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
2001
VE Day special
Historian Richard Overy describes the situation in Britain and Europe as the Second World War came to an end. Meanwhile, we're joined by TV producer Steve Humphries to talk about his new series Britain's Greatest Generation, which c...
52 min
2002
Magna Carta and the Holocaust
David Starkey, one of Britain's best-known historians, joins us to offer his views on the Great Charter as it approaches its 800th anniversary. Meanwhile, we speak to Professor Dan Stone about the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps an...
54 min
2003
Medieval universities and an unlikely friendship
Historian Hannah Skoda pays a visit to Merton College in Oxford to explore the origins of one of the world's most famous educational institutions. Meanwhile, Anna Thomasson talks to us about her new book on the relationship between the artist...
62 min
2004
Gallipoli and famine
On the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli, Australian writer Peter FitzSimons describes the disastrous Allied campaign of 1915. Meanwhile, historian Cormac Ó Gráda, author of Eating People Is Wrong, explains how famines occasionally resulted in canni...
45 min
2005
Saladin and suffragettes
John Man – author of a new biography of Saladin – explains how the medieval Muslim leader was able to triumph over the crusaders. Meanwhile, we talk to historian June Purvis about why the votes for women campaign turned to violence....
48 min
2006
Science and St Peter
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Steven Weinberg discusses his new book that charts thousands of years of scientific discovery. Meanwhile, actor and TV presenter David Suchet speaks to us about his upcoming BBC documentary series on the first Bishop of Ro...
43 min
2007
The history of immigration
This week's episode is an immigration history special. Historians Robin Fleming and Mark Ormrod draw on the latest research to examine the lives of migrants into England during the anglo-Saxon and medieval periods.  See acast.co...
39 min
2008
Richard III reburial special
With just a few days to go until the reburial of the last Plantagenet king in Leicester Cathedral, we speak to two experts with close connections to the event. Phil Stone, chairman of the Richard III Society, considers the ways that the recent discover...
48 min
2009
Food from the past and the history of illegitimacy
As the new BBC TV series Back in Time for Dinner is due to air, we talk to food writer Mary Gwynn about how our mealtime tastes have changed over the past 70 years. Meanwhile, historian Jane Robinson discusses her new book In the Family Way, which look...
53 min
2010
Shakespeare and war in the Middle East
Charlotte Hodgman visits Stratford-upon-Avon to explore the birthplace of William Shakespeare in the company of expert Paul Edmondson. Meanwhile, Oxford historian Eugene Rogan discusses the final years of the Ottoman empire and explains how the First W...
63 min
2011
The life of Keynes and a trip to Ancient Greece
Acclaimed biographer Richard Davenport-Hines talks to Matt Elton about his new book on the 20th-century economist John Maynard Keynes, which focuses on the man rather than his work. Meanwhile, classical historian Peter Jones tackles some important ques...
55 min
2012
The Peasants’ Revolt
This week we are broadcasting a lecture that was delivered at our History Weekend festival in Malmesbury in October 2014. Historian Juliet Barker speaks about the great uprising of 1381, and challenges a number of misconceptions about the revolt. ...
39 min
2013
Amazing inventions and London after dark
Science writer Steven Johnson discusses his new BBC TV series How We Got to Now, which explores some of the greatest innovations in history. Meanwhile, Dr Matthew Beaumont describes how famous Londoners have gained inspiration from walking the city...
53 min
2014
Life in the workhouse and British biographies
Charlotte Hodgman visits a former Victorian workhouse in the company of historian Samantha Shave to see whether life inside really matched the Dickensian legend. Meanwhile, we speak to Sir David Cannadine on the challenges of editing the gigantic Oxfor...
43 min
2015
Elizabeth I and an unlikely suffragette
Historian Lisa Hilton explores the life and reign of the Virgin Queen, subject of her new biography Elizabeth I: Renaissance Prince. Meanwhile, BBC Radio 4 presenter Anita Anand discusses Sophia Duleep Singh, the goddaughter of Queen Victoria who went ...
55 min
2016
Debating British monarchy
The authors of new Penguin biographies of Henry VIII, Edward VI, George V and George VI discuss these kings' lives and reigns. They also consider wider themes relating to British monarchy in a debate chaired by Helen Castor.  See acas...
76 min
2017
Henry VIII and Henry the Young King
Tudor historian John Guy, author of a new short biography of Henry VIII, discusses the Tudor king's life and relationships and what he's learned about Henry over his many years of research. Meanwhile, medievalist Thomas Asbridge tel...
68 min
2018
Wolf Hall and medieval civil war
As the BBC TV dramatisation of Wolf Hall is shortly due to air, series director Peter Kosminsky reveals the challenges and joys of filming Hilary Mantel's acclaimed novels. Meanwhile, Professor David Crouch visits Wallingford Castle in Oxford...
49 min
2019
Stalin’s early years and Mein Kampf
Princeton historian Stephen Kotkin, author of a major new biography of Josef Stalin, describes the Soviet leader's path to power. Meanwhile, BBC journalist Chris Bowlby gives us the lowdown on his forthcoming Radio 4 documentary about Adolf H...
62 min
2020
Christmas podcast quiz
For our Christmas Eve podcast, it's the return of our annual history quiz. Test your knowledge of all things historical with four themed rounds of questions written by QI elf Justin Pollard and delivered by the BBC History Magazine team. ...
25 min
2021
Kamikaze pilots and Captain John Smith
Christopher Harding analyses the motivations of the Japanese kamikaze pilots, while Peter Firstbrook describes the life of the man whose life was famously saved by Pocahontas  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
55 min
2022
Student radicals and Crete in WWII
Esmée Hanna explores the wave of protests that took place in a number of British universities in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud tells the story of the audacious kidnap of a Nazi general in Crete during the Second World War and describes the role of ...
65 min
2023
The North Sea and Bronze Age remains
Historical author Michael Pye explores several centuries of the North Sea's history to reveal how its waters aided all manner of social, economic and cultural development. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hodgman visits Flag Fen in the company of archaeo...
63 min
2024
Revolutions in Europe and forensics in history
Historian Adam Zamoyski discusses his new book, Phantom Terror, which reveals how Europe's rulers lived in fear of conspiracies in the years between the revolutions of 1789 and 1848. Meanwhile, crime writer Val McDermid highlights some of the...
60 min
2025
Science fiction and dancing in history
Dominic Sandbrook gives us the lowdown behind his new TV series Tomorrow's Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction. Meanwhile, Lucy Worsley explains how the dances of the past can reveal a great deal about Britain's social ...
52 min