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
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Richard III returns
As The Lost King arrives in UK cinemas, ten years after the remains of Richard III were unearthed, Mike Pitts reflects on the astonishing discovery of the “king in the car park”
49 min
877
Robert Harris on the manhunt for Charles I’s ki...
Historical novelist Robert Harris discusses his new book, which follows Charles II’s hunt for the men who killed his father
29 min
878
Anti-Chinese prejudice: from gold rushes to exc...
Mae Ngai explore how gold rushes helped shape racist attitudes that targeted Chinese people in the west, culminating in exclusionary immigration laws
24 min
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WW2’s most daring raid
Giles Whittell tells the story of the 1942 St Nazaire Raid, an audacious attack by British commandos on German-occupied France
44 min
880
15 minutes of fame: Babur, dynasty founder and ...
Margaret MacMillan profiles the life and legacy of the 15th-century leader Babur, who founded the Mughal empire – and kept a renowned diary
15 min
881
The Knights Templar: everything you wanted to know
Helen Nicholson answers listener questions on the crusading medieval military order made famous by its mysterious connections to the Holy Grail and Masonic order
55 min
882
Clash of cultures: how interpreters bridged the...
Henrietta Harrison discusses her Cundill Prize-shortlisted book on the interpreters who took on the dangerous task of communicating between the British empire and Qing China
33 min
883
What can one woman reveal about Jewish life in ...
Miri Rubin, Dean Irwin and Toni Griffiths examine what the extraordinary life story of Licoricia of Winchester can reveal about the experiences of Jews in medieval England
38 min
884
The Napoleon of Fleet Street
Andrew Roberts discusses Lord Northcliffe, the early 20th-century press baron with the power to bring down prime ministers
31 min
885
Should mummies be on display?
Is it strange that we go to museums to look at dead bodies? Angela Stienne delves into the ethical debates around displaying ancient human remains
36 min
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15 minutes of fame: Hannah Humphrey, entreprene...
Hannah Greig reveals why she believes printseller Hannah Humphrey deserves to be better remembered today
19 min
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The CIA: everything you wanted to know
From its earliest days to more recent missions, Professor Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones answers listen questions on the CIA
55 min
888
The end of Roman Britain: families, ancestors a...
<p>The use of ancient DNA analysis looks set to revolutionise our understanding of the end of Roman Britain. In this episode, we are joined by Professor Duncan&nbsp;Sayer&nbsp;to discuss a major new ancient DNA project and what it can tell us about the origins and family networks of people in post-Roman Britain.</p><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>
41 min
889
Love, marriage & wallpaper: the artistic lives ...
Suzanne Fagence Cooper explores the lives of Jane and William Morris, who helped shape the Victorian Arts and Crafts movement
45 min
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Tutankhamun | 7. the contested legacy of an icon
<p>In the 100 years since his tomb was discovered, Tutankhamun has become <em>the </em>icon of ancient Egypt –&nbsp;a muse for fashionistas and movie-makers, a pop culture staple and a political rallying cry. But what deeper meanings do his glitzy treasures have for us today? In the final episode of our series on the boy king, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Professor Elizabeth Frood and Dr Heba Abd el Gawad to uncover how the way we think about Tutankhamun today exposes thorny issues about the treatment of Egyptian heritage, and whether it can even distort our view of Egyptian history.</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>
29 min
891
African and Caribbean people in Britain: a 2,00...
The story of African and Caribbean people in Britain goes back to before the Roman empire. Professor Hakim Adi delves into this complex history, from ancient times to abolition
30 min
892
Dangerous ideas & scandalous lives: Germany’s f...
Andrea Wulf reveals how a small university town in Germany became the beating heart of an intellectual revolution at the turn of the 19th century
35 min
893
15 minutes of fame: Kleisthenes, father of Athe...
Professor Michael Scott explains how the sixth-century BC aristocrat Kleisthenes became the unlikely father of Athenian democracy
23 min
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Royal funerals: everything you wanted to know
Ahead of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Tracy Borman answers questions on the history of royal funerals
26 min
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Dan Jones on writing historical fiction
Historian Dan Jones, whose debut historical novel vividly brings to life a medieval military campaign, discusses the challenges of writing historical fiction
32 min
896
Tutankhamun | 6. secrets of the pharaoh's mummy
<p>There’s no more instantly recognisable symbol of ancient Egypt than a mummy. And, of course, the mummy of Tutankhamun is the most famous of all. But what can we learn from looking at the mummified body of an ancient boy king? In episode 6 of our series on Tutankhamun, Ellie Cawthorne and Dr Chris Naunton explore what the ancient Egyptians believed happened after death, delve into ancient mummification processes and follow Tutankhamun’s mummy on his somewhat unexpected adventures in the afterlife.&nbsp;</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>
37 min
897
Escape from Colditz
Bestselling author and historian Ben Macintyre joins us to discuss one of the most infamous German PoW camps of the Second World War
37 min
898
Winter is coming: the Anglo-Saxon year
Eleanor Parker reveals how early medieval people thought about the changing seasons, from festivals and calendars to the wintery inspirations for Anglo-Saxon poetry
39 min
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15 minutes of fame: Aina Forbes Bonetta, Queen ...
Hannah Cusworth introduces Aina Forbes Bonetta, also known as Sara, a Yoruba girl who was transported from West Africa and became a goddaughter of Queen Victoria
16 min
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Roman women: everything you wanted to know
Professor Kate Cooper answers listener questions on women in the Roman world, from experiences of marriage and childbirth to female-led armies
47 min