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
Boston Tea Party | 5. A complex legacy
28 min
427
Why were the Romantics obsessed with Mount Vesu...
John Brewer investigates the Romantics' complex relationship with Mount Vesuvius, from being a prized travel destination to using the volcano as a political metaphor
24 min
428
Life of the Week: Stalin
Robert Service discusses Josef Stalin, from his humble origins as a would-be priest in a province of the Russian empire to his rise to the paranoid, murderous tyrant of the Soviet Union
42 min
429
James Longstreet: Confederate Judas
Elizabeth R Varon explores the remarkable story of James Longstreet, the Confederate general who embraced the Reconstruction era
38 min
430
Medieval popes: everything you wanted to know
Brett Whalen answers popular questions on the medieval papacy, from the exploits of anti-popes to an infamous trial of a pope's corpse
49 min
431
A history of song: from Schumann to Sting
John Potter charts the evolution of songs and songwriting over the past thousand years, covering medieval troubadours, English folk music and more
28 min
432
Boston Tea Party | 4. The crackdown
31 min
433
Aztec warfare
Caroline Dodds Pennock considers how warfare came to be a pivotal part of Aztec society, considering superstitious traditions, sacrifices and brutal methods of attack
39 min
434
History Behind the Headlines: Elections, ‘panda...
40 min
435
How spies shaped the modern world
Amanda Mason delves into the dark arts of modern spycraft and subterfuge
19 min
436
The Habsburgs: everything you wanted to know
Pieter Judson charts the tumultuous history of the Habsburgs, the European dynasty famed for their political machinations – and incestuous marriages
41 min
437
The medieval Welsh Marches: identity on the fro...
Helen Fulton traces the experiences of those living on the Anglo-Welsh frontier in the late Middle Ages
31 min
438
Boston Tea Party | 3. The destruction of the tea
29 min
439
Sherlock Holmes: the real history that inspired...
Andrew Lycett shares how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created his most famous character, and what the stories reveal about the author's own life and times
29 min
440
Life of the week: Queen Victoria
Tracy Borman charts the life and reign of Queen Victoria, the monarch who brought pomp and pageantry to the royal family we know today
31 min
441
Merry Christmas from the HistoryExtra podcast
1 min
442
Druids: everything you wanted to know
Ronald Hutton answers listener questions surrounding the mystical spiritual figures of ancient north western Europe
45 min
443
Bannockburn: Robert the Bruce’s greatest victory
Helen Carr tells the story of the battle of Bannockburn, a pivotal moment in the First War of Scottish Independence that had profound consequences for Scotland, England, and beyond
37 min
444
Boston Tea Party | 2. The Sons of Liberty
27 min
445
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
446
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
447
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
448
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
449
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
450
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