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
2076
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
2077
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
2078
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
2079
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
2080
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
2081
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
2082
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
2083
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
2084
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
2085
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
2086
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
2087
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
2088
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
2089
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
2090
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
2091
Monte Cassino and revolutionary Russia
On the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, Matthew Parker explores one of the Allies' toughest challenges in the Second World War. Meanwhile we speak to Professor Orlando Figes, author of a new book and website about Russia's revol...
46 min
2092
Thomas Malthus and Wilkie Collins
This week we explore the life and work of two intellectual giants of the 19th century. First up, Robert Mayhew discusses the Georgian economist Thomas Malthus whose theories on population growth have remained controversial ever since. After that we...
48 min
2093
Victorian burials and the history of psychology
Ruth Levitt describes how London's cemeteries couldn't cope with the rising number of dead in the 19th century and reveals the solutions the Victorians devised for this problem. Meanwhile, we speak to Martin Sixsmith, presenter of the Radio 4 s...
45 min
2094
The value of war and the rail revolution
We speak to Ian Morris, author of War: What is it Good For?, about why he believes conflict has sometimes been a force for good. Plus, railway historian Di Drummond pays a visit to Manchester Liverpool Road Station where the age of passenger rail trave...
50 min
2095
African history special
This week's podcast focuses on African history. First up, Miranda Kaufmann visits a replica of Francis Drake's Golden Hind and there explains how Africans played an important role in the Tudor explorer's adventures in the 16th century. Mean...
64 min
2096
Lawrence of Arabia and the Romanov sisters
Scott Anderson, the latest biographer of TE Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) describes his subject's eventful life and considers whether Lawrence's vision might have created a more stable Middle East. Meanwhile, we're joined by...
53 min
2097
Britain in the 1970s
Dominic Sandbrook charts the highs and lows of 1970s Britain in a lecture delivered at our History Weekend festival  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
39 min
2098
Anglo-Saxon treasures, and did Britain invent f...
Charlotte Hodgman explores the Staffordshire Hoard, while Daniel Hannan argues that English-speaking people created many of our modern liberties  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
48 min
2099
Cold War spies and friendship through the ages
Ben Macintyre delves into the life of double agent Kim Philby, while Thomas Dixon explains how the meaning of friendship has changed over the centuries  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
39 min
2100
Escaping the Blitz and recording the First Worl...
Juliet Gardiner pays a visit to an unusual Second World War shelter, while Julia Cave recalls her experiences interviewing veterans of the First World War  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
37 min