HistoryExtra podcast

The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.


HistoryExtra 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
1251
Scottish clans: everything you wanted to know
Murray Pittock answers listener questions about the famous kinship groups of Scotland
55 min
1252
What one duel can tell us about Jacobean England
Lloyd Bowen uses the story of one 1601 duel to explore the codes of honour that governed elite violence at the time
50 min
1253
Digging up Roman London
Dominic Perring uncovers London’s Roman history and reveals how the city was connected to the wider empire
50 min
1254
Life in Cromwell’s Britain
Anna Keay explores the dramatic decade between the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660
38 min
1255
1942: Churchill’s darkest hour
Taylor Downing chronicles the events of the year 1942, which he contends was Britain’s lowest moment in the Second World War
42 min
1256
Rapa Nui’s island mysteries
Cat Jarman delves into the mysteries and debates surrounding the history of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island
30 min
1257
The history of beauty: everything you wanted to...
Lucy Jane Santos answers listener questions on the history of beauty, from ancient Egyptian eye makeup to Georgian false eyebrows
46 min
1258
Bridgerton: behind the scenes of season 2
Historical consultant Hannah Greig takes us behind the scenes of Bridgerton and explores the real history surrounding the period drama
31 min
1259
Suleyman the Magnificent: the 16th-century’s mo...
Christopher de Bellaigue speaks about Suleyman the Magnificent, ruler of the sprawling 16th-century Ottoman empire
48 min
1260
Our Winston Churchill obsession
Geoffrey Wheatcroft considers why the world is still so fixated with Britain’s wartime leader more than half a century after his death
30 min
1261
Naked statues, naughty gods & bad wine
Garrett Ryan explores some of the most commonly asked questions about the ancient Greco-Roman world
42 min
1262
The BBC at 100: the corporation at war
David Hendy explores the ways in which the Second World War changed the BBC forever
41 min
1263
The Napoleonic Wars: everything you wanted to know
Mike Rapport tackles listener questions about the 19th-century conflicts that tore Europe apart and had repercussions across the globe
63 min
1264
Prohibition: busting myths about the ban on booze
Mark Lawrence Schrad reveals how campaigns to ban alcohol weren’t just led by puritanical evangelicals in the US
33 min
1265
Stitching together the history of fabric
Victoria Finlay describes how the history of fabric is interwoven with our story as a species
33 min
1266
Carrot conspiracies & digging for victory: feed...
John Martin charts the mission to save Britain from starvation during the Second World War
28 min
1267
​​Children of the Norman Conquest
Eleanor Parker speaks about young people whose lives were fundamentally altered by the Norman Conquest of 1066
33 min
1268
Britain’s WW2 island internment camp
Simon Parkin discusses a WW2 internment camp on the Isle of Man that housed a dazzling array of artists, academics and musicians
46 min
1269
Gladiators: everything you wanted to know
Alison Futrell answers listeners’ questions on ancient Rome’s arena fighters
55 min
1270
Fredegund and Brunhild: a tale of two queens
Shelley Puhak explores the story of Fredegund and Brunhild, two medieval queens known for their bitter rivalry
36 min
1271
Eugenics: a toxic history
Adam Rutherford discusses the dark – and often surprising – history of the eugenics movement
36 min
1272
​​Gardens and the scientific revolution
Clare Hickman explores how gardens were used as places of scientific experimentation in the 18th and 19th centuries
34 min
1273
Periods, fertility & childbirth: a pre-modern h...
Mary Fissell talks about women’s reproductive health in early modern Europe and America, from menstruation to childbirth
36 min
1274
Radical women
Nan Sloane discusses the women activists involved in radical and reform movements between 1789 and 1832
30 min
1275
The Franks: everything you wanted to know
Christian Cooijmans answers listener questions about the medieval world of the Franks
46 min