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
1701
Medieval turning points
Charles West offers his thoughts on some important moments in early medieval Europe. Historyextra.com/podcast
58 min
1702
The rise and fall of the Sikh empire
Priya Atwal discusses how the 19th-century Sikh empire rose to prominence but was ultimately brought down by British imperialists. Historyextra.com/podcast
34 min
1703
Everything you ever wanted to know about the hi...
Christopher Harding responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the history of Japan, ranging from the ancient past to the Second World War and beyond. Historyextra.com/podcast
55 min
1704
Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944
In a talk from our 2019 History Weekend in Winchester, Antony Beevor tells the story of Operation Market Garden. Historyextra.com/podcast
41 min
1705
A 1930s ghost hunt
Kate Summerscale delves into a tale of the supernatural in London just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Historyextra.com/podcast
30 min
1706
Medieval eels and Englishness
Eels were a mainstay of the economy in the Middle Ages, and also a part of the developing English identity, as John Wyatt Greenlee explains. Historyextra.com/podcast
43 min
1707
Ken Follett’s Anglo-Saxon adventure
Bestselling historical novelist Ken Follett chats about how he recreated late Anglo-Saxon England for his new book, The Evening and the Morning, which is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth. Historyextra.com/podcast
48 min
1708
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Ne...
In an episode produced in collaboration with our colleagues at BBC Science Focus Magazine, archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes tackles some of the big questions about Neanderthals and their relations with modern humans. Historyextra.com/podcastEnter t...
69 min
1709
Simon de Montfort and England’s First Revolution
In a talk from our 2019 History Weekend in Winchester, Sophie Ambler tells the story of Simon de Montfort’s doomed rebellion against Henry III. Historyextra.com/podcast
57 min
1710
Toussaint Louverture’s revolutionary life
Sudhir Hazareesingh discusses the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture who battled against slavery and European colonial rule at the turn of the 19th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
54 min
1711
The Mayflower
On the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s momentous voyage, James Evans reflects on the Pilgrim Fathers and the colony they established. Historyextra.com/podcast
26 min
1712
JFK: the path to power
Fredrik Logevall discusses the first volume of his major new biography of John F Kennedy. Historyextra.com/podcast
39 min
1713
Viking genes unravelled
A new study of Viking DNA provides many new insights about the lives of Vikings. Dr Cat Jarman explains what it tells us. Historyextra.com/podcast
42 min
1714
Hitler’s vengeance
Catherine Bailey tells the story of a family caught up in the aftermath of the failed plot to kill Hitler in 1944. Historyextra.com/podcast
27 min
1715
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Ea...
Jon Wilson responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the trading company that went on to become an agent of British imperialism in India during the 18th and 19th centuries. Historyextra.com/podcast
81 min
1716
Ghosts of Viking London
In a talk from our 2019 History Weekend in Winchester, Thomas Williams discusses the many impacts the Norse raiders had on the city of London. Historyextra.com/podcast
54 min
1717
Ben Macintyre on Agent Sonya – the greatest fem...
Ben Macintyre tells the incredible story of a German-born woman who spied for the Soviet Union against both Britain and Nazi Germany. Historyextra.com/podcast
45 min
1718
Prisoners of the Japanese
Sarah Kovner challenges longstanding beliefs about why Allied prisoners were mistreated in Japanese camps during the Second World War. Historyextra.com/podcast
24 min
1719
Medieval rebellions
Ryan Lavelle explores revolts against authority in the 11th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
42 min
1720
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Su...
Diane Atkinson responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the militant campaign for votes for women in the early 20th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
47 min
1721
Scythians: Warrior Nomads of the Steppe
In a talk he delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, the renowned archaeologist Barry Cunliffe shares his knowledge of the skilled horsemen who rampaged across the steppe in the first millennium BC
59 min
1722
A Cold War killing?
Ravi Somaiya discusses the mysterious 1961 death of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in a plane crash during the Congo Crisis. Historyextra.com/podcast
30 min
1723
Simon Schama on the Romantics
Simon Schama explores the legacy of the 18th and 19th-century artistic movement on the modern world. Historyextra.com/podcast
46 min
1724
Isabel Wilkerson on caste in America
Isabel Wilkerson discusses her new book, Caste: The Lies That Divide Us, which argues that the divisions in American society are best understood if it is viewed as a caste system. Historyextra.com/podcast
39 min
1725
Everything you ever wanted to know about the le...
Ron Hutton and Ad Putter respond to listener queries and popular search enquiries about King Arthur and the legendary tales surrounding him and his court. Historyextra.com/podcast
55 min