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
26
Roman warfare: everything you wanted to know
Adrian Goldsworthy explores why the ancient civilisation was so extraordinary when it came to waging war
48 min
27
Preview: Was Pearl Harbor an inside job?
8 min
28
The People's Princess: why Diana captivated the...
The life of Diana, Princess of Wales captivated people around the world – and, argues Edward White, reflected the changes and concerns of the late 20th century
39 min
29
Secrets of medieval manuscripts
Michelle P Brown explores centuries of medieval British history through the illuminated manuscripts the era produced
46 min
30
Owain Glyndŵr: life of the week
Gideon Brough chronicles the rise of the Welsh national hero, famed for rebelling against the English crown in the late Middle Ages
50 min
31
Magic beakers & Roman helmets: artefacts that s...
Michael Lewis and Ian Richardson explore some of the everyday artefacts and discoveries that have reshaped our understanding of history
34 min
32
SOE: everything you wanted to know
Dr Kate Vigurs answers listener questions on the clandestine missions of Special Operations Executive (SOE)
46 min
33
Sisi & Eugénie: the empresses who redefined roy...
Nancy Goldstone discusses the lives of the empresses of France and Austria and reveals how their experiences redefined the role of royal women in the 19th century
40 min
34
Ghosts, vampires & Abba holograms: an uncanny h...
From haunted council houses to hidden Roman temples, Clive Bloom takes us on a tour of the capital’s strangest spots
23 min
35
International security & rough sleeping: histor...
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the historical context behind recent news stories
34 min
36
Make Mercia Great Again
Max Adams explains why he wants us to rediscover the glory of the early Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia
37 min
37
The Merovingians: everything you wanted to know
Professor James Palmer answers listener questions on the long-haired kings who ruled a proto-France in the wake of the western Roman empire's collapse
33 min
38
How the Allies won WW2
James Holland explores the final months of the greatest conflict in human history through the Axis surrenders that brought it to an end
30 min
39
Ancient tips for health and happiness
Claire Bubb examines Greek and Roman views on diet, exercise, and what it meant to live a healthy life in the ancient world
33 min
40
Thomas Aquinas: life of the week
Robert Pasnau explores the life of one of the most influential philosophers and theologians of medieval Europe
38 min
41
Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary ...
Edward Abel Smith explains how Ian Fleming's real-life missions to bamboozle the Nazis inspired the plots of his world-famous spy novels
35 min
42
Fatherhood: a short history
Augustine Sedgwick considers how the concept of fatherhood has evolved over the centuries
34 min
43
CIA book smugglers of the Cold War
Charlie English explores how the CIA used literature as a secret weapon during the Cold War, by smuggling books into the Eastern Bloc
30 min
44
The Renaissance: not such a golden age?
Ada Palmer argues that viewing the Renaissance as a 'golden age' obscures its messy and violent reality
43 min
45
Archimedes: life of the week
Professor Michael Scott explores the life and legacy of Archimedes, one of antiquity’s most brilliant minds 
28 min
46
The Third Reich's first genocide
Dagmar Herzog explores how years of eugenic theorising and propaganda against people with disabilities culminated in mass murder in Nazi Germany
34 min
47
English folklore: everything you wanted to know
Francis Young takes us on a journey through England's folklore – from malicious mermaids on the moors to dangerous demon dogs that stalk the streets 
42 min
48
What happened in Shakespeare's "lost years"?
Daniel Swift discusses Shakespeare's arrival on the London theatre scene as a young man, and reconstructs the story of a long-lost Shoreditch playhouse
31 min
49
Plague, famine and chivalry: a human history of...
Helen Carr explores the tumultuous 14th century through the lives of three different kings
48 min
50
WW2 legacies and Magna Carta: history behind th...
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the present-day parallels of the Second World War, 80 years on – and look at medieval manuscripts hitting the headlines
41 min