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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For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.


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History
1926
The fate of Jesus’s body: History’s Greatest My...
Tom Holland explores historical and religious explanations as to what may have happened to Jesus’s body following his crucifixion. Historyextra.com/podcast
22 min
1927
The lost colony of Roanoke: History’s Greatest ...
Misha Ewen delves into the mysterious disappearance of a group of English settlers in North America in the late 16th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
30 min
1928
The Voynich Manuscript: History’s Greatest Myst...
Elma Brenner discusses the 500-year-old Voynich Manuscript, whose mysterious text has baffled some of the greatest code-breakers. Historyextra.com/podcast
20 min
1929
Everything you ever wanted to know about Ancien...
Paul Cartledge responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about one of the most renowned and influential ancient civilisations. Part 2 will follow next Sunday. Historyextra.com/podcast
69 min
1930
Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret B...
In a talk from our 2019 History Weekend in Winchester, Nicola Tallis describes the remarkable life of a pivotal figure in the Wars of the Roses and Tudor eras. Historyextra.com/podcast
53 min
1931
Unburied treasures
As the Portable Antiquities Scheme records it’s 1.5 millionth find, we speak to Michael Lewis, who is head of the scheme, about some of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in its history. Historyextra.com/podcast
32 min
1932
African American abolitionists in Britain
Hannah-Rose Murray describes how African American abolitionists toured Britain in the 19th century. Historyextra.com/podcast
42 min
1933
A history of magic
Chris Gosden explores magical beliefs and practices from ancient times until the present day. Historyextra.com/podcast
35 min
1934
Everything you ever wanted to know about mediev...
Dr Elena Woodacre answers the most popular listener and internet search questions about medieval queens. Historyextra.com/podcast
59 min
1935
At home with the medieval aristocracy
Professor Louise Wilkinson talks about her research into the household accounts of Eleanor de Montfort, a key figure in the mid-13th century civil war. Historyextra.com/podcast
55 min
1936
Lionheart of stone: the medieval statue debate
Simon John considers whether we need to include medieval figures such as Richard the Lionheart in discussions around historical statues. Historyextra.com/podcast
41 min
1937
The Abdication crisis
Alexander Larman and Dan Jones discuss Edward VIII’s relationship with Wallis Simpson and how it led to the British king’s abdication. Historyextra.com/podcast
55 min
1938
Nero: Rome’s Antichrist?
Shushma Malik discusses Nero’s crimes and considers whether he is deserving of his monstrous reputation. Historyextra.com/podcast
37 min
1939
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Cu...
Mark White responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Cold War nuclear confrontation between the US and the USSR. Historyextra.com/podcast
68 min
1940
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
Pauline Stafford shares the latest thinking on some of the most important historical sources from Early Medieval England. Historyextra.com/podcast
45 min
1941
Museums and colonialism
Alice Procter explains how modern museums often have problematic colonial histories and offers some ideas about how we should be rethinking these institutions. Historyextra.com/podcast
27 min
1942
David Abulafia on The Boundless Sea
David Abulafia discusses his latest book, The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans, winner of the prestigious Wolfson History Prize. Our conversation focuses in particular on the medieval era. Historyextra.com/podcast
48 min
1943
California’s century of change
Laurence Grissell explores some of the key moments in the Golden State’s modern history, from the age of Hollywood to the rise of Silicon Valley. Historyextra.com/podcast
28 min
1944
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Sc...
Iain MacInnes responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Anglo-Scottish military conflicts of the 13th and 14th centuries. Historyextra.com/podcast
62 min
1945
The Picts
Gordon Noble and Nicholas Evans discuss the culture that flourished in what’s now Scotland in the first millennium AD. Historyextra.com/podcast
50 min
1946
Women and the Crusades
Natasha Hodgson explores women’s involvement in the medieval campaigns fought in the Holy Land. Historyextra.com/podcast
50 min
1947
World War Two: the challenge of commemoration
Keith Lowe speaks to us about his new book on monuments to the Second World War and explains why many have become highly controversial. Historyextra.com/podcast
19 min
1948
A history of pandemics: from Spanish Flu to Cov...
Mark Honigsbaum compares the Covid-19 pandemic to previous diseases outbreaks over the past century. Historyextra.com/podcast
36 min
1949
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Ge...
Kate Smith responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about British society during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Historyextra.com/podcast
40 min
1950
William and Cnut: a tale of two conquerors
Emily Ward explains how the Danish conquest of England in 1016 is crucial to our understanding of what happened 50 years later. Historyextra.com/podcast
50 min