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
1451
Has the EU been a success?
Kiran Klaus Patel tracks the development of the EU over the postwar decades, considering whether it really did bring peace to the continent.
32 min
1452
An extraordinary Everest adventure
In the 1930s, Maurice Wilson had a wild plan to fly from England to Everest in a Gypsy Moth plane, and then climb to the top of the mountain solo. Ed Caesar tells his story.
47 min
1453
The Wild West: everything you wanted to know
Was the American west really as wild as the movies suggest? Karen Jones responds to listener questions about frontier life.
49 min
1454
Viking warrior women & the ethics of excavating...
Howard Williams delivers a lecture on some of the most intriguing and contentious debates in archaeology today.
49 min
1455
War and society: a tangled relationship
Margaret Macmillan explores why conflict has been an essential component of human history
37 min
1456
Ingenious medieval science
Seb Falk highlights the surprising sophistication of scientific research in the Middle Ages.
47 min
1457
Women in black: the surprising history of widows
Maggie Andrews discusses the complex history of widows, often historically viewed as figures of pity and poverty but also a driving force for social change
34 min
1458
Personal stories of the Second World War
Victoria Panton Bacon shares remarkable first-hand testimonies from veterans of the Second World War
39 min
1459
The Russian revolution: everything you wanted t...
Robert Service responds to listener questions and popular search enquiries about the Russian revolutions of 1917, which saw the beginnings of the Communist era.
79 min
1460
The story of the Dambusters
In a lecture from our 2019 History Weekend in Winchester, Max Hastings tells the dramatic story of the 1943 Dambusters raid.
54 min
1461
Inside the Viking mind
Neil Price takes us inside the Viking mind to explain how the Norse raiders viewed the world and what drove them to expand across the seasProfessor Neil Price, author of The Children of Ash and Elm, takes us inside the Viking mind.
52 min
1462
Escaping Nazi-occupied Europe
Helen Fry discusses the top-secret work of MI9, which helped Allied prisoners of war escape during WW2Historian Helen Fry discusses her new book MI9, which reveals how the secret agency helped Allied prisoners of war make it back to Britain
29 min
1463
The White Ship: a medieval royal tragedy
Charles Spencer speaks to Dan Jones about the White Ship disaster, which plunged the English monarchy into chaos 900 years agoBestselling author Charles Spencer speaks to fellow historian Dan Jones about the White Ship disaster
60 min
1464
An ‘ordinary’ Nazi
Daniel Lee discusses the life of an ‘ordinary’ member of the SSHistorian Daniel Lee describes how the chance discovery of a cache of documents within a piece of furniture led him to uncover the life of Robert Griesinger, an ‘ordinary’ member of the SS.
51 min
1465
Medical history: everything you wanted to know
Mary Fissell responds to listener questions and popular search enquiries about the history of medicine
59 min
1466
Poland 1939: The invasion that sparked WW2
Roger Moorhouse delivers a lecture on the German invasion of Poland in 1939
53 min
1467
The Falklands War in the air
Rowland White explores the Falklands War through the story of the Sea Harrier jump jet.
33 min
1468
Unexpected Irish tales
Turtle Bunbury shares overlooked and ‘disremembered’ stories from Ireland’s past.
27 min
1469
Black Britons in WW2
Stephen Bourne discusses the experiences of Britain’s black community during the Second World War
36 min
1470
At sea with the Vikings
Jan Bill gives us the lowdown on Viking ships, and offers updates on the Gjellestad Ship excavation, currently underway in Norway
44 min
1471
Adventure & opportunity: female transatlantic t...
Siân Evans explores women’s ocean voyages in the golden age of transatlantic travel.
31 min
1472
The Regency era: everything you wanted to know
Emily Brand responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Regency eraHistorian and author Emily Brand responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about Britain in the Regency era...
53 min
1473
Tudor queens on screen
Eleana Woodacre delivers a lecture on the portrayal of historical queens in cinema and television, from Mary Queen of Scots toThe Spanish Princess
50 min
1474
Moving, medieval-style
Jim Leary explains how people in prehistory and the Middle Ages moved around the worldCan we follow in the footsteps of our prehistoric and medieval forebears? Archaeologist Dr Jim Leary, who researches travel and mobility in the era, explains...
54 min
1475
Enslaved women & resistance
Stella Dadzie uncovers the experiences and resistance activities of enslaved women in the West Indies
36 min