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
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
427
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
428
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
429
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
430
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
431
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
432
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
433
Will the real Jesus please stand up?
Catherine Nixey reveals how the Christian story was transformed in its first few centuries
24 min
434
Mary Wollstonecraft: life of the week
Bee Rowlatt explores the life and legacy of 18th-century firebrand, feminist and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft
38 min
435
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
436
The Capetians: everything you wanted to know
Justine Firnhaber-Baker answers listener questions on the long-standing and influential medieval French dynasty
52 min
437
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
438
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
439
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
440
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
441
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
442
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
443
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
444
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
445
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
446
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
447
The man who ran Auschwitz: the real story of Th...
Professor Richard J Evans talks to Rob Attar about Rudolf Höss, the notorious commandant of Auschwitz, whose story is the focus of the acclaimed new film The Zone of Interest.
35 min
448
Alcatraz: everything you wanted to know
Ashley Rubin answers listener questions on the infamous American prison known for its escape attempts
38 min
449
Plague, leprosy & murder: unlocking the secrets...
Broadcaster and academic Professor Alice Roberts explores what the study of human bones can tell us about disease and violence in medieval Britain
36 min
450
Tiger Tamer | 2. sail, steam & stormy seas
David Musgrove transports listeners back to the high seas in the 19th century, to uncover Bob Carlisle’s career as a Victorian sailor
27 min