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
176
False rumps & rotten teeth: 400 years of bizarr...
Margarette Lincoln reveals the extraordinary lengths women have resorted to in the pursuit of beauty over the past 400 years
29 min
177
Emperor Vespasian: life of the week
Guy de la Bédoyère charts the life of a man who defied his humble origins to return Rome to its former glories following a ruinous civil war
29 min
178
An audacious escape from slavery
Ilyon Woo shares the extraordinary story of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple who launched a dramatic escape
37 min
179
The Abbasid caliphate: everything you wanted to...
Hugh Kennedy answers listener questions on the multicultural medieval caliphate that stretched from Tunisia to the frontiers of India
43 min
180
Crusader criminals: how the Holy Land became a ...
Steve Tibble delves into the rotten underworld of crime and punishment in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages
41 min
181
Ancient Egypt | 1. civilisation
Egyptologist Campbell Price charts the story of the ancient Egyptian civilisation
47 min
182
Ancient Egypt: the big questions | Trailer
0 min
183
Gulag doctors: saving lives in Stalin's prison ...
Dan Healey explains how medical personnel battled to provide healthcare for millions of inmates in the brutal Soviet labour camps
34 min
184
The far right in Britain: history behind the he...
41 min
185
Practical magic: curses, spells & cunning folk
From casting love spells to lifting curses, Tabitha Stanmore explains how practical magic was once a part of everyday life in medieval and Tudor England
30 min
186
The history of migration: everything you wanted...
Ian Goldin answers listener questions about the history of migration, from the earliest examples to upheavals caused by colonialism and war
49 min
187
Eighteen-year-olds who changed history
Alice Loxton charts over 1,000 years of Britain's history through the young lives of extraordinary individuals, and reveals how young people have shaped the course of historical events
31 min
188
Toilets through time | 4. Victorian lavatories
David Musgrove and Jerry White revisit the avant-garde sewerage systems, shining porcelain cisterns, and unsanitary conditions of the Victorian era
26 min
189
How games changed history
From Chess and Go, to the ancient Egyptian game of Senet, Kelly Clancy reveals how, throughout history, games have had an impact on real world events
27 min
190
George Orwell: life of the week
Laura Beers explores the life and times of the writer responsible for conjuring up Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four
37 min
191
Lines on a map: borders that shaped world history
Jonn Elledge considers how the lines we draw on maps have determined the course of history, defining lives and identities
29 min
192
Tartan: everything you wanted to know
Peter MacDonald charts the long history of the colourful criss-cross textile, from its early origins to its growing status as a national symbol
37 min
193
Olympic History: everything you wanted to know
David Goldblatt revisits some spectacular - and surprising - moments from the history of the Olympic Games
39 min
194
Hidden labs, sex gardens & torture attics: secr...
Professor Kate Williams shares some of the tawdry, gory and often discomforting stories witnessed by Britain's beloved royal palaces
39 min
195
Toilets through time | 3. Tudor garderobes
Tracy Borman tells David Musgrove about the secrets of the royal Tudor water closet
31 min
196
Gulbadan Begum: princess, explorer, author
Ruby Lal explores the life of Gulbadan Begum, princess, explorer and author of an extraordinary account of the rise of the Mughal empire
23 min
197
Anne Frank: life of the week
Clare Mulley shares the remarkable story of the young Jewish girl whose diary documenting her time in hiding from the Nazis became a global sensation
27 min
198
Stealing the Mona Lisa
Dr Noah Charney explores stories surrounding the Mona Lisa – from its audacious theft in 1911 to the many conspiracy theories that surround it
29 min
199
The Great Exhibition: everything you wanted to ...
Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth answers listener questions on the spectacular showcase of arts and innovation that wowed Victorian London in 1851
37 min
200
Dismemberment & disgrace: the grisly fate of Si...
Sophie Thérèse Ambler explains why rebel leader Simon de Montfort met such a gruesome fate after he was killed at the Battle of Evesham in 1265
43 min