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. 

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History
1376
Editor’s pick: covert Catholicism in Elizabetha...
In this episode from our archive, Jessie Childs tells the story of Tudor gentleman Thomas Tresham, whose faith set him at odds with the Virgin Queen
29 min
1377
Thomas Becket: from murder to martyrdom
Eight hundred and fifty years ago today, the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was brutally murdered in his cathedral. Dr Emily Guerry explains what happened next
52 min
1378
Bridgerton: ripping up the rulebook on Regency ...
Hannah Greig, historian and etiquette advisor to new Netflix show Bridgerton, joins us to talk about the historical detail that can be found in the drama – and the inspirations behind it
26 min
1379
The Wars of the Roses: everything you wanted to...
Lauren Johnson responds to listener questions about the Wars of the Roses, the 15th-century clashes for the English throne between the houses of Lancaster and York
64 min
1380
Editor’s pick: the Windrush generation
In this episode from our archive, Colin Grant tells the stories of postwar immigrants who moved to Britain from the Caribbean
41 min
1381
Our 2020 Christmas quiz
Test your historical knowledge with our annual festive quiz, devised by QI writer Justin Pollard
19 min
1382
Editor’s pick: Ron Chernow on Alexander Hamilton
In this episode from our archive, biographer Ron Chernow discusses the extraordinary life of the American Founding Father who inspired a hit musical
45 min
1383
Christmas ghost stories
Telling spooky tales at Christmastime is a very old tradition. Francis Young explains the origins of this custom and what it tells us
32 min
1384
The history of Christmas: everything you wanted...
Did Cromwell ban mince pies? And why does Santa wear red? George Goodwin responds to listener questions and internet search queries on festive history
49 min
1385
A WW2 story of survival
The Cut Out Girl author Bart van Es gives a lecture on the Jewish children who survived the Holocaust by living in hiding in the Netherlands
46 min
1386
Editor’s pick: Were the suffragettes terrorists?
Fern Riddell explores some of the darker aspects of the campaign for votes for women, in this episode from our archive
27 min
1387
Ten things to do with a medieval donkey
Kathryn Smithies discusses the economic and cultural significance of donkeys in the Middle AgesKathryn Smithies, author of Introducing the Medieval Ass, discusses the economic and cultural significance of donkeys in the Middle Ages.
42 min
1388
Hunting down the Portland Spy Ring
Trevor Barnes details the 1960s operation to uncover the infamous Portland Spy Ring – one of the most dangerous KGB espionage networks ever to operate in the UK.
58 min
1389
The gay MPs who opposed appeasement
Chris Bryant tells the story of a group of young, queer British MPs who were some of the first to resist appeasement and warn Britain’s government about the dangers of Hitler.
36 min
1390
Magna Carta: everything you wanted to know
Professor David Carpenter responds to listener questions on the great medieval charter and its 800-year-long legacy
41 min
1391
Japan and the west
Chris Harding gives a lecture on Japan’s attempts to carve out a place for itself in a world dominated by western power and cultureIn a lecture he delivered at our 2019 Chester History Weekend
40 min
1392
Cundill Prize-winner Camilla Townsend on global...
We speak to historian Camilla Townsend, who recently won the Cundill History Prize for her book Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs
22 min
1393
Castro and the trip that shaped the 1960s
Simon Hall explores why Fidel Castro’s visit to New York City in 1960 shaped the rest of the decade.
37 min
1394
Imperialism on the oceans
Sujit Sivasundaram offers a new perspective on the expansion of the British empire across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
34 min
1395
The International Brigades: fighting fascism in...
Giles Tremlett discusses how more than 35,000 volunteers from across the globe fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War
61 min
1396
The Glorious Revolution: everything you wanted ...
How did James II’s replacement by William of Orange as king of England, Scotland and Ireland change the course of British history? Ted Vallance responds to listener questions about the 1688 Glorious Revolution
57 min
1397
The orphan hero who fought at Trafalgar
Helen Berry gives a lecture on the extraordinary story of an 18th-century foundling, George King
49 min
1398
England’s sporting obsession
Robert Colls discusses the importance of sport to English society over the past 200 years.
37 min
1399
How did the Reformation impact Jews?
Kenneth Austin explores what impact the Reformation had on Europe’s Jewish communities.
48 min
1400
Ethiopia 1935: The real history behind The Shad...
Maaza Mengiste discusses her Booker prize-nominated historical novel The Shadow King.
31 min