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
951
Empire of blood
Caroline Elkins explains how the British empire was sustained by violence for more than 200 years
45 min
952
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
953
Fairy queens & giantesses: pagan goddesses in C...
Ronald Hutton discusses four female pagan deities that loomed large in the medieval imagination
35 min
954
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
955
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
956
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
957
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
958
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
959
Antony Beevor on the Russian revolution
Military historian Antony Beevor discusses his new book Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
41 min
960
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
961
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
962
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
963
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
964
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
965
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
966
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
967
Cathedrals: from bishops' seats to tourist hots...
Nicholas Orme traces the story of English cathedrals, from their early medieval roots to their role in modern day communities
42 min
968
The Restoration: everything you wanted to know
Dr Clare Jackson tackles listener questions on the reestablishment of the monarchy in 1660, after 11 years of Republican rule
54 min
969
HistoryExtra Plus: get early access to our podc...
<p><br></p><p>Enjoying our new Black Death series? Listen to the next three episodes right now on our new subscription podcast channel HistoryExtra Plus, along with early access to our new series on the end of Roman Britain. Follow the link below to sign up now:&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://apple.co/3w0aaXz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apple.co/3w0aaXz</a></p><p>&nbsp;</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>
0 min
970
Eurovision: a political history
Dean Vuletic speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about the history of the Eurovision Song Contest – and what it tells us about the changing face of Europe
37 min
971
The Black Death | 3. living through the plague
<p>What would it have been like to live through a Black Death outbreak? In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Professor Samuel Cohn about the experiences of medieval people in communities ravaged by the deadly disease. He reveals what the chroniclers tell us about the range of responses to the crisis in the late 1340s, and the lengths people went to to survive.</p><br><p>The primary sources quoted in this series are 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>
28 min
972
Free speech: a brief, contentious history
Jacob Mchangama delves into the global history of free speech, from ancient times right up to the modern day
40 min
973
Disabled people in Tudor times
Phillipa Vincent-Connolly explores the lives of disabled people in the Tudor era, from community care to the royal court
21 min
974
Magellan: daring explorer or doomed failure?
Felipe Fernández-Armesto reexamines the story of famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan, uncovering more failure than success
37 min
975
War in the air: everything you wanted to know
Paul Beaver answers listeners questions on military aviation – from early innovations to flying aces and dogfights
64 min