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
1376
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
1377
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
1378
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
1379
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
1380
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
1381
Tales of Irish emigration
Turtle Bunbury shares notable stories of Irish emigrants and charts their influence on global history.
29 min
1382
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
1383
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
1384
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
1385
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
1386
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
1387
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
1388
How our hunger for land shaped history
Simon Winchester explores how humans’ quest to own land – from enclosure and division to violent seizure – has wreaked irreparable changes through history
40 min
1389
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry Ep1: When, wher...
In the opening episode of this podcast series examining one of the most fascinating objects of the medieval age, we explore all the need-to-know information about the Bayeux Tapestry, examining when and how it was made, and who might have commissioned it
84 min
1390
The Clifford’s Tower massacre & medieval anti-S...
Dean Irwin explains the story of the 1190 anti-Semitic massacre at Clifford’s Tower in York, and how it fits into the wider story of England’s medieval Jewish population
38 min
1391
The Thirty Years’ War: everything you wanted to...
Peter Wilson responds to your questions on the brutal conflict that convulsed central Europe in the 17th century.
42 min
1392
Rebels, hostages and diplomats: royal women of ...
Katherine Pangonis chronicles the formidable line of female rulers that shaped the crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century
49 min
1393
To beard or not to beard? Facial hair through h...
Dr Alun Withey, expert on the history of facial hair, takes us on a journey through shaving and grooming trends from 1650-1900
44 min
1394
The western front: a cauldron of innovation
Nick Lloyd reveals how the First World War’s western front was shaped by transformative military and technological advancements.
30 min
1395
Assassinations: from the ancient world to JFK
John Withington discusses history’s most notorious political killings – from the first known assassination to the plots to kill Franz Ferdinand and JFK.
45 min
1396
The big questions of women’s history
We mark International Women’s Day with a panel discussion tackling the central issues of women’s history
54 min
1397
The Cold War: everything you wanted to know
Michael Goodman responds to your questions on the decades of geopolitical tension that shaped relations between east and west in the second half of the 20th century.
51 min
1398
Voices of China
In this lecture, Michael Wood uses the stories of five individuals from across the centuries to cast light on China’s rich and varied history.
38 min
1399
BONUS EPISODE: Game of Thrones’ medieval roots
Carolyne Larrington explores the medieval world that inspired the fantasy epic in a special HistoryExtra bonus episode, available now for free at https://www.historyextra.com/game-of-thrones-podcast
1 min
1400
Why treason was so unforgivable in the Middle Ages
Dr Amanda McVitty explains what treason meant in the medieval era, and why its consequences were particularly brutal
57 min