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
601
Britain in the 1990s: everything you wanted to ...
Alwyn Turner answers listener questions on British history in the decade of Major, Blair and Britpop
40 min
602
Everyday life in East Germany
From secret surveillance and popular protest to work, school and family life, Katja Hoyer weighs up what life was like for ordinary people during the GDR’s 40-year history
37 min
603
Six wives | 4. Anne of Cleves
Dr Elizabeth Norton and Dr Tracy Borman reveal how the woman commonly mocked as a “Flanders mare” actually led a full and fascinating life
54 min
604
Why revolution engulfed 19th-century Europe
Christopher Clark charts the causes and consequences of the wave of revolutions that swept across Europe in the 1840s
47 min
605
Keeping time: a watchmaker’s history
Watchmaker Rebecca Struthers charts the history of watches and other timekeepers – and reveals how they have revolutionised humanity’s perception of time
24 min
606
Native Americans: a new history
Ned Blackhawk discusses the central role that Indigenous people have played in centuries of United States history
45 min
607
Goths: everything you wanted to know
Peter Heather answers listener questions about the ancient Germanic tribes that shared a frontier with the Roman empire
57 min
608
How (and how not) to stage a coronation
Looking back at royal coronations through history, Dr Tracy Borman shares her top tips for staging a successful ceremony
34 min
609
Six wives | 3. Jane Seymour
Dr Nicola Tallis and Dr Tracy Borman reveal why there was more to Jane Seymour than just being the wife who gave King Henry VIII a son
44 min
610
Queen Charlotte: real history behind the new Br...
Polly Putnam, historical advisor on Netflix’s new series, delves into the real royal history that inspired Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
22 min
611
Pomp & power: royal ceremonies through the cent...
Ahead of King Charles’ coronation, Dr Alice Hunt explores how British royals have long used pomp and pageantry to reinforce their power and popularity
26 min
612
WW2 the big questions: final stages of the conf...
From D-Day to the atom bomb, Laurence Rees guides listeners through the closing stages of the Second World War
36 min
613
Westminster Abbey: everything you wanted to know
David Carpenter answers listener questions on the history of Westminster Abbey, which has hosted royal coronations since the Middle Ages
42 min
614
How the Bristol bus boycott changed Britain
Hannah Cusworth reflects on a landmark moment in the campaign for racial equality in Britain
33 min
615
Six wives | 2. Anne Boleyn
Dr Owen Emmerson and Dr Tracy Borman chart the dramatic rise and deadly fall of Anne Boleyn, revealing how she changed the course of English history
57 min
616
The Waco siege: an American tragedy
Stephan Talty charts how a 1993 standoff between a religious cult and the FBI in Texas ended in disaster – and explores the ways it has influenced US politics since
31 min
617
Shipwreck, scurvy & mutiny: the gruelling tale ...
David Grann shares the story of a 1742 shipwreck that led to mutiny, murder, cannibalism and a contentious legal battle
34 min
618
WW2 the big questions: the Holocaust
Historian Laurence Rees charts the devastating course of the Holocaust
44 min
619
Crusader states: everything you wanted to know
Nicholas Morton charts the rise and fall of the Middle Eastern regions held by the Franks in 12th and 13th centuries
59 min
620
How women were excluded from sport – and fought...
From marathons to mountaineering, Rachel Hewitt highlights previously overlooked evidence of women’s sporting and outdoor endeavours from the 19th century
41 min
621
Six wives | 1. Catherine of Aragon
From beloved queen to defiant divorcee, Dr Nicola Clark and Dr Tracy Borman chart the fluctuating fortunes of Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon
52 min
622
Æthelflæd: ‘Mother of the English’
Rebecca Hardie explores the life and legacy of the 10th-century leader known as the ‘Lady of the Mercians’ and ‘Mother of the English’
37 min
623
Mindbending experiments: how drugs shaped moder...
From Freud’s experiments with cocaine to doctors sampling chloroform at dinner parties, Mike Jay reveals how scientists and thinkers experimented with drugs in the 19th century
30 min
624
WW2 the big questions: the ‘Big Three’
Laurence Rees explores the role of Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt in shaping the course of the Second World War
36 min
625
Russian tsars: everything you wanted to know
Simon Sebag Montefiore answers listener questions about the history of imperial Russia’s formidable rulers
59 min