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
1426
The Roman emperors: everything you wanted to know
Shushma Malik discusses some of the most admired and reviled Roman emperors, and considers whether the legends surrounding them stand up to scrutiny
65 min
1427
Adventure and archaeology in the golden age of ...
Toby Wilkinson gives a lecture on the archaeologists and adventurers whose discoveries helped transform our understanding of the ancient Egyptians.
46 min
1428
Crafting historical weapons for Wolf Hall and T...
Historical weapon-maker Tod of Tod’s Workshop gives a behind-the-scenes peek into the fascinating world of making replica weapons for TV and film.
40 min
1429
Nefertiti: wife, mother, pharaoh
Egyptologist Aidan Dodson explores the life, death and afterlife of ancient Egypt’s sun queen
53 min
1430
The women who fought back against Hollywood
Helen O’Hara highlights female pioneers of film, and reveals some of the challenges faced by women working in Hollywood over the past century.
36 min
1431
Rivalries and romances: couples that shook up h...
Broadcaster and author Cathy Newman shares stories of duos that changed the course of history.
42 min
1432
The Vikings’ global connections
Dr Cat Jarman explores the far-reaching trading networks of the Vikings, from the Baltic sea to Asia
40 min
1433
The space race: everything you wanted to know
Tom Ellis responds to listener questions on the great Cold War rivalry that saw the US and the Soviet Union battle for dominance in space
52 min
1434
Sathnam Sanghera on how modern Britain is shape...
Sathnam Sanghera discusses where we can see the legacy of imperialism in Britain today –from politics and education to museums and multiculturalism
32 min
1435
The big questions of LGBTQ history
We mark LGBT+ History Month with a panel discussion tackling some of the biggest themes in LGBTQ history
50 min
1436
Chaos & communism: China’s 1949 revolution
Graham Hutchings discusses how China was convulsed by the communist revolution of 1949.
38 min
1437
Elizabeth Barrett Browning: poet, activist, tra...
Fiona Sampson speaks about the extraordinary life of the Victorian poet, who battled chronic illness and family troubles to write ground-breaking poetry.
53 min
1438
Is “Blitz Spirit” a myth?
Ahead of their new BBC One documentary on the subject, Lucy Worsley, Joshua Levine and Yasmine Permaul discuss how Londoners really reacted to the devastating bombing raids
46 min
1439
Fatal accidents and violent injuries in the Mid...
Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been studying medieval skeletons, reveals what her findings can tell us about injuries and violence in the era
34 min
1440
The Dissolution: everything you wanted to know
Dr Hugh Willmott responds to listener questions on Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century
52 min
1441
The forgotten mothers of civil rights leaders
Anna Malaika Tubbs shines a light on how Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and James Baldwin were influenced by their mothers.
43 min
1442
Sex, romance and rights: women's lives since 1950
Historian Carol Dyhouse talks about how women's lives, dreams and loves have transformed in the decades since 1950, from the advent of the pill to the impact of second-wave feminism.
58 min
1443
Victorian pet cemeteries: animals in the afterlife
In the 19th century, devoted pet-owners established Britain’s first pet cemeteries. Dr Eric Tourigny explains what they tell us about Victorian attitudes to animals
31 min
1444
How slavery fuelled the British empire
Padraic X Scanlan discusses how slavery fuelled the British empire and explores the complicated motivations of abolitionists
43 min
1445
17th-century London: a city shaped by catastrophe
Margarette Lincoln reveals how a century that saw plague, fire, revolution and civil war transformed England’s capital
29 min
1446
Medieval forgeries
Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. Levi Roach explains who counterfeited medieval manuscripts and why
30 min
1447
Daily life in ancient Egypt: everything you wan...
Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley responds to listener questions about everyday life in ancient Egypt, from governance to dental care and cat mummies.
60 min
1448
Novelist Kate Mosse on The City of Tears
Author Kate Mosse talks about her historical novel The City of Tears, which transports readers back to the Wars of Religion in 16th-century France
31 min
1449
The Dark Ages: a ‘black hole’ in Britain’s history
Max Adams pieces together the evidence to uncover what happened after the fall of Roman Britain.
42 min
1450
1962: London’s big freeze
Juliet Nicolson reveals how the frozen winter of 1962 helped change Britain for good.
35 min