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
976
The BBC at 100: the corporation at war
David Hendy explores the ways in which the Second World War changed the BBC forever
41 min
977
The Napoleonic Wars: everything you wanted to know
Mike Rapport tackles listener questions about the 19th-century conflicts that tore Europe apart and had repercussions across the globe
63 min
978
Prohibition: busting myths about the ban on booze
Mark Lawrence Schrad reveals how campaigns to ban alcohol weren’t just led by puritanical evangelicals in the US
33 min
979
Stitching together the history of fabric
Victoria Finlay describes how the history of fabric is interwoven with our story as a species
33 min
980
Carrot conspiracies & digging for victory: feed...
John Martin charts the mission to save Britain from starvation during the Second World War
28 min
981
​​Children of the Norman Conquest
Eleanor Parker speaks about young people whose lives were fundamentally altered by the Norman Conquest of 1066
33 min
982
Britain’s WW2 island internment camp
Simon Parkin discusses a WW2 internment camp on the Isle of Man that housed a dazzling array of artists, academics and musicians
46 min
983
Gladiators: everything you wanted to know
Alison Futrell answers listeners’ questions on ancient Rome’s arena fighters
55 min
984
Fredegund and Brunhild: a tale of two queens
Shelley Puhak explores the story of Fredegund and Brunhild, two medieval queens known for their bitter rivalry
36 min
985
Eugenics: a toxic history
Adam Rutherford discusses the dark – and often surprising – history of the eugenics movement
36 min
986
​​Gardens and the scientific revolution
Clare Hickman explores how gardens were used as places of scientific experimentation in the 18th and 19th centuries
34 min
987
Periods, fertility & childbirth: a pre-modern h...
Mary Fissell talks about women’s reproductive health in early modern Europe and America, from menstruation to childbirth
36 min
988
Radical women
Nan Sloane discusses the women activists involved in radical and reform movements between 1789 and 1832
30 min
989
The Franks: everything you wanted to know
Christian Cooijmans answers listener questions about the medieval world of the Franks
46 min
990
How museums are shaping the future
Author, historian and museum director Neil MacGregor talks about his new BBC radio series, The Museums that Make Us
27 min
991
Ukraine: the WW2 roots of today's conflict
Keith Lowe talks to Matt Elton about how today’s conflict between Russia and Ukraine can be traced back to the Second World War
25 min
992
Old English: a quick guide
Hana Videen explores the Old English language and reveals what it can tell us about daily life at the time it was spoken
35 min
993
Witch hunters: cynical persecutors or misguided...
Marion Gibson discusses the methods and motivations of “witch finders” who sought out supernatural wrongdoing in Stuart Britain
30 min
994
Fascism in Britain
Nigel Copsey discusses the British Union of Fascists and its leader, Oswald Mosley
39 min
995
The American Revolutionary War: everything you ...
Benjamin Carp tackles listener questions on the conflict that saw colonists in North America declare independence from the British
60 min
996
The BBC at 100: establishment values in the 1930s
David Hendy takes us back to the 1930s, when the BBC became part of the British establishment
36 min
997
Vikings: Valhalla’s real inspirations
Screenwriter Jeb Stuart discusses the real history that inspired his new Netflix show Vikings: Valhalla
31 min
998
Nixon in China: the trip that changed the Cold War
Rana Mitter discusses US president Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip to China – a visit that changed the course of the Cold War
35 min
999
In defence of Neville Chamberlain
Walter Reid argues that the much-derided prime minister, best known for appeasement, has been the victim of a historical stitch-up
41 min
1000
Spies in show business
Christopher Andrew discusses the historical links between espionage and the entertainment industry
34 min