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
2151
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
2152
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
2153
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
2154
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
2155
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
2156
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
2157
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
2158
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
2159
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
2160
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
2161
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
2162
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
2163
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
2164
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
2165
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
2166
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
2167
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
2168
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
2169
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
2170
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
2171
Viking treasures and Hitler's 'perfect woman'
Gareth Williams guides us through the British Museum's major new Vikings exhibition, while Julie Gottlieb explains why a Nazi women's leader was visiting Britain in 1939  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
48 min
2172
Tasmanian aborigines and the historic importanc...
Tom Lawson talks about the often-brutal experiences of the people of Tasmania, while Toby Wilkinson explores the historic importance of the River Nile  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
50 min
2173
Napoleon's formative years and great thinkers o...
Michael Broers discusses Napoleon's formative years, while Alexander Broadie looks at some of the great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
46 min
2174
The Babylonian Noah and Norse mythology
Irving Finkel describes a remarkable Babylonian tablet that changes our understanding of the flood legend. Meanwhile, Joanne Harris gives us her take on the Norse gods  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
57 min
2175
Royal cousins at war and Brunel's brilliance
Richard Sanders considers how Europe's monarchs ended up on opposing sides in the First World War, while Eugene Byrne explores the talents of Isambard Kingdom Brunel  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
49 min