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
1626
Blitz spirit
Jonathan Boff explains how ordinary people coped with the privations of World War II and considers what parallels can be drawn with the current Coronavirus crisis. Historyextra.com/podcast
44 min
1627
Shakespeare and America
James Shapiro considers why England’s foremost playwright has had such a profound impact on the United States. Historyextra.con/podcast
26 min
1628
News in the Middle Ages
Helen Birkett explores the spread of news in the medieval era. Historyextra.com/podcast
46 min
1629
Coronavirus: a historical perspective
As COVID-19 dominates the news, Laura Spinney asks what we might learn from pandemics in the past. Historyextra.com/podcast
28 min
1630
Wales’s turbulent 20th century
Simon Jenkins talks about his new BBC radio programme, which explores the difficulties faced by Wales in the 20th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
27 min
1631
Resistance in the British empire
Priyamvada Gopal speaks about her book Insurgent Empire, which explores opposition to British colonial rule. Historyextra.com/podcast
29 min
1632
Hadley Freeman on a 20th-century family history
Author and journalist Hadley Freeman speaks to us about her new book House of Glass, which tells of her quest to uncover her Jewish family’s history through some of the most tumultuous events of the 20th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
32 min
1633
Written in stone
Stonemason and author Andrew Ziminski talks about some of Britain’s most impressive buildings and monuments and shares his experiences of working on several of them. Historyextra.com/podcast
30 min
1634
Dictators explained
Historian Frank Dikötter discusses his new book How to Be a Dictator, which explores the malevolent careers of eight 20th-century rulers including Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Mussolini. Historyextra.com/podcast
36 min
1635
Food and war
Rachel B Hermann describes how food and hunger played a critical role in the story of the American Revolution. Historyextra.com/podcast
32 min
1636
London’s trailblazing women
Francesca Wade talks about five remarkable women who all lived on the same London square in the interwar years. Historyextra.com/podcast
31 min
1637
Secrets of Lindisfarne
David Petts and Lisa Wilkins discuss an extraordinary Viking-era discovery that’s been made on the monastic site of Lindisfarne. Historyextra.com/podcast
35 min
1638
Medieval medicine
Elma Brenner examines the state of healthcare in the Middle Ages. Historyextra.com/podcast
40 min
1639
Georgian terrorists: the Cato Street Conspiracy
Stephen Bates examines a failed attempt to murder the British cabinet in February 1820 and explores the background and aftermath of this violent plot. Historyextra.com/podcast
33 min
1640
Burglary: a modern history
Eloise Moss explores a century of home intrusion in Britain, from cat burglars to Cold War espionage. Historyextra.com/podcast
34 min
1641
The rise of Hitler
Historian Frank McDonough discusses the first volume in his new two-part history of Nazi Germany, covering the period from the start of the Third Reich to the early months of World War Two. Historyextra.com/podcast
23 min
1642
Michael Wood on the Peterloo photograph
Michael Wood talks to us about a photograph that links his family to the Peterloo massacre of 1819. Historyextra.com/podcast
22 min
1643
The bombing of Dresden
On the 75th anniversary of the Dresden raid, Sinclair McKay explores one of the most controversial Allied actions of the Second World War. Historyextra.com/podcast
64 min
1644
Secrets of war leadership
Andrew Roberts reflects on some of the greatest and most nefarious war leaders of the past and considers what traits they shared. Historyextra.com/podcast
36 min
1645
Confronting evils
Philosopher Susan Neiman considers how Germany and the United States have sought to come to terms with histories of racism and violence, exploring the legacies of the Holocaust and slavery. Historyextra.com/podcast
34 min
1646
Marie Antoinette
Historian John Hardman discusses his new biography of the 18th-century French queen. Historyextra.com/podcast
28 min
1647
Mary Beard on the nude in western art
Mary Beard and Janina Ramirez discuss some of the thorny issues surrounding the nude in western art over the centuries. Historyextra.com/podcast
40 min
1648
The woman who gave birth to rabbits
Karen Harvey explores the unusual case of Mary Toft who caused a sensation in 1726 by apparently giving birth to rabbits. Historyextra.com/podcast
36 min
1649
Indians in the trenches
George Morton-Jack reflects on the contributions made by the Indian soldiers who fought for Britain in the First World War. Historyextra.com/podcast
36 min
1650
Fighting for the vote
Clare Wright reveals how Australian women battled for political equality in the early 20th century and inspired suffrage movements around the world. Historyextra.com/podcast
45 min