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. 

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History
1951
Shakespeare’s world and cricket in South Africa
Edward Wilson-Lee looks at how the playwright’s work became celebrated on a global scale, while Dean Allen recounts the story of a pioneering British cricket enthusiast who popularised the sport in 19th-century South Africa  See acast.com...
52 min
1952
Student life and working class culture
Our own Ellie Cawthorne talks about her new BBC Radio 4 series that focuses on 900 years of higher education. Meanwhile, author and broadcaster Stuart Maconie discusses his documentary about the decline of working class representation in the arts and m...
48 min
1953
Charles II and an Atlantic experiment
Historian Clare Jackson talks about her new biography of the 17th-century king, which is part of the Penguin Monarchs series. Meanwhile, BBC radio presenter Peter Gibbs tells us the story of how Ascension Island’s plant life was transformed 150 years a...
40 min
1954
The Dissolution and a forgotten colony
Dr Adam Morton visits Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire to explore the events of Henry VIII’s assault on the monasteries. Meanwhile, historian and author Matthew Parker tells the story of Willoughbyland, a forgotten English colony in South America ...
53 min
1955
Democracy and an age of genius
Classicist Paul Cartledge heads back to Ancient Greece to explore the roots of mass participation in politics. Meanwhile, we speak to philosopher AC Grayling about his new book The Age of Genius: The Seventeenth Century and the Birth of the Modern Mind...
68 min
1956
The Easter Rising and a Victorian heyday
Heather Jones explores the dramatic rebellion of 1916, while Ben Wilson explains why the 1850s was such a transformative decade  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
63 min
1957
Muslims and Jews in the 16th century
Historian Jerry Brotton describes how Elizabethan England formed an important relationship with the Islamic world. He then goes on to tell the story of Venice’s Jewish ghetto, which was created 500 years ago  See acast.com/privacy for pr...
57 min
1958
The Holy Roman Empire and Capability Brown
Professor Peter Wilson discusses his new book The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe's History. Meanwhile, garden historian Sarah Rutherford pays a visit to the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire where she explores the work of th...
52 min
1959
Middle East history special
Kanishk Tharoor and Maryam Maruf, the presenter and producer of the new radio series Museum of Lost Objects, highlight some of the antiquities that have been destroyed during recent conflicts in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, we’re joined by historian Tom ...
53 min
1960
Verdun and the Renaissance
Professor David Reynolds describes the Battle of Verdun, which pitched French and German forces against each other in one of the bloodiest episodes of the First World War. Meanwhile, art critic and broadcaster Waldemar Januszczak talks to us about his ...
51 min
1961
Benjamin Franklin in London
George Goodwin discusses the American Founding Father’s years in the British capital, on location at Benjamin Franklin House  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
56 min
1962
The battle over Henry VIII’s will
Tudor expert Dr Suzannah Lipscomb talks to fellow historian Dan Jones about a remarkable 16th-century document. The king's will had great ramifications for 16th-century England and is still hotly debated today  See acast.com/privacy ...
55 min
1963
The Romanovs and King Arthur
Historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore talks to us about his new book that chronicles the remarkable Russian ruling dynasty. Meanwhile, archaeologist Miles Russell pays a visit to Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, which has long been associated with on...
55 min
1964
A global view of history
In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend event at Malmesbury, historian Michael Scott argues that we need to bring the histories of China, Greece, India and Rome together to adopt a less segmented approach to the ancient world  See acast....
44 min
1965
Postwar Germany and medieval CSI
Dr Lara Feigel talks to us about her new book, The Bitter Taste of Victory: In the Ruins of the Reich, which shows how the Allies used culture to try to rebuild Germany after 1945. Meanwhile, we are joined by historian Elizabeth New to discuss a projec...
52 min
1966
The amazing history of Egypt
In a lecture from our 2015 History Weekend event, Professor Joann Fletcher, presenter of the BBC series Immortal Egypt, explores the story of this remarkable civilisation, from the pyramids to Cleopatra  See acast.com/privacy for privacy ...
53 min
1967
Victorian bakers and the Leningrad symphony
Historian and TV presenter Alex Langlands explains how bread making in the 19th century differed from today. Meanwhile, music expert Tom Service tells the remarkable story of Dimitri Shostakovich’s 7th symphony, which was composed and performed during ...
40 min
1968
2015 Christmas history quiz
Test your trivia knowledge with our podcast pub quiz. The questions have been devised by QI’s Justin Pollard  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
22 min
1969
Britain’s railways and the Titanic
Simon Bradley, author of The Railways: Nation, Network and People talks to us about a British transport revolution. Meanwhile, we pay a visit to Titanic Belfast in the company of Aidan McMichael, an expert on the world’s most famous ocean liner ...
50 min
1970
A history of red hair and amazing animals
Jacky Colliss Harvey charts the fascinating history of red-headedness from ancient times until the present day. Meanwhile, Stephen Moss talks about his new book Natural Histories, which accompanies a recent BBC Radio 4 series, describing extraordinary ...
44 min
1971
The Battle of the Atlantic and the history of S...
Jonathan Dimbleby describes the pivotal World War Two naval clash, while Marion Milne talks about a new BBC Four series on Spain through the ages  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
57 min
1972
Shakespeare in 1606 and Olympic swimmers
Professor James Shapiro talks to us about his new book 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, a follow-up to his acclaimed 1599. Meanwhile the author Julie Checkoway tells the story of a remarkable group of Japanese-American swimmers who sough...
48 min
1973
The Peasants’ Revolt and a Cold War spy
Author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg introduces his latest historical novel, Now is the Time, which centres on the 14th-cenury uprising. Meanwhile, we talk to Andrew Lownie about his new biography of a key member of the Cambridge Spy Ring, Guy Burgess. ...
52 min
1974
Ancient Rome special
Classical historian and broadcaster Mary Beard talks to us about her new one-volume history of Rome entitled SPQR. Meanwhile, we speak to the bestselling historical novelist Robert Harris about his latest fictional portrait of the Roman statesman Cicer...
55 min
1975
The end of the Cold War and British culture
Professor Robert Service describes how the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union – Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev – brought about a dramatic change in east-west relations. Meanwhile, historian Dominic Sandbrook talks to us about his new BB...
59 min