HistoryExtra podcast
The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
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1376
Catherine the Great: inoculation pioneer
Lucy Ward recounts the story of a Quaker doctor who took up the risky challenge of inoculating an empress against smallpox
37 min
1377
Trailblazers of black British theatre
Stephen Bourne chronicles the rise of black theatre in Britain, from 19th-century Shakespearean actors to ground-breaking playwrights
30 min
1378
The Jagiellonians: the dynasty that shaped cent...
Natalia Nowakowska reveals the story of one of Europe’s most successful yet undiscussed dynasties – the Jagiellonians
45 min
1379
Operation Mincemeat: WW2 espionage on film
Ben Macintyre discusses the real history behind the new film Operation Mincemeat
28 min
1380
Royal residences: everything you wanted to know
Tracy Borman answers listener questions about the history of Britain’s royal residences – from castles to palaces
48 min
1381
The Northman: bringing the Viking world to life...
Neil Price, historical consultant on new film The Northman, discusses the real history that inspired the blood-splattered Viking epic
24 min
1382
Pets, pests & portents: birds through time
Roy and Lesley Adkins explore humans’ changing relationship with birds over the centuries
29 min
1383
Inside a Roman home
Hannah Platts offers a multisensory tour of the Roman home – from the smells of the kitchen to the surprises of the dinner table
55 min
1384
Medieval emotions: were they like our own?
Elizabeth Boyle explores what early medieval literature can tell us about the lives and emotions of people in the middle ages
34 min
1385
Corruption in the ancient world
Shushma Malik, Marta Garcia and Yehudah Gershon reveal what corruption was like in the ancient world
37 min
1386
Trade unions: everything you wanted to know
Mark Crail answers listener questions about the history of Britain’s trade union movement and the fight for workers’ rights
52 min
1387
Wiretapping: a secret history
Brian Hochman reveals how wiretapping has been part of American life for centuries, used by criminals and law enforcement alike
37 min
1388
Burning down Ireland’s stately homes
Terence Dooley discusses why so many of Ireland’s grand homes were targeted by arsonists during the early 20th century
31 min
1389
Benjamin Franklin: portrait of a revolutionary
Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns tells us about the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin
39 min
1390
Oxford: from wild student parties to the shadow...
Daisy Dunn introduces us to life at Oxford University between the two world wars
33 min
1391
Why the Ukraine conflict isn’t a new Cold War
International history expert Kristina Spohr discusses the historical parallels of the war in Ukraine
30 min
1392
Scottish clans: everything you wanted to know
Murray Pittock answers listener questions about the famous kinship groups of Scotland
55 min
1393
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
1394
Digging up Roman London
Dominic Perring uncovers London’s Roman history and reveals how the city was connected to the wider empire
50 min
1395
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
1396
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
1397
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
1398
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
1399
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
1400
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