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
Ancient cities and the Norman conquest
Classical historian Andrew Wallace-Hadrill explains how the great cities of Athens and Rome functioned in the ancient world. Meanwhile, medieval expert David Bates pays a visit to Norwich Castle, a key site for understanding how the Normans consolidate...
55 min
2027
Crusade logistics and the battle over the slave...
Oxford historian Christopher Tyerman talks to us about his new book How to Plan a Crusade. Meanwhile, we pay a visit to the University of Cambridge where Ryan Cronin introduces some remarkable documents relating to British slave ownership.  ...
63 min
2028
The Pacific War and First World War black soldiers
Historian Francis Pike challenges some commonly-held assumptions about World War Two in Asia, as we reach the 70th anniversary of the attack on Hiroshima. Meanwhile, Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies, talks about the participation of black Briton...
54 min
2029
Ancient thinkers and the history of madness
Historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes discusses three of history's greatest philosophers: Socrates, Confucius and the Buddha, who all feature in her new BBC Four TV series. Meanwhile, Professor Andrew Scull talks to us about his recent boo...
54 min
2030
Witch trials and feuding queens
Historian Robert Poole visits Lancaster Castle, scene of the dramatic 1612 trials of the Pendle witches. Meanwhile, we're joined by Nancy Goldstone whose latest book delves into the turbulent relationship of Catherine de Medici and Marguerite...
66 min
2031
Anglo-Saxon saints and British slave-owners
Oxford historian Janina Ramirez picks out some of the most remarkable saints from the early medieval period. Meanwhile, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga talks to us about his new BBC Two series Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners. Plus, t...
67 min
2032
Regency scandal and the history of canals
Historical author Geraldine Roberts talks about a disastrous Georgian marriage that filled the newspapers of the day. Meanwhile, Professor Emma Griffin visits a historic canal to explain how these waterways helped to fuel the Industrial Revolution in B...
39 min
2033
India at war and mining accidents
Historian Yasmin Khan talks about her new book, The Raj at War, which explores the impact of World War Two on the people of India, many of whom fought in the conflict. Meanwhile, we speak to Daniel Blackie about a project that is examining the fate of ...
58 min
2034
Terror in Elizabethan England
In a lecture from our 2014 History Weekend in Malmesbury, Tudor historian Jessie Childs describes how Catholics were suppressed during the reign of the Virgin Queen. This week's episode also includes an audio version of July's anniv...
67 min
2035
Waterloo 200 special
As we reach the bicentenary of the battle of Waterloo, expert historians Julian Humphrys and Tim Blanning reveal how Napoleon was finally defeated, and offer their thoughts on the legacy of the events of 1815. Plus, we broadcast a bonus audio version o...
54 min
2036
The real King John and the BBC in World War Two
As we reach the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, historians Stephen Church and Marc Morris offer their views on the controversial king who sealed the charter. Meanwhile, we are joined by the renowned broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby to talk about his upc...
77 min
2037
Queen Victoria at home and a new Civil War museum
Jane Ridley, biographer of Queen Victoria, guides us around Osborne on the Isle of Wight where the queen and Prince Albert used to reside. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hodgman gets an early preview of the new National Civil War Centre in Newark, where she disc...
51 min
2038
The Battle of the Bulge and children of the Hol...
Military historian Antony Beevor offers a fresh interpretation of the 1944 Ardennes offensive that represented Hitler's final attempt to turn the tide of the war. Meanwhile, journalist Wendy Holden tells the remarkable tale of three young wom...
55 min
2039
The history of India and a terrible explosion
Professor Sunil Khilnani joins us to talk about his new BBC Radio 4 series Incarnations, which tells the story of India through the lives of its most remarkable figures. Meanwhile, we speak to Brian Dillon about an accident in a munitions factory that ...
55 min
2040
Wolfson History Prize 2015 special
The winners of this year's Wolfson History Prize, Richard Vinen and Alexander Watson, join Rob Attar for a discussion about their books on the First World War and national service.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-...
63 min
2041
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
2042
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
2043
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
2044
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
2045
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
2046
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
2047
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
2048
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
2049
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
2050
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