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
1126
Courage under fire: the story of a WW2 tank reg...
James Holland relates the story of a British tank regiment, from D-Day until the defeat of Nazi Germany.
44 min
1127
How Hindustan became India
Manan Ahmed Asif discusses his book The Loss of Hindustan, the Invention of India, which has just been shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize
55 min
1128
The turbulent Stuart century
Dr Clare Jackson discusses her new book Devil-Land, which examines the insecurities and anxieties that plagued England between 1588 and 1688, from fears of a foreign invasion to paranoia over Catholic plots.
40 min
1129
The Boer War: everything you wanted to know
Saul Dubow responds to listener questions on Victorian Britain’s bitter conflict with two southern African republics
35 min
1130
My father the Nazi
Niklas Frank describes his father’s role in the Nazi regime and explains why he wants to ensure his crimes are not forgotten.
25 min
1131
Adventures of a Victorian actor
Helen Batten discusses the life of Victorian singer, performer and entrepreneur Emily Soldene.
33 min
1132
John of Gaunt: prince without a throne
Historian, author and podcaster Helen Carr charts the eventful life of the 14th-century prince John of Gaunt.
38 min
1133
Inside the prehistoric mind
Francis Pryor explores the sensory world of prehistoric Britain.
61 min
1134
How did the British royals survive WW1?
Heather Jones discusses the role of the British royal family during the First World War.
65 min
1135
Medieval Wales: everything you wanted to know
Matthew Stevens tackles listener questions on the history of the Welsh regions during the Middle Ages
79 min
1136
A surprising history of the index
Historian Dennis Duncan guides us through singular stories from the history of the book index.
37 min
1137
Why did medieval monks write histories?
Dr Benjamin Pohl explores the role of monks and abbots in the Middle Ages, and asks: why did they write histories?
44 min
1138
India’s Suffragettes
Sumita Mukherjee discusses India’s women’s suffrage movement, and how it connected to the wider struggle for Indian independence.
40 min
1139
Jihad and the British empire
Neil Faulkner reveals how the Anglo-Arab Wars of 1870-1920 helped give rise to the first modern jihad
31 min
1140
Transplant surgery: an eye-opening history
From transfusions of lambs’ blood to tooth replacements, Paul Craddock chronicles the strange history of transplant surgery
40 min
1141
The Paris Peace Conference: everything you want...
Professor David Stevenson answers listener questions on the 1919-20 conference that sought to resolve the aftermath of the First World War.
60 min
1142
World history in 100 moments
Neil Oliver discusses his new book, which takes us on a whistle-stop tour of global history.
44 min
1143
Extraordinary hoaxes of the 18th century
Ian Keable describes some of the most audacious, bizarre and inventive pranks that fooled Georgian Britain
43 min
1144
Maria Theresa: empress, warrior, matriarch
Nancy Goldstone discusses the 18th-century family saga of Habsburg empress Maria Theresa, and her equally formidable daughters
53 min
1145
From Roman villas to Downton Abbey: Britain’s c...
Clive Aslet traces Britain’s 2,000-year love affair with the country house, and what it reveals about the nation’s evolving political landscape.
32 min
1146
Hitler’s war on “degenerate art”
Charlie English discusses what an extraordinary art collection reveals about Nazism’s impact on modernist art and people with mental illnesses.
37 min
1147
The Borgias: everything you wanted to know
Professor Jill Burke tackles listener questions on the Borgias, the Renaissance family associated with rumours of depravity and immorality.
58 min
1148
Why the Tudors fell for courtly love
Sarah Gristwood considers how the Tudor monarchs used medieval ideas about courtly love for their own ends
38 min
1149
Wedgwood: the radical potter
Tristram Hunt discusses Josiah Wedgwood; groundbreaking potter, enterprising businessman and political radical.
30 min
1150
Aboriginal Australians: a modern history
Richard Broome explores the experiences of Aboriginal Australians after the arrival of white settlers in the 1780s.
44 min