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
1
The Magus: enlightened magician or Renaissance ...
Anthony Grafton explains the many roles and responsibilities of the practicing Renaissance magicians known as 'Magi'
36 min
2
WW2's greatest battles | 2. Stalingrad
James Holland explores the story and significance of the battle of Stalingrad, and considers how it shaped the course of the Second World War
32 min
3
Aztec myths
Camilla Townsend delves into the stories, myths and legends of the Aztec people
44 min
4
David Lloyd George: life of the week
Professor Richard Toye delves into the life and career of Britain's last Liberal prime minister
38 min
5
Graffiti's golden age: radicalism & romance in ...
Madeleine Pelling explores the stories behind historical graffiti, from chalk markings to glyphs scratched onto windows, to reveal what they can tell us about life in 18th-century Britain
40 min
6
Highwaymen: everything you wanted to know
Bob Shoemaker answers listener questions on the criminal capers of highwaymen
23 min
7
An African perspective on the history of Africa
Zeinab Badawi examines the history of Africa from the perspective of its own diverse inhabitants and cultures
33 min
8
WW2's greatest battles | 1. Battle of Britain
James Holland explores the story and significance of the battle of Britain, and considers how it shaped the course of the Second World War
41 min
9
WW2's greatest battles | Trailer
In our new series WW2's Greatest Battles, we chart five pivotal moments that shaped the course of the conflict, with historian James Holland. New episodes every Thursday on the HistoryExtra Podcast
0 min
10
How Kissinger transformed the Cold War
Rana Mitter considers the life and legacy of one of the US' most influential – and contentious – diplomats, Henry Kissinger
35 min
11
Lord Byron: life of the week
Corin Throsby delves into the life, writing and love affairs of the Romantic poet Lord Byron, one of the 19th century's most scandalous celebrity figures
33 min
12
Horrible Histories: 15 years of death, poo and ...
As Horrible Histories marks 15 years on our TV screens, Matt Elton speaks to some of the cast and crew about making the hit show
28 min
13
Medieval medicine: everything you wanted to know
Elma Brenner answers listener questions on the strange world of medieval medicine
48 min
14
Death & hubris in west Africa: how two British ...
Dane Kennedy discusses two ill-fated British expeditions that aimed to explore the interior of West Africa in the early 19th century, but ended in catastrophe
38 min
15
Conspiracy Revisited: The JFK assassination – O...
28 min
16
Clotilda: the last slave ship to America
Hannah Durkin tells the story of the survivors of Clotilda, the last ship to transport enslaved people from Africa to America
33 min
17
History behind the headlines: the Bengal famine
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by journalist Kavita Puri to discuss her new series on the Bengal famine
37 min
18
Spying in the Troubles: the murky world of doub...
Henry Hemming explores how a huge intelligence operation was carried out in Northern Ireland by Britain's secret services during the Troubles
42 min
19
Welsh mythology: everything you wanted to know
Mark Rees answers listener questions on the extraordinary stories and mystical creatures found in Welsh legends and myth
48 min
20
Tying the knot: 500 years of wedded bliss and m...
Legal historian Rebecca Probert explores the history of marriage in England and Wales over the past 500 years
41 min
21
Conspiracy Revisited: The JFK assassination – 9...
39 min
22
The British empire's divisive legacy
Sathnam Sanghera considers how we can have a constructive national conversation about Britain’s imperial past
33 min
23
Saladin: life of the week
Jonathan Phillips details the astronomic rise of Saladin – who went head to head with crusading forces and was able to reclaim the holy city of Jerusalem
51 min
24
Back in the USSR: the Soviet Sixties
Robert Hornsby reveals how the 1960s was a defining, yet often overlooked, era in Soviet history
42 min
25
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: everything you wanted to ...
Joanna Story answers listener questions about the Anglo-Saxon kings and kingdoms
39 min