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
1176
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
1177
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
1178
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
1179
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
1180
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
1181
World history in 100 moments
Neil Oliver discusses his new book, which takes us on a whistle-stop tour of global history.
44 min
1182
Extraordinary hoaxes of the 18th century
Ian Keable describes some of the most audacious, bizarre and inventive pranks that fooled Georgian Britain
43 min
1183
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
1184
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
1185
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
1186
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
1187
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
1188
Wedgwood: the radical potter
Tristram Hunt discusses Josiah Wedgwood; groundbreaking potter, enterprising businessman and political radical.
30 min
1189
Aboriginal Australians: a modern history
Richard Broome explores the experiences of Aboriginal Australians after the arrival of white settlers in the 1780s.
44 min
1190
Decolonisation to Covid-19: history education t...
A panel of experts discuss the big issues facing history education in 2021.
53 min
1191
Seances, skis and secrets: an extraordinary WWI...
Margalit Fox shares the story of two British prisoners of war who used a ouija board to launch an escape bid during the First World War.
41 min
1192
The Spanish Armada: everything you wanted to know
Robert Hutchinson answers your questions on England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
51 min
1193
The Special Boat Service: WW2’s silent heroes
Saul David discusses his new history of the Special Boat Service – a daring maritime unit that played a crucial role in Allied victory in WW2.
42 min
1194
The surprisingly modern Middle Ages
Dan Jones explores the similarities and differences between the medieval experience and our lives today
55 min
1195
Why do things change?
From the rise of Christianity to the Russian Revolution, David Potter analyses the causes of huge events that transformed human history.
25 min
1196
History in 2021, with Helen Carr and Suzannah L...
Public historians Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb explore how we should make sense of studying the past in 2021.
43 min
1197
How Walter Scott’s stories shaped Scotland
Annika Bautz discusses how the writing and poetry of Walter Scott transformed how the world saw Scotland.
23 min
1198
Food history: everything you wanted to know
Annie Gray tackles listener questions on culinary history, from Tudor breakfast to the oldest recipe books and the history of vegetarianism.
59 min
1199
The rise of the Paralympics
As Tokyo hosts the summer Paralympics, Ian Brittain chronicles the history of competitive sport for disabled people.
25 min
1200
Behind the scenes of The Boleyns: A Scandalous ...
Owen Emmerson, who recently appeared on BBC docu-drama The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, traces the clan’s meteoric rise – and crushing fall.
48 min