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
1276
The curious tale of an Anglo-Saxon giant
Tom Morcom and Helen Gittos discuss the Cerne Abbas Giant, a huge hill-carving in Dorset which has recently been re-dated to the Anglo-Saxon period
31 min
1277
The golden age of piracy: everything you wanted...
Rebecca Simon responds to your questions on the ‘golden age’ of piracy, when bands of buccaneers menaced the high seas, preying on merchant vessels
59 min
1278
Why are we living longer than our ancestors?
Steven Johnson explores innovations in science and public health that have led to huge increases in life expectancy.
28 min
1279
Painting the Tudors: Hans Holbein the Younger
Sometimes described as England’s Leonardo, Hans Holbein the Younger painted the great and the good of Tudor society. Franny Moyle chronicles his incredible art and tempestuous life.
51 min
1280
Bretons, Britons, Celts & King Arthur
Barry Cunliffe considers the story of Brittany from prehistory to today, and explores the region’s connections with Britain
65 min
1281
Who was Britain’s greatest prime minister? Wins...
In the latest episode in our series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Jeremy Black nominates Winston Churchill.
36 min
1282
What the Stasi did next
Ralph Hope reveals how officers of the notorious East German security service sought to reinvent themselves after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
29 min
1283
The Anarchy: everything you wanted to know
Medievalist Matt Lewis responds to your questions on the 12th-century struggle for the English crown, which pitted Empress Matilda against Stephen of Blois.
57 min
1284
Busting myths about the Anglo-Saxons
Historian Marc Morris tackles some of the most common misconceptions about the Anglo-Saxon era
58 min
1285
Napoleon the art thief
Cynthia Saltzman reveals how the French leader plundered Europe’s greatest works of art.
24 min
1286
Marcus Aurelius: thinker or fighter?
Shushma Malik explores the life and career of Rome’s renowned philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius
40 min
1287
Who was Britain’s greatest prime minister? Pitt...
In the latest episode in our series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Dominic Sandbrook nominates William Pitt the Younger.
16 min
1288
The rise and fall of Britain’s motor city
Mark Evans charts the history of Coventry’s pioneering car industry, from the turn of the 20th century until the present day
41 min
1289
Samurai: everything you wanted to know
Professor Michael Wert responds to listener questions and online search queries about the samurai of feudal Japan.
67 min
1290
The quest to find Alexander’s lost city
Edmund Richardson tells the astonishing story of a 19th-century quest to find a lost city of Alexander the Great.
37 min
1291
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
1292
Blackface: a brief history
Ayanna Thompson discusses the history of blackface – a story spanning William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison
37 min
1293
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
1294
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
1295
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
1296
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
1297
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
1298
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
1299
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
1300
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