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
101
Conspiracy | 1. Was Elizabeth I a man?
22 min
102
Conspiracy | Series 2 Trailer
1 min
103
From the Mongols to the Huns: the nomads who do...
Kenneth Harl explains how the nomadic empires of the Eurasian steppes played a decisive role in world history
30 min
104
Life of the Week: Frederick Douglass
Clare Elliott discusses the life of the 19th-century abolitionist, orator and writer, who ran away from a life of slavery to join the fight for freedom
30 min
105
The hidden history of women in intelligence
Helen Fry introduces the women who secretly worked in wartime intelligence centres and behind enemy lines in the world wars
26 min
106
The Bloomsbury Group: everything you wanted to ...
Frances Spalding answers listener questions on the daring set of artists, writers and thinkers who shook up British culture in the early 20th century
32 min
107
'Madness' and the supernatural
Professor Owen Davies reveals why believing in the supernatural saw scores of patients admitted to asylums in the 19th century
27 min
108
Boston Tea Party | 5. A complex legacy
28 min
109
Why were the Romantics obsessed with Mount Vesu...
John Brewer investigates the Romantics' complex relationship with Mount Vesuvius, from being a prized travel destination to using the volcano as a political metaphor
24 min
110
Life of the Week: Stalin
Robert Service discusses Josef Stalin, from his humble origins as a would-be priest in a province of the Russian empire to his rise to the paranoid, murderous tyrant of the Soviet Union
42 min
111
James Longstreet: Confederate Judas
Elizabeth R Varon explores the remarkable story of James Longstreet, the Confederate general who embraced the Reconstruction era
38 min
112
Medieval popes: everything you wanted to know
Brett Whalen answers popular questions on the medieval papacy, from the exploits of anti-popes to an infamous trial of a pope's corpse
49 min
113
A history of song: from Schumann to Sting
John Potter charts the evolution of songs and songwriting over the past thousand years, covering medieval troubadours, English folk music and more
28 min
114
Boston Tea Party | 4. The crackdown
31 min
115
Aztec warfare
Caroline Dodds Pennock considers how warfare came to be a pivotal part of Aztec society, considering superstitious traditions, sacrifices and brutal methods of attack
39 min
116
History Behind the Headlines: Elections, ‘panda...
40 min
117
How spies shaped the modern world
Amanda Mason delves into the dark arts of modern spycraft and subterfuge
19 min
118
The Habsburgs: everything you wanted to know
Pieter Judson charts the tumultuous history of the Habsburgs, the European dynasty famed for their political machinations – and incestuous marriages
41 min
119
The medieval Welsh Marches: identity on the fro...
Helen Fulton traces the experiences of those living on the Anglo-Welsh frontier in the late Middle Ages
31 min
120
Boston Tea Party | 3. The destruction of the tea
29 min
121
Sherlock Holmes: the real history that inspired...
Andrew Lycett shares how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created his most famous character, and what the stories reveal about the author's own life and times
29 min
122
Life of the week: Queen Victoria
Tracy Borman charts the life and reign of Queen Victoria, the monarch who brought pomp and pageantry to the royal family we know today
31 min
123
Merry Christmas from the HistoryExtra podcast
1 min
124
Druids: everything you wanted to know
Ronald Hutton answers listener questions surrounding the mystical spiritual figures of ancient north western Europe
45 min
125
Bannockburn: Robert the Bruce’s greatest victory
Helen Carr tells the story of the battle of Bannockburn, a pivotal moment in the First War of Scottish Independence that had profound consequences for Scotland, England, and beyond
37 min