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
201
The Hittites: everything you wanted to know
Mark Weeden answers listener questions about the ancient civilisation whose existence was almost completely forgotten for three millennia
44 min
202
The Iranian embassy siege: an SAS hostage drama...
Ben Macintyre tells the dramatic tale of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege and the dramatic SAS operation that brought it to an end
35 min
203
Ancient Egypt | 4. religion and death
Egyptologist Campbell Price takes listeners on a tour of the dark and dangerous ancient Egyptian afterlife
40 min
204
Native Americans: a history of power and survival
Kathleen DuVal looks back at 1,000 years of Native American history to uncover a rich, complex picture of North America's indigenous people
31 min
205
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: life of the week
Tim Bryan explores the innovative work of an engineering polymath whose creations changed the face of Victorian Britain
39 min
206
The 1943 battle of Kursk – and its present-day ...
Peter Caddick-Adams explores the Second World War battle of Kursk – and its parallels with today's Russia-Ukraine conflict
48 min
207
Medieval torture: everything you wanted to know
Dr Hannah Skoda answers listener questions about the use of torture in the Middle Ages
23 min
208
Medieval documents in danger
Robert Bartlett records the tragic destruction of medieval manuscripts through the centuries – and the heroic efforts to save them
40 min
209
Ancient Egypt | 3. culture
From art and architecture to fashion and festivals, Egyptologist Campbell Price explores the remarkable cultural achievements of ancient Egypt
45 min
210
Our 10,000-year quest for equality
Darrin M McMahon explores humanity's long fascination with egalitarianism and asks: why has it proved so difficult to attain?
30 min
211
Michelangelo: life of the week
Catherine Fletcher explores the life, legacy and extraordinary artistic output of the Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect and poet
27 min
212
The Battle of Megiddo: ancient Egypt's greatest...
Nicky Nielsen tells the story of a battle that supercharged the rise of one of Egypt's most formidable pharaohs
26 min
213
Prehistoric stone circles: everything you want ...
Vicki Cummings answers listener questions on prehistoric stone circles, from how they were built to what they were for
35 min
214
The plague that brought the Roman empire to its...
Colin Elliott explores the mysterious history of the Antonine Plague and its impact on the fall of the Roman empire
39 min
215
Ancient Egypt | 2. everyday life
Egyptologist Campbell Price reveals what daily life along the Nile was like for ordinary ancient Egyptians
41 min
216
False rumps & rotten teeth: 400 years of bizarr...
Margarette Lincoln reveals the extraordinary lengths women have resorted to in the pursuit of beauty over the past 400 years
29 min
217
Emperor Vespasian: life of the week
Guy de la Bédoyère charts the life of a man who defied his humble origins to return Rome to its former glories following a ruinous civil war
29 min
218
An audacious escape from slavery
Ilyon Woo shares the extraordinary story of Ellen and William Craft, an enslaved couple who launched a dramatic escape
37 min
219
The Abbasid caliphate: everything you wanted to...
Hugh Kennedy answers listener questions on the multicultural medieval caliphate that stretched from Tunisia to the frontiers of India
43 min
220
Crusader criminals: how the Holy Land became a ...
Steve Tibble delves into the rotten underworld of crime and punishment in the Holy Land during the Middle Ages
41 min
221
Ancient Egypt | 1. civilisation
Egyptologist Campbell Price charts the story of the ancient Egyptian civilisation
47 min
222
Ancient Egypt: the big questions | Trailer
0 min
223
Gulag doctors: saving lives in Stalin's prison ...
Dan Healey explains how medical personnel battled to provide healthcare for millions of inmates in the brutal Soviet labour camps
34 min
224
The far right in Britain: history behind the he...
41 min
225
Practical magic: curses, spells & cunning folk
From casting love spells to lifting curses, Tabitha Stanmore explains how practical magic was once a part of everyday life in medieval and Tudor England
30 min