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
1226
A family history of France
Emma Rothschild follows one family’s fate to explore how the French nation changed across the 18th and 19th centuries.
37 min
1227
Apartheid: everything you wanted to know
Wayne Dooling answers listener questions on South Africa’s Apartheid regime.
51 min
1228
Berbice: a slave rebellion that nearly succeeded
Marjoleine Kars discusses a little-known 1763 rebellion by enslaved people in Berbice, in present-day Guyana.
48 min
1229
Trial by combat: the real history behind The La...
Hannah Skoda delves into the bloody and brutal spectacle of trial by combat in the Middle Ages
38 min
1230
Liberty and racism: an interconnected history
Tyler Stovall discusses his book White Freedom, which explores how ideas about ‘liberty’ have long been underpinned by racism.
43 min
1231
George III: the tyrant who lost America?
Andrew Roberts discusses his landmark new biography of King George III and takes on some of the myths that have surrounded the monarch
45 min
1232
At home with the Mongols
Marie Favereau discusses life in the Mongol empire – from how it was ruled to the daily experiences of those within it.
57 min
1233
Pompeii: everything you wanted to know
Sophie Hay answers listener questions on the Roman city that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in AD 79 
55 min
1234
Unexpected Edwardians
Nick Baker and John Woolf, writers of Stephen Fry’s Edwardian Secrets, discuss some lesser-known aspects of the Edwardian age
37 min
1235
Plagues of our past
Humans throughout history have faced a scourge of infectious illnesses. Kyle Harper discusses how diseases have shaped our past.
53 min
1236
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
1237
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
1238
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
1239
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
1240
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
1241
Adventures of a Victorian actor
Helen Batten discusses the life of Victorian singer, performer and entrepreneur Emily Soldene.
33 min
1242
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
1243
Inside the prehistoric mind
Francis Pryor explores the sensory world of prehistoric Britain.
61 min
1244
How did the British royals survive WW1?
Heather Jones discusses the role of the British royal family during the First World War.
65 min
1245
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
1246
A surprising history of the index
Historian Dennis Duncan guides us through singular stories from the history of the book index.
37 min
1247
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
1248
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
1249
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
1250
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