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
876
Royal rivals? Medieval England and France’s tem...
Catherine Hanley traces the great conflicts, and occasional friendships, between the rulers of medieval England and France
38 min
877
15 minutes of fame: Tsiang Ting-fu, Chinese his...
Rana Mitter explains how historian and diplomat Tsiang Tingfu was an important link between China and the west in the 20th century
20 min
878
The Peasants’ Revolt: everything you wanted to ...
Helen Carr responds to listener questions on the major uprising that rocked medieval England in 1381
43 min
879
Elizabeth I’s greatest rival?
Estelle Paranque untangles the complex relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, two 16th-century queens who wielded huge power - and frequently locked horns over religion, marriage and more
38 min
880
The end of Roman Britain | 5. an identity crisis?
In the fifth episode of our podcast series on the end of Roman Britain, David Musgrove talks to Dr James Gerrard about how society changed as Britain slipped out of Roman control in the fifth century. They also discuss what the latest research can tell us about how people might have reimagined their identities in the face of a changing world.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
48 min
881
David Stirling: SAS hero or fraud?
Special forces historian Gavin Mortimer casts a critical eye over David Stirling, who is renowned as the founder of the SAS in World War Two
38 min
882
The Norman kings of Africa
Levi Roach explains how the Normans conquered and held regions of Africa during the 12th century
32 min
883
15 minutes of fame: Hildegard of Bingen, mediev...
Janina Ramirez explains why medieval polymath Hildegard of Bingen deserves recognition today
19 min
884
British schools and education: everything you w...
Susannah Wright answers some of the most popular questions surrounding the history of British schools
63 min
885
On the streets of 19th-century London
Oskar Jensen introduces the characters living and working on the streets of Georgian and Victorian London, from beggars to ballad singers
37 min
886
The end of Roman Britain | 4. religion and belief
In the fourth episode of our podcast series on the end of Roman Britain, David Musgrove considers the role of religion in late Roman Britain with Dr David Petts. They look at how far Christianity was embedded in Britain by the fourth century, what other religious practices existed alongside it and, crucially, how far adherence to the Christian faith in the declining years of the empire helped to keep the Roman way of life going in Britain.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
36 min
887
Casanova: more than a serial seducer
Leo Damrosch reveals how Giacomo Casanova wasn’t just a serial seducer but also an aspiring priest, spy, army officer and Masonic master
42 min
888
From bohemian Brighton to military Plymouth: th...
Matt Cook and Alison Oram explore LGBTQ experiences in four English cities – Brighton, Manchester, Plymouth and Leeds – from the sixties to the noughties
51 min
889
15 minutes of fame: Marguerite de Navarre, roya...
Suzannah Lipscomb reveals why she thinks 16th-century royal influencer Marguerite de Navarre deserves to be better remembered today
16 min
890
The Mali empire: everything you wanted to know
Kevin MacDonald responds to your queries on the great power that dominated swathes of west Africa from the 13th to 17th centuries
50 min
891
The BBC at 100: political tensions in the 1970s...
In the latest instalment of our series marking the centenary of the BBC, David Hendy discusses the political pressures that defined the 1970s and 80s
37 min
892
The end of Roman Britain | 3. a militarised state?
In the third episode of our podcast series on the end of Roman Britain, David Musgrove looks at how far Britain was a militarised state between the third and fifth centuries. Historian Dr Rob Collins explains how Roman Britain was set up to support the military machine of the wider empire, and what might have happened when that military machine began to falter. <br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
42 min
893
Who were the Celts?
Simon Jenkins considers the enigmatic story of the Celts, and explores what the term ‘Celtic’ means today
32 min
894
Pioneering women pilots: from ballooning specta...
Sally Smith shares the stories of the fascinating female pioneers of British aviation
49 min
895
Discovering a lost royal battleship
Claire Jowitt discusses the discovery of a 17th-century shipwreck off the coast of Norfolk
34 min
896
The Edwardians: everything you wanted to know
John Jacob Woolf answers listener questions on Edwardian Britain, from suffrage and labour movements to leisure time and childhood
34 min
897
Watergate at 50: the making of an American scandal
Clifford Williamson charts the twists and turns of the conspiracy that sparked a constitutional crisis – and brought down a president
49 min
898
The end of Roman Britain | 2. life in the late ...
<p>In the second episode of our podcast series on the end of Roman Britain, David Musgrove investigates what life was like for people living in the later Roman era, in the third and fourth centuries. He speaks to Professor Will Bowden to explore the inequalities that existed between the haves and have-nots, and how far the stresses and strains that were at play in the wider empire impacted on everyday life in Britain. </p><br><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
40 min
899
African-American philanthropy
Dr Tyrone Freeman discusses his research into charitable traditions in African-American communities
31 min
900
Reconstructing the body of God
Francesca Stavrakopoulou explores what ancient biblical texts tell us about the anatomy of God
25 min