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
901
Reconstructing the body of God
Francesca Stavrakopoulou explores what ancient biblical texts tell us about the anatomy of God
25 min
902
Midway: why America won the WW2 naval battle
Brendan Simms and Steven McGregor explore the reasons behind the United States’ victory in the 1942 Pacific naval battle
34 min
903
Crime & punishment in Britain: everything you w...
Nell Darby answers listener questions on crime and punishment throughout Britain’s history
62 min
904
Has Britain always looked backwards?
Hannah Rose Woods discusses the ways our ancestors have looked back at the past, and how nostalgia for a bygone era is nothing new
27 min
905
The end of Roman Britain | 1. introduction, and...
What really happened in Britain as Roman influence waned? Recent research is shaking up our view of the end of imperial rule during the fifth century, and one new find in particular – a mosaic at Chedworth Roman villa – is leading experts to reassess how far people carried on “being Roman”. In the opening episode of our new series, David Musgrove takes a trip to Chedworth to begin his investigation into the end of Roman 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>
38 min
906
How the Persians were written out of history
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones reveals how a mighty ancient empire fell foul of a Greek smear campaign
35 min
907
Shady deals & rigged elections: the changing fa...
Mark Knights discusses how ideas about corruption in the British establishment were transformed between 1600 and 1850
35 min
908
Plastic surgery: transformed by WW1
Lindsey Fitzharris chronicles the innovations of plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, who worked tirelessly to reconstruct the faces of WW1 soldiers
37 min
909
Britain’s transformation during the Queen’s lif...
As the Queen celebrates her platinum jubilee, Dominic Sandbrook looks back on how Britain has changed radically during her lifetime
32 min
910
Empire of blood
Caroline Elkins explains how the British empire was sustained by violence for more than 200 years
45 min
911
The Black Death | 6. how the pandemic transform...
<p>In the final episode of our series on the Black Death, Professor Mark Bailey and Dr Claire Kennan discuss the medieval pandemic’s dramatic social, political and economic impact. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, they use England as a case study to explore how it restructured society, with effects that were felt for hundreds of years. </p><br><p>The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:</p><p>The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994) </p><p>The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005) </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>
39 min
912
Fairy queens & giantesses: pagan goddesses in C...
Ronald Hutton discusses four female pagan deities that loomed large in the medieval imagination
35 min
913
The birth of insulin: a scientific drama
Kersten Hall uncovers the dramatic story of insulin, from its discovery to its invaluable role in tackling diabetes today
51 min
914
Dracula at 125: what can a vampire tell us abou...
Marking the 125th anniversary of the publication of Dracula, Roger Luckhurst explores the enduring appeal of Bram Stoker’s vampire thriller
29 min
915
Witchcraft: everything you wanted to know
Owen Davies answers your top questions about the history of witchcraft – from torture and trials to beliefs about magical powers
42 min
916
Alice Roberts on unearthing the Romans, Vikings...
Alice Roberts reveals how new scientific techniques can shed light on life in Britain between the first and tenth centuries AD
43 min
917
The Black Death | 5. death, sin & spirituality
<p>The arrival of a terrifying pandemic made medieval people increasingly preoccupied with death, sin and the afterlife. In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Helen Carr about spiritual responses to the Black Death, from special prayers to self-flagellation.</p><br><p>The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:</p><p>The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994)</p><p>The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005)</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>
31 min
918
Antony Beevor on the Russian revolution
Military historian Antony Beevor discusses his new book Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
41 min
919
Eliza Acton: Britain’s first modern cookery writer
Annabel Abbs discusses the first modern cookery writer Eliza Acton, the subject of her new novel The Language of Food
34 min
920
The BBC at 100: change & innovation in 60s Britain
David Hendy explores how the BBC kept up with a changing Britain throughout the 1960s
35 min
921
WW2’s desert war: everything you wanted to know
Jonathan Fennell answers listener questions on the North African campaign in the Second World War
39 min
922
Christine de Pizan: from medieval writer to fem...
Charlotte Cooper-Davis details the life and legacy of the prolific medieval author and poet, Christine de Pizan
40 min
923
The Black Death | 4. medieval medical thinking
<p>How do you fight a disease, when you don’t know what causes it? In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Elma Brenner about medieval medical thinking and how it informed responses to the Black Death, from ideas about how bad air and misaligned planets could make you sick, to the rituals and remedies used to treat plague victims and the state of 14th-century hospital care.</p><p>The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:</p><p>The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994)</p><p>The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005)</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>
33 min
924
A legacy of inequality: the economic impact of ...
Kojo Koram discusses the economic and legal legacies of the British empire – and how they can still be felt today
32 min
925
Stasi poets: creative writing & the Cold War
Philip Oltermann tells the strange story of the poetry group run by the East German Ministry for State Security
41 min