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
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
1277
The bigamy trial that scandalised Georgian England
Catherine Ostler shares the story of Elizabeth Chudleigh, a glamorous aristocrat whose high-profile bigamy trial fascinated 18th-century society.
38 min
1278
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep5: What now?
In the final episode of the series, our panel considers the afterlife of the Tapestry, debating its differing legacies in France and Britain, whether it might be exhibited in Britain, and why it continues to fascinate.
76 min
1279
Dan Jones on 1,000 years of British history
To mark HistoryExtra’s 1,000th episode, Dan Jones takes us on a whistlestop tour through the last millennium of British history.
82 min
1280
The Maya: everything you wanted to know
Professor Matthew Restall tackles listener questions and popular search queries about the central American civilisation
65 min
1281
Women prisoners in 19th-century Ireland
Elaine Farrell shares the stories of Irish women incarcerated in the 19th century, from daily prison routines to relationships with staff and contact with the outside world.
38 min
1282
Stalin: the real victor of WW2
Sean McMeekin discusses his revisionist new history of the Second World War, which places Josef Stalin at the centre of the conflict
54 min
1283
Sending the first man into space
In 1961 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to journey into space. Stephen Walker delves into the supercharged battle between the Soviets and Americans to reach this milestone
53 min
1284
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep4: What’s mis...
Although the story it depicts may have gone down in history, the Tapestry’s coverage of the events of 1066 is far from the whole story. In fact, there’s plenty that is missing, from rival claimants to entire battles.
64 min
1285
The feminist who waged war on smallpox
Jo Willett tells the story of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who pioneered smallpox inoculation almost a century before Edward Jenner
30 min
1286
The Great Fire of London: everything you wanted...
Rebecca Rideal responds to listener questions about the devastating blaze that swept through the capital in 1666.
44 min
1287
Cleopatra: unpicking myth from reality
Tyldesley explores the life and legacy of the last queen of Egypt.
25 min
1288
Traffickers on trial: the sensational case of L...
In 1910 Lydia Harvey seemed to disappear. Julia Laite delves into her story – one of exploitation, sex and the vagaries of justice – and the trial that brought it to light.
47 min
1289
Bog bodies: what can they teach us?
Dr Melanie Giles unravels some of the mysteries around amazingly preserved human remains found in bogs – and reveals what we can learn from them
51 min
1290
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep3: What story...
In recounting the Norman invasion of 1066, the Bayeux Tapestry tells a story that we’re all familiar with. But, look a bit closer and it’s not so simple. In this episode, we investigate whose version of events the Tapestry presents
79 min
1291
500 years of women’s self-portraits
Jennifer Higgie charts the story of women’s self-portraits over the last 500 years of western art – uncovering tales of transgressive self-expression and overcoming oppression
39 min
1292
The Byzantine empire: everything you wanted to ...
Professor Judith Herrin responds to listener questions about the Byzantine empire, which emerged in late antiquity and survived until the end of the Middle Ages.
81 min
1293
Ammonite & the real fossil hunter Mary Anning
Rebecca Wragg Sykes introduces us to 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, whose life has inspired the new film Ammonite
41 min
1294
Tales of Irish emigration
Turtle Bunbury shares notable stories of Irish emigrants and charts their influence on global history.
29 min
1295
The mystery of the vanishing lighthouse keepers
Emma Stonex talks about the strange story of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse keepers, who vanished in December 1900.
36 min
1296
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep2: How was th...
At around 70 metres long and handstitched with intricate detail, making the Bayeux Tapestry was no mean feat. In this episode, we delve into the details of how this mammoth embroidery was constructed
76 min
1297
Hate mail & mutilated horses: Conan Doyle inves...
Shrabani Basu talks about a miscarriage of justice that exposed the racial tensions of Edwardian England and captured the imagination of the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
33 min
1298
The Elizabethans: everything you wanted to know
Nicola Tallis responds to listener questions about the Elizabethans, from the religious rifts of the era to the fate of Queen Elizabeth I’s royal jewels.
50 min
1299
What happened to the Franklin Expedition? The r...
In 1845, the Franklin Expedition sailed into the Canadian arctic and never returned. Andrew Lambert explores the real history that inspired the BBC drama The Terror.
44 min
1300
Cellini: the “supreme scoundrel of the Renaissa...
Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini – a story of murder, plague, imprisonment and even necromancy
38 min