HistoryExtra podcast

The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.


HistoryExtra 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
1551
The Peasants’ Revolt: who were the rebels of 1381?
The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was a key moment in the reign of King Richard II. New research is revealing just how well-organised an operation it was
49 min
1552
Who was Britain’s greatest prime minister? Stan...
In the second episode of our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Dominic Sandbrook champions Stanley Baldwin
26 min
1553
Women fighters of the Jewish resistance
Judy Batalion describes how a group of young Jewish women fought back against their Nazi oppressors in occupied Poland.
30 min
1554
Life in the workhouse: everything you wanted to...
From daily routines to whether inmates really ate gruel, Peter Higginbotham responds to listener questions about the workhouse
47 min
1555
How constitutions changed the world
Linda Colley explores how written constitutions, together with warfare, forged the modern world.
41 min
1556
The pretenders who threatened Henry VII’s crown
Nathen Amin discusses the plots and conspiracies that threatened to unseat Henry VII from his throne.
45 min
1557
Why are we fascinated by ‘evil women’?
Joanna Bourke explores what ideas about ‘evil women’ can tell us about societal values through history.
30 min
1558
Who was Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister? Robe...
In the first episode of our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their tenure, Jeremy Black profiles Robert Walpole.
23 min
1559
Barbarossa: Hitler’s greatest gamble
Jonathan Dimbleby revisits the dramatic, murderous struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
47 min
1560
The Suez Crisis: everything you wanted to know
Alex von Tunzelmann responds to your questions on the 1956 Suez Crisis: a diplomatic debacle that dealt a serious blow to Britain’s standing in the postwar world.
41 min
1561
Traitor or triple agent? The WW2 spy Mathilde C...
Roland Philipps tells the story of Mathilde Carré, the French secret agent whose life took an extraordinary turn after her betrayal to the Germans.
42 min
1562
Leonardo da Vinci’s private life
Catherine Fletcher discusses what is known about the private life and relationships of the Renaissance polymath, and considers the historical inspirations for the new TV drama Leonardo.
32 min
1563
The bigamy trial that scandalised Georgian England
Catherine Ostler shares the story of Elizabeth Chudleigh, a glamorous aristocrat whose high-profile bigamy trial fascinated 18th-century society.
38 min
1564
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep5: What now?
In the final episode of the series, our panel considers the afterlife of the Tapestry, debating its differing legacies in France and Britain, whether it might be exhibited in Britain, and why it continues to fascinate.
76 min
1565
Dan Jones on 1,000 years of British history
To mark HistoryExtra’s 1,000th episode, Dan Jones takes us on a whistlestop tour through the last millennium of British history.
82 min
1566
The Maya: everything you wanted to know
Professor Matthew Restall tackles listener questions and popular search queries about the central American civilisation
65 min
1567
Women prisoners in 19th-century Ireland
Elaine Farrell shares the stories of Irish women incarcerated in the 19th century, from daily prison routines to relationships with staff and contact with the outside world.
38 min
1568
Stalin: the real victor of WW2
Sean McMeekin discusses his revisionist new history of the Second World War, which places Josef Stalin at the centre of the conflict
54 min
1569
Sending the first man into space
In 1961 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to journey into space. Stephen Walker delves into the supercharged battle between the Soviets and Americans to reach this milestone
53 min
1570
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep4: What’s mis...
Although the story it depicts may have gone down in history, the Tapestry’s coverage of the events of 1066 is far from the whole story. In fact, there’s plenty that is missing, from rival claimants to entire battles.
64 min
1571
The feminist who waged war on smallpox
Jo Willett tells the story of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who pioneered smallpox inoculation almost a century before Edward Jenner
30 min
1572
The Great Fire of London: everything you wanted...
Rebecca Rideal responds to listener questions about the devastating blaze that swept through the capital in 1666.
44 min
1573
Cleopatra: unpicking myth from reality
Tyldesley explores the life and legacy of the last queen of Egypt.
25 min
1574
Traffickers on trial: the sensational case of L...
In 1910 Lydia Harvey seemed to disappear. Julia Laite delves into her story – one of exploitation, sex and the vagaries of justice – and the trial that brought it to light.
47 min
1575
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