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
51
The Hanseatic League: everything you wanted to ...
Professor Sheilagh Ogilvie answers your questions on a mysterious medieval federation that dominated trade in northern Europe
40 min
52
Secret forceps & pig bladders: medical objects ...
Carol Cooper explores the history of medicine through a series of pivotal objects – from the bonesaw to the heart-lung machine
34 min
53
How Roman roads transformed Europe
Catherine Fletcher explores how ancient Rome's road network transformed a continent – and inspired leaders for centuries to come
34 min
54
Hotel Lux: the guesthouse of world revolution
Maurice J Casey explores the history of a Moscow hotel that hosted revolutionaries from every corner of the world in the years following the Bolshevik Revolution
30 min
55
Introducing History's Greatest Scandals | New P...
0 min
56
Susan B Anthony: life of the week
Susan Ware answers listener questions on the life of American social reformer and women's rights activist, Susan B Anthony
45 min
57
How the compass became a political weapon
Jerry Brotton takes us on a journey through the unexpected history of the four cardinal directions
31 min
58
Medieval towns: everything you wanted to know
Were medieval towns filthy? How often did fires break out? And where could you get a slap-up meal? Carole Rawcliffe answers listener questions on urban life in the Middle Ages
41 min
59
Harold Wilson: the rock 'n' roll prime minister
Former home secretary Alan Johnson reveals how the Labour leader attempted to capture the 1960s zeitgeist
24 min
60
Who is buried at Sutton Hoo?
Helen Gittos shares a fascinating new theory about the identity of the man buried in the Sutton Hoo ship burial
36 min
61
Sex and Christianity: 2,000 years of love and fury
Diarmaid MacCulloch delves into the complex, contradictory and endlessly fascinating history of Christian attitudes to sex
32 min
62
Catherine the Great: life of the week
Janet Hartley details the extraordinary life and reign of one of history's most powerful rulers – from her origins as an obscure German princess to her transformation of Russia into one of Europe's great powers
33 min
63
The Second Norman Conquest
Sophie Ambler and Fiona Edmonds reveal how William Rufus led a second Norman Conquest in Cumbria, several decades after 1066
42 min
64
The Carolingians: everything you wanted to know
Professor Matthew Gabriele answers all the big questions about the early medieval empire that stretched across much of Europe – and takes a closer look at its ruling dynasty
35 min
65
The SAS in WW2: everything you wanted to know
Joshua Levine tackles listener questions about the origins of Britain’s most famous special forces unit
41 min
66
Arnhem: 24 hours that shattered Allied dreams
Al Murray reveals why, in one disastrous day, the Allied plan to deliver a shattering blow to Nazi Germany collapsed in a heap
27 min
67
Tudor England | 5. The wider world
Tracy Borman circumnavigates the 16th-century globe, exploring Tudor England’s position within it
33 min
68
2024 in review: history behind the headlines
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter look back at the history behind some of the year's biggest news stories in this special episode of our monthly series
38 min
69
Shipwrecks: a porthole to the past
David Gibbins explores the underwater secrets held by the world's shipwrecks
46 min
70
Quaker history: everything you wanted to know
Ben Pink Dandelion answers listener questions on the history of the Quaker religious movement
37 min
71
Christmas history: everything you wanted to know
Did Oliver Cromwell ban mince pies? And why does Santa wear red? George Goodwin responds to listener questions on festive history
42 min
72
How convict labour forged empires
Clare Anderson dives into lesser-known aspects of the history of convict transportation, revealing more about how the labour of those transported shaped empires
33 min
73
Tudor England | 4. Religion and superstition
From the Reformation to witchcraft, Tracy Borman delves into Tudor religion and superstitious belief
43 min
74
Secrets of medieval churches
Stonemason Andrew Ziminski reveals how medieval churches may have originally looked and why they are so full of oddities
20 min
75
Isabella of Castile: life of the week
Giles Tremlett explores the life and history-altering reign of the woman who helped launch the Spanish Inquisition and financed Columbus' journey to the 'New World'
40 min