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. 

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History
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Women who shaped the Roman empire
Emma Southon discusses the women of ancient Rome whose stories illuminate experiences of war, empire and political machinations
38 min
677
Great Reputations: Oliver Cromwell
In the latest in our series charting the contested reputations of key historical figures, Ronald Hutton and Mark Stoyle debate the life and legacy of statesman, politician and military leader Oliver Cromwell
54 min
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The secret club for radical New York women
Joanna Scutts discusses an underground club in the bohemian Greenwich Village that became a radical space for women to discuss issues ranging from suffrage to birth control
40 min
679
Margaret Cavendish: scandalous 17th-century writer
Francesca Peacock explores the life of Margaret Cavendish, a remarkable – and often scandalous – 17th-century writer
33 min
680
The triumph of Joan of Arc
Jonathan Sumption joins us to discuss the dramatic final stages and momentous legacy of the Hundred Years’ War
34 min
681
Rome v Carthage: everything you wanted to know
Philip Freeman answers listener questions on the dramatic battles between Rome and Carthage – two of the ancient world’s great powers
24 min
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Tokyo’s devastating 1923 earthquake
Christopher Harding revisits the catastrophic earthquake that levelled much of Tokyo 100 years ago
26 min
683
US Civil Rights: legacy
How were 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests linked to the mid-century struggle for racial equality? Dr Adriane Lentz-Smith and Dr Kennetta Hammond Perry consider the tangled legacy of Civil Rights
30 min
684
On the trail of a Nazi war criminal
Gerald Posner shares his experiences of tracking down fugitive Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele in the decades after the Second World War
42 min
685
How did empire shape modern Britain?
Charlotte Lydia Riley argues that 20th-century Britain was shaped by an imperial mindset, even as its empire began to disintegrate
38 min
686
Why did medieval Europe become Christian?
Mark Pegg explores why Christianity came to dominate in Europe as the Roman empire disintegrated
37 min
687
The Mongols: everything you wanted to know
Nicholas Morton answers listener questions on the nomadic conquerors who changed the course of world history
51 min
688
The lost world of Dickens’ London
From grimy back alleys to debtors’ prisons, Lee Jackson guides listeners through some of the atmospheric London locations associated with Charles Dickens
28 min
689
US Civil Rights: Malcolm X’s assassination
In 1965 Malcolm X was shot dead in New York. Dr Clarence Lang and Dr Ashley Farmer explore the activist’s assassination, and his influence on Black Power
37 min
690
The miners’ strike: a view from the ground
Robert Gildea revisits the miners’ strike of 1984-85 from the perspective of the strikers and their supporters
31 min
691
California’s hidden history of slavery
Jean Pfaelzer reveals the various forms that slavery has taken in California over time, from Native Americans forced into indentured labour to girls trafficked into caged brothels
29 min
692
Letters from medieval England
Karen Smyth delves into the rich archive of the Paston family to reveal what the story of one aristocratic dynasty can tell us about love, life and death between the 14th and 18th centuries
40 min
693
New Zealand: everything you wanted to know
Professor James Belich answers listener questions on the history of New Zealand
54 min
694
Indian experiences in WW2
Diya Gupta explores the emotional responses of Indian soldiers and civilians to the Second World War
29 min
695
US Civil Rights: the 1964 Civil Rights Act
How successful was the 1964 Civil Rights Act? Dr Tomiko Nagin-Brown and Dr Rebecca Brueckmann explore the landmark legislation, as well as the case of the Little Rock Nine
35 min
696
Learning disabilities: an overlooked history
Lucy Delap explores the overlooked, often surprising, story of how people with learning disabilities found work in the first half of the 20th century
33 min
697
Secrets of ancient Chinese tombs
Professor Jessica Rawson delves into the story of ancient Chinese civilisation through an unusual avenue – its tombs
37 min
698
How forgers helped rescue Holocaust victims
Roger Moorhouse shares the story of the Lados Group, who forged and issued false documents to help thousands of Jews escape the Holocaust during the Second World War
34 min
699
Ancient Egyptian religion: everything you wante...
From animal-headed gods to the afterlife, Joyce Tyldesley answers listener questions about religion in ancient Egypt
52 min
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Introducing HistoryExtra Long Reads
5 min