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
551
Shakespeare: Past Master | 1. Henry V
27 min
552
Shakespeare Trailer
0 min
553
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
554
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
555
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
556
Medieval Stalingrad: The siege of Calais
28 min
557
The First Crusade | 5. The end or the beginning?
44 min
558
The Munich Putsch: Hitler’s bungled revolution
25 min
559
Women’s history: from 1066 to Margaret Thatcher
34 min
560
Ancient Egyptian pyramids: everything you wante...
Egyptologist Mark Lehner answers your burning questions on the pyramids, ancient Egypt’s most iconic monuments
53 min
561
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
562
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
563
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
564
Horror films: a chilling cultural history
Roger Luckhurst explores the ways in which horror movies have reflected social changes and cultural anxieties through the 20th and 21st centuries
46 min
565
The history of Jamaica: everything you wanted t...
Audra A Diptee charts the complex history of Jamaica, from the fate of its indigenous peoples through to the country’s pivotal role in the slave trade and beyond
40 min
566
Killers of the Flower Moon: The real history
In this 2017 conversation, David Grann reveals the real story behind Killers of the Flower Moon, the murder case described as the "bloodiest chapter in American crime history"
26 min
567
The First Crusade | 3. Crossing into the unknown
In episode three of our series on the First Crusade, we witness the moment the crusaders first come into contact with the diverse populations of Asia Minor and the Levant
40 min
568
Disease killers: the black nurses who conquered TB
Maria Smilios recounts the remarkable story of the black nurses of Staten Island who were on the frontlines of finding a cure for tuberculosis
31 min
569
Who moulded Winston Churchill?
David Reynolds reveals how the likes of Stalin, Mussolini and Gandhi left their mark on Britain’s wartime leader
47 min
570
The Second Barons’ War: everything you wanted t...
Nicholas Vincent responds to your questions on the revolt against Henry III, led by the formidable Simon de Montfort
36 min
571
Renaissance eugenics
Mackenzie Cooley reveals how Renaissance animal husbandry prompted people to think about whether humankind could also be improved by selective breeding
24 min
572
The First Crusade | 2. On the road
In episode two of our series on the First Crusade, we join the crusaders as they prepare to take their first steps into the unknown
40 min
573
1960s Britain: smashing the status quo?
David Kynaston charts the radical changes that transformed Britain in the early 1960s
26 min
574
Life of the week Trailer
0 min
575
Disney at 100
As the House of Mouse marks its centenary, John Wills talks through a hundred years of animated highs and lows
37 min