HistoryExtra podcast
The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
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1876
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
1877
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
1878
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
1879
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
1880
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
1881
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
1882
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
1883
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
1884
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
1885
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
1886
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
1887
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
1888
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
1889
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
1890
Medieval rebellions
Ryan Lavelle explores revolts against authority in the 11th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
42 min
1891
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
1892
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
1893
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
1894
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
1895
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
1896
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
1897
The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, ...
In a talk she delivered at our 2019 History Weekend, Anita Anand tells the story of one man’s quest for revenge following the 1919 Amritsar massacre. Historyextra.com/podcast
53 min
1898
Britain goes to war, part 2
Alan Allport discusses his new book, Britain at Bay, which explores the years 1938–41. The second part of this interview examines the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the broadening of the global conflict.
44 min
1899
Britain goes to war, part 1
Alan Allport discusses his new book, Britain at Bay, which explores the years 1938–41. The second part of this interview examines the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, the Battle of the Atlantic, and the broadening of the global conflict.
45 min
1900
Ernest Bevin: working-class warrior
Andrew Adonis discusses his new biography of Ernest Bevin, exploring how he played a crucial role in World War Two and the Cold War. Historyextra.com/podcast
41 min