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
1001
Stonehenge: everything you wanted to know (part...
In the second episode of a two-part special, Mike Pitts answers listener questions on Britain’s most famous prehistoric site.
36 min
1002
The secret WW2 mission to save Britain’s art co...
Caroline Shenton reveals the secret mission to save Britain’s national artworks and artefacts from the Nazis during the Second World War
40 min
1003
The Normans: beyond 1066
Judith Green reveals how there is much more to the Norman story than the events of the 1066 Conquest
44 min
1004
British identity in 50 documents
Dominic Selwood explores the evolution of British identity by delving into the nation’s historic documents
41 min
1005
Medieval masterclass 4: Revolution 1348-1527
In this fourth and final episode, Dan Jones reveals how the Middle Ages came to a close, starting off with a global pandemic that ripped across the world, devastating populations, reshaping economies and bringing societal change.
59 min
1006
Shakespearean deaths: swordfights, snakebites &...
From fatal snakebites to dying from a broken heart, Kathryn Harkup guides us through a grisly range of Shakespeare’s death scenes
29 min
1007
Stonehenge: everything you wanted to know (part...
Mike Pitts answers listener questions on Britain’s most famous prehistoric monument, Stonehenge
42 min
1008
Britain’s only war crimes trial
Mike Anderson and Neil Hanson discuss the 1999 prosecution of a former Nazi collaborator – Britain’s only war crimes trial
35 min
1009
Extinct animals of medieval Britain
From beavers to whales, Lee Raye discusses wildlife found across medieval Britain that has since gone extinct from the region
51 min
1010
Mexico’s ill-fated Austrian emperor
Edward Shawcross describes a little-known attempt to install an Austrian archduke as emperor of Mexico in the mid-19th century
58 min
1011
Medieval masterclass 3: Rebirth 1216-1347
Dan Jones charts the rise of the Mongols in the twelfth century – a sharp and hideously brutal episode, in which an eastern empire achieved fleeting domination over half the world, at the cost of millions of lives.
61 min
1012
Georgian Britain: the highs and lows of a trans...
Penelope J Corfield discusses the highs and lows of the Georgian era, from the abolition movement to the gin craze
55 min
1013
Vichy France: everything you wanted to know
Shannon Fogg answers listener questions on the collaborationist regime created following France’s defeat by Nazi Germany
64 min
1014
Berlin’s tumultuous history
Barney White-Spunner discusses the extraordinary, absorbing and often tragic history of Germany’s capital
43 min
1015
Three female civil rights pioneers
Pamela Roberts discusses her research into three women activists of Washington’s ‘black elite’
31 min
1016
America’s Cold War culture boom
From artistic experimentation to an explosion in pop music, Louis Menand looks at American art and ideas between 1945-65
28 min
1017
Medieval masterclass 2: Domination 750-1215
Dan Jones and David Musgrove delve into the age of the Franks, who revived a Christian, pseudo-Roman empire in the west.
62 min
1018
Margery Kempe: medieval mystic
Anthony Bale recounts the sensational story of Margery Kempe, a medieval mystic whose autobiography offers a glimpse into 15th-century life
53 min
1019
Greek myths: everything you wanted to know
Classicist Natalie Haynes tackles listener questions on Greek myths, from ancient origins to modern reinterpretations
59 min
1020
Bloody Sunday: 50 years on
To mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Diarmaid Ferriter speaks about the event and its tangled legacy today To mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday
38 min
1021
The BBC at 100: audio adventures in the 1920s
In our new series marking the centenary of the BBC, David Hendy looks back at the innovation and idealism that marked its first decade
41 min
1022
Elitism in cricket: a history
Duncan Stone argues that classism and racism have held back England’s summer sport for decades
33 min
1023
Medieval masterclass 1: Imperium 410-750
Dan Jones takes listeners on a journey through early medieval Europe, beginning with the Roman empire in a state of collapse, rocked by a changing climate and mass migration.
59 min
1024
Cold war mind games
Martin Sixsmith explores the role of psychology in the Cold War, from paranoia and propaganda to unpredictable leaders
36 min
1025
America’s “Roaring Twenties”: everything you wa...
Sarah Churchwell answers listener questions about the “roaring twenties” in the United States
65 min