dramatising the Windsors
28 min
413
Boston Tea Party | 1. Tea and taxes
24 min
414
Boston Tea Party: Igniting a revolution | Trailer
2 min
415
Georgian grand houses: the forgotten women who ...
Amy Boyington reveals women's forgotten contributions to Georgian architecture – from Queen Charlotte's technical drawing lessons to Sarah Churchill's involvement in building Blenheim Palace
24 min
416
Life of the Week: Mansa Musa
Hannah Cusworth shares highlights from the intriguing life of the Mali emperor Mansa Musa – from his astonishing pilgrimage to Mecca to tales of his extraordinary wealth
27 min
417
Introducing Life of the Week
0 min
418
Caesar: Death of a Dictator | Trailer
1 min
419
Victoria's armpit and 'giant' bones: body parts...
Dr Suzie Edge explores a selection of history's most famous body parts – from Queen Victoria's armpit to Louis XIV's rear end
18 min
420
The American Gilded Age: everything you wanted ...
Nancy C Unger answers questions on the so-called Gilded Age in the United States of America, considering life in tenements of industrial cities, and the mansions of the elite
50 min
421
Books and war: from James Bond to leaflet bombing
Andrew Pettegree examines some of the ways in which literary culture has evolved and been utilised during times of conflict – from the daring adventures of James Bond to the censorship of Winston Churchill's works in WW2 prisoner of war camps
38 min
422
Shakespeare: Past Master | 4. Hamlet
25 min
423
Medieval manners: social etiquette in the Middl...
Danièle Cybulskie cracks open the medieval rulebook to reveal the top dos and don'ts of the Middle Ages – including why you should never sneeze in the direction of a lord or lady
30 min
424
Marshal Pétain: Vichy France in the dock
Julian Jackson discusses the famous trial of Marshal Pétain, the leader of Vichy France who was accused of betraying his country to the Nazis
45 min
425
1950s Britain: everything you wanted to know
Alwyn Turner takes us on a whistle-stop tour of 1950s Britain: a time of rationing and postwar austerity, but also an era in which exciting new possibilities were blossoming
37 min