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
2026
The Berlin Wall and the return of Charles II
As we approach the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, historian Hester Vaizey reveals the impact this momentous event had on the lives of ordinary East Germans. Meanwhile, freelance journalist Dan Cossins visits the Banqueting House in Lo...
51 min
2027
The Gunpowder Plot and the First World War
As we approach Bonfire Night, historian Clare Jackson pays a visit to Coughton Court in Warwickshire to explore its connections to the Gunpowder Plot. Meanwhile, Yale University's Jay Winter joins us to discuss the First World War. ...
52 min
2028
Germany through the centuries and Hitler’s coca...
British Museum director Neil MacGregor joins us to talk about his new BBC Radio 4 series Germany: Memories of a Nation, which illustrates the country's history through a wealth of fascinating objects. Meanwhile, historical author Giles Milton...
43 min
2029
Georgian gardens and historical fiction
Charlotte Hodgman heads to Hampton Court Palace to check out their restored Georgian kitchen garden in the company of garden keeper Vicki Cooke. Meanwhile bestselling historical novelist Wilbur Smith talks about his latest book Desert God. Plus we cont...
41 min
2030
The battle of Agincourt and the Spanish communists
Ranulph Fiennes talks about his ancestors' involvement in the battle of Agincourt, and Paul Preston explores the life of Spanish communist politician Santiago Carrillo  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
66 min
2031
The trials of Joan of Arc
Historian Helen Castor discusses her new biography of the tragic French heroine Joan of Arc, describing her famous victories and the dramatic trial that condemned her to death. Putting the questions is fellow historian Dan Jones.  See aca...
74 min
2032
The history of humanity
Dr Yuval Harari chats to us about his new book, Sapiens, which explores tens of thousands of years of history and offers fresh insights into subjects such as agriculture, war, empire, science and capitalism. Plus, he questions whether all our progress ...
54 min
2033
Hunting the regicides and the Chartist movement
Charles Spencer talks to Matt Elton about his new book, Killers of the King, which describes Charles II's efforts to track down and take revenge on the men who executed his father during the Civil War. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hodgman visits Rose...
45 min
2034
Fresh views on the Wars of the Roses
Dan Jones is interviewed by Tudor expert Suzannah Lipscomb about his new book on the Wars of the Roses. The two historians discuss the writing of popular history, the role of medieval kings and the controversial figure of Richard III, among other thing...
60 min
2035
Thomas Cromwell’s fall from grace
Tudor historian Tracy Borman discusses the career of Thomas Cromwell, the henchman of Henry VIII who brought down Anne Boleyn only to eventually share the same fate. Meanwhile, our First World War audio series continues as veterans recall September 191...
35 min
2036
George III and the art of anatomy
Former BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow talks about her new book The Strangest Family, which explores the private lives of King George III and his family. Meanwhile, we speak to Adam Rutherford about his BBC Four series The Beauty of Anatomy that descr...
55 min
2037
The long history of the Crusades
In a lecture from our 2013 History Weekend festival, historian Tom Asbridge talks about how our understanding of the Crusades has changed over the past several centuries  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
47 min
2038
James Bond and Vichy France
Historian and author Matthew Parker discusses how Ian Fleming's James Bond novels reveal his thoughts about the changes taking place in Jamaica in the 1950s and 1960s. Meanwhile, author and biographer Caroline Moorehead discusses her new book abou...
49 min
2039
The global First World War
Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga discusses the subject of his new TV series The World's War, revealing how millions of people across the globe arrived in Europe to fight the First World War.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy a...
43 min
2040
The German view on the First World War
As we approach the centenary of the First World War, historian Alexander Watson, author of Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918, offers a German and Austro-Hungarian perspective on the events of 1914–18 and explains ho...
41 min
2041
Richard III and dirty Tudors
Chris Skidmore, who is writing a new biography of Richard III, talks to us about how his research is presenting a different picture of the controversial 15th-century king. Meanwhile, we speak to Pamela Hartshorne about the challenges people faced in Tu...
49 min
2042
The World War Two French resistance and British...
Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown talks to Matt Elton about his new book on French resistance fighters who took on the Nazis during the Second World War. Meanwhile, Kathryn Ferry takes a trip to Hastings and St Leonards, in the company of Ch...
57 min
2043
Cold War smuggling and First World War veterans
Peter Finn and Petra Couvee reveal how the CIA tried to change the course of the Cold War by smuggling banned literature into the USSR, including Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago. Plus, in the second instalment of a series of extracts of...
40 min
2044
Delphi and the Spanish empire
Classical historian Michael Scott delves into the remarkable history of Delphi, the site of a renowned oracle in Ancient Greece and a place that was visited by many leading figures in the Greek and Roman worlds. Plus we speak to Hugh Thomas, who has ju...
50 min
2045
Finance and war
Historian and Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng explores the long and complex relationship between wealth and warfare, from the Spanish empire until the present financial crisis. Meanwhile, Richard Van Emden explains how he put together a new book of firs...
51 min
2046
English gardens and Latin American football
Timothy Mowl guides us around a historic English garden, while Andreas Campomar explains Latin America's fixation with football  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
64 min
2047
The legacy of the First World War
We're joined in the studio by the acclaimed Yale historian Adam Tooze to talk about his new book The Deluge, which focuses on the climax of the First World War and the resultant rise of the United States. Plus, we kick off our new Our First World W...
54 min
2048
Wolfson History Prize special
Historians Catherine Merridale and Cyprian Broodbank have just been announced as the winners of the latest Wolfson History Prizes for their books on the Kremlin and the Mediterranean world. We spoke to them about their research and the challenges of wr...
60 min
2049
D-Day and the Wars of the Roses
As we approach the 70th anniversary of D-Day, military historian James Holland challenges some popular assumptions about the 1944 Normandy campaign and recounts his experiences of meeting veterans. Meanwhile, historian and author Sarah Gristwood pays a...
47 min
2050
Roman slavery and the man who started the First...
Jerry Toner discusses the lives of slaves in Ancient Rome, while Tim Butcher explores the life of Gavrilo Princip, killer of Franz Ferdinand  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
43 min