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
426
The dangerous road to the Bastille
Robert Darnton guides us through the streets of Paris in the decades leading up to the French Revolution
41 min
427
Shakespeare: Past Master | 3. Julius Caesar
26 min
428
Du Fu: China's greatest poet
Du Fu has been compared to Dante and Shakespeare – so why isn't the Chinese poet well-known in the west? Michael Wood examines his fascinating story
24 min
429
Cities that turbocharged art history
From Renaissance Florence to Heian-era Kyoto, Caroline Campbell transports listeners back to historic cities that turbocharged the story of art
27 min
430
Astronomy history: everything you wanted to know
James Hannam responds to your questions on humanity's enduring fascination with celestial objects
39 min
431
The dark side of Dickens
Helena Kelly re-examines Charles Dickens’ life story to reveal a more unflattering image of the author
34 min
432
Shakespeare: Past Master | 2. Romeo and Juliet
21 min
433
Thanksgiving: everything you wanted to know
18 min
434
The dangers of medieval travel
Anthony Bale takes us on a guided tour of the medieval travel experience
36 min
435
The Princes in the Tower: has the mystery been ...
Philippa Langley shares new findings about one of history’s most tantalising cold cases
45 min
436
The Pre-Raphaelites: everything you wanted to know
Suzanne Fagence Cooper answers questions on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of artists who scandalised Victorian Britain
44 min
437
Resistance in the Second World War
Halik Kochanski shares the stories of the people across Nazi-occupied Europe who resisted the Germans during the Second World War
23 min
438
Shakespeare: Past Master | 1. Henry V
27 min
439
Shakespeare Trailer
0 min
440
George Orwell’s forgotten wife
Anna Funder uncovers the life of George Orwell’s first wife – Eileen O’Shaughnessy – and explains why Orwell omitted her from his work
24 min
441
Magic books: a global history
Owen Davies traces the history of magic books, from ancient papyrus to their presence in popular culture today
22 min
442
Norse myths: everything you wanted to know
Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough delves into the pantheon of Norse myths, from the inscrutability of the nine realms to larger-than-life tales of mischief and magic
54 min
443
Medieval Stalingrad: The siege of Calais
28 min
444
The First Crusade | 5. The end or the beginning?
44 min
445
The Munich Putsch: Hitler’s bungled revolution
25 min
446
Women’s history: from 1066 to Margaret Thatcher
34 min
447
Ancient Egyptian pyramids: everything you wante...
Egyptologist Mark Lehner answers your burning questions on the pyramids, ancient Egypt’s most iconic monuments
53 min
448
Scotland’s last witch
Malcolm Gaskill explores the incredible story of Helen Duncan, the last woman to be convicted and imprisoned under the 1735 Witchcraft Act
39 min
449
The First Crusade | 4. Besieged
In episode four of our series on the First Crusade, we follow the crusaders as they lay siege to the hugely impressive and intensely fortified city of Antioch
38 min
450
Fighting racism in postwar Britain
Preeti Dhillon discusses the thousands of black and Asian Britons that campaigned against racism between the 1960s and 1980s
34 min