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
1251
Katharine Parr: secrets of a Tudor survivor
Alison Weir discusses the varied and dramatic life of Henry VIII’s final wife, Katharine Parr.
34 min
1252
Blackface: a brief history
Ayanna Thompson discusses the history of blackface – a story spanning William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison
37 min
1253
Who was Britain’s greatest prime minister? Haro...
In the latest episode in our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Charlotte Lydia Riley nominates Harold Wilson.
22 min
1254
Madness, property and power: the strange case o...
Leo Hollis untangles the bizarre 18th-century court case surrounding Mary Davies: a wealthy heiress married in mysterious circumstances
41 min
1255
The Vietnam War: everything you wanted to know
Mark Atwood Lawrence responds to readers’ questions about the United States’ failure to stem the advance of communism in Vietnam.
72 min
1256
Medieval Ethiopia’s diplomatic missions
Verena Krebs reveals what diplomatic missions sent by the Christian leaders of Ethiopia can tell us about the kingdom’s place in the medieval world.
61 min
1257
Uncovering the truth about WW2’s Katyn massacre
Jane Rogoyska explains how more than 20,000 Polish prisoners-of-war were murdered on Stalin’s orders in 1940, and explores the decades-long coverup that followed
47 min
1258
The changing shape of slimming clubs
Dr Katrina Moseley explores the surprising story of slimming clubs, touching on female friendship, entrepreneurialism and feminist fury.
44 min
1259
Who was Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister? Clem...
In the latest episode in our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their tenure, Charlotte Lydia Riley profiles Clement Attlee.
22 min
1260
How close to nuclear war did the Cuban Missile ...
Serhii Plokhy discusses the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and reveals just how close the world came to nuclear disaster.
41 min
1261
Prohibition: everything you wanted to know
Historian Timothy Hickman answers listener questions about the ban on booze in 1920s America, from speakeasies and moonshine to Al Capone’s shady dealings.
69 min
1262
The Danelaw: a Viking kingdom in England?
Dr Ben Raffield explains how in the ninth and tenth centuries, Scandinavian laws and customs prevailed across a swathe of what’s now northern and eastern England
47 min
1263
Britain’s great postwar party
Harriet Atkinson takes us back to 1951’s Festival of Britain, a celebration of a nation rising from the ashes of war
29 min
1264
The Peasants’ Revolt: who were the rebels of 1381?
The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was a key moment in the reign of King Richard II. New research is revealing just how well-organised an operation it was
49 min
1265
Who was Britain’s greatest prime minister? Stan...
In the second episode of our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Dominic Sandbrook champions Stanley Baldwin
26 min
1266
Women fighters of the Jewish resistance
Judy Batalion describes how a group of young Jewish women fought back against their Nazi oppressors in occupied Poland.
30 min
1267
Life in the workhouse: everything you wanted to...
From daily routines to whether inmates really ate gruel, Peter Higginbotham responds to listener questions about the workhouse
47 min
1268
How constitutions changed the world
Linda Colley explores how written constitutions, together with warfare, forged the modern world.
41 min
1269
The pretenders who threatened Henry VII’s crown
Nathen Amin discusses the plots and conspiracies that threatened to unseat Henry VII from his throne.
45 min
1270
Why are we fascinated by ‘evil women’?
Joanna Bourke explores what ideas about ‘evil women’ can tell us about societal values through history.
30 min
1271
Who was Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister? Robe...
In the first episode of our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their tenure, Jeremy Black profiles Robert Walpole.
23 min
1272
Barbarossa: Hitler’s greatest gamble
Jonathan Dimbleby revisits the dramatic, murderous struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
47 min
1273
The Suez Crisis: everything you wanted to know
Alex von Tunzelmann responds to your questions on the 1956 Suez Crisis: a diplomatic debacle that dealt a serious blow to Britain’s standing in the postwar world.
41 min
1274
Traitor or triple agent? The WW2 spy Mathilde C...
Roland Philipps tells the story of Mathilde Carré, the French secret agent whose life took an extraordinary turn after her betrayal to the Germans.
42 min
1275
Leonardo da Vinci’s private life
Catherine Fletcher discusses what is known about the private life and relationships of the Renaissance polymath, and considers the historical inspirations for the new TV drama Leonardo.
32 min