HistoryExtra podcast
The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
HistoryExtra 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.
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1001
Oddball art: cannibals, hellscapes & flying monks
From kaleidoscopic hellscapes to portraits of cannibals, Edward Brooke-Hitching introduces some of the strangest creations in art history
33 min
1002
The floating hell of prison hulks
Anna McKay delves into the development, use and abolition of floating prisons – and the horrible experiences of those incarcerated on board
34 min
1003
Refusing to fight in WW2
<p>During the Second World War, around 60,000 people in Britain registered as conscientious objectors, seeking an exemption from military service on the grounds of their religious conviction, political stance or moral conscience. Speaking with Ellie Cawthorne, Professor Tobias Kelly shares the stories of five such people and discusses the challenges they faced.</p><br><p>(Ad) Tobias Kelly is the author of Battles of Conscience: British Pacifists and the Second World War (Chatto & Windus, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battles-Conscience-British-Pacifists-Second/dp/1784743941/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21E6JEFFK6ZJV&keywords=tobias+kelly&qid=1657276881&s=books&sprefix=tobias+kelly%2Cstripbooks%2C64&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">:</a></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battles-Conscience-British-Pacifists-Second/dp/1784743941/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21E6JEFFK6ZJV&keywords=tobias+kelly&qid=1657276881&s=books&sprefix=tobias+kelly%2Cstripbooks%2C64&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battles-Conscience-British-Pacifists-Second/dp/1784743941/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21E6JEFFK6ZJV&keywords=tobias+kelly&qid=1657276881&s=books&sprefix=tobias+kelly%2Cstripbooks%2C64&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histbo</a>ty</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
1004
Power dressing: the hidden value of clothes in ...
<p>Legal historian Laura F Edwards discusses her new book on clothing and textiles in 19th-century America, Only the Clothes on Her Back. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she reveals the meaning and care that went into garments, and how clothes and textiles could lend subversive power to marginalised people.</p><br><p>(Ad) Laura F Edwards is the author of Only the Clothes on Her Back: Clothing and the Hidden History of Power in the Nineteenth-Century United States (Oxford University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Clothes-Her-Back-Nineteenth-Century/dp/0197568572/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">:</a></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Clothes-Her-Back-Nineteenth-Century/dp/0197568572/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Clothes-Her-Back-Nineteenth-Century/dp/0197568572/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histbo</a>ty</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
1005
Sabotage, cyberwar & assassination: a history o...
<p>Ever since the Greeks supposedly hid inside a wooden horse to sneak into Troy, states have meddled in other nations’ affairs, turning to the dark arts of sabotage, propaganda and state-sanctioned killing to carry out their secret plans. Speaking to Rhiannon Davies, Rory Cormac delves into the murky history of covert action. </p><br><p>(Ad) Rory Cormac is the author of How To Stage A Coup: And Ten Other Lessons from the World of Secret Statecraft (Atlantic, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: </p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Stage-Coup-Lessons-Statecraft/dp/1838955615/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Stage-Coup-Lessons-Statecraft/dp/1838955615/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty</a></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>
34 min
1006
Conspiracy: the lost civilisation of Atlantis
In our new series delving into historical conspiracy theories, Flint Dibble questions the notion of a vanished civilisation that seeded its knowledge around the world
34 min
1007
Conspiracy: was the moon landing faked?
In our new series delving into historical conspiracy theories, Francis French looks at why people continue to doubt NASA’s finest hour
23 min
1008
Conspiracy: Who wrote Shakespeare?
In our new series delving into historical conspiracy theories, Paul Edmondson questions why many people can’t accept that Shakespeare wrote the plays bearing his name
30 min
1009
Conspiracy: did Anastasia escape her family’s m...
In our new series delving into historical conspiracy theories, Helen Rappaport reveals recent evidence that could tell us more about the theory of the missing grand duchess
27 min
1010
Conspiracy: did aliens build the pyramids?
In our new series delving into historical conspiracy theories, Joyce Tyldesley explores the origins of the theory that Ancient Egypt’s iconic monuments were built by creatures from out of this world
19 min
1011
Conspiracy: Hitler’s escape to South America
In our new series delving into historical conspiracy theories, Richard J Evans considers the idea that the Nazi leader escaped and led a long life in South America
23 min
1012
Alexander the Great’s extraordinary childhood
Alex Rowson tells the story of the supreme empire-builder’s formative years
30 min
1013
The Cuban Missile Crisis: the road to resolution
In the fourth and final episode of our series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, we chart the final tense days of the Cold War standoff, investigating how it was eventually resolved
50 min
1014
Dandies, fops & macaronis: fashionable men thro...
<p>Dominic Janes discusses his new history of British dandies, which explores how such ‘dressy men’ – from fops and macaronis, to aesthetes – provoked both fascination and horror in their societies. Speaking with Elinor Evans, Dominic also considers the changing perceptions of famed aesthete Oscar Wilde.</p><br><p>(Ad) Dominic Janes is the author of British Dandies: Engendering Scandal and Fashioning a Nation (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones<a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbritish-dandies%2Fdominic-janes%2F9781851245598" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">:</a></p><p><a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbritish-dandies%2Fdominic-janes%2F9781851245598" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fbritish-dandies%2Fdominic-janes%2F97818512455</a>98</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>
35 min
1015
Brits abroad: a history
Lucy Lethbridge discusses the emergence of British mass tourism, from the first package holidays and hedonistic health spas, to vomit-inducing stagecoach journeys
28 min
1016
Mongols vs Mamluks
Nicholas Morton explores the legendary clash between two major empires in the 12th and 13th centuries
41 min
1017
The history of alcohol: everything you wanted t...
From the world’s oldest beer to Britain’s deadly “gin craze”, Phil Withington answers listener questions on the long and impactful history of alcohol
38 min
1018
How ballroom dancing gripped Britain
Hilary French follows the history of ballroom dancing – from its early popularity among the leisured elites to its demise in the face of disco, and recent Strictly revival
41 min
1019
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Dangerous days
In the third episode of our series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, we chart the first phase of the Cold War standoff – from panicked secret meetings to risky naval manoeuvres
46 min
1020
The hell of the Pacific War
Saul David describes the horrors of the long campaign to defeat Japan in the Second World War, through the eyes of a company of US Marines
31 min
1021
Inside Germany’s postwar prisons
Sarah Colvin shares stories of prisoners who were incarcerated in West and East Germany in the turbulent years following the Second War
30 min
1022
Pilgrimage, past and present
Peter Stanford considers the different meanings of pilgrimage across world history
27 min
1023
British spies in WW2: everything you wanted to ...
From ingenious gadgets to audacious plots, historian Helen Fry answers listener questions on British espionage in the Second World War
50 min
1024
Black Victorians: radicals, muses, inmates & ar...
From political agitators and artist’s muses to composers, sailors and the goddaughter of the queen herself, John Woolf shares the stories of black people in Victorian Britain
32 min
1025
The Cuban Missile Crisis: broken ties & a secre...
In the second episode of our series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, we explore the fallout from the 1961 Bay of Pigs disaster, and examine why Khrushchev decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba
34 min