HistoryExtra podcast
Immediate
The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
HistoryExtra 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/
HistoryExtra 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/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 29, 2026 • 33min
Captured by Barbary corsairs: an Englishwoman's extraordinary tale
Adam Nicholls, historian of Barbary corsairs and captives, tells Elizabeth Marsh’s extraordinary 1756 capture and captivity in Morocco. He unpacks the fog-bound seizure at sea, diplomatic games that made captives political pawns, a staged conversion and marriage, and how Marsh navigated power to secure release. The story spans corsair origins, European fear, and the end of the corsair era.
Mar 29, 2026 • 29min
Was Elizabeth I's reign really a 'golden age'?
Dr Nicola Tallis, historian and Tudor specialist, unpacks Elizabeth I’s later years, succession dilemmas and crafted legacy. She explores wartime strains, the queen’s theatrical masking of age through portraits and cosmetics, the contested deathbed narrative around James, and how poets and propaganda forged the Golden Age myth.
11 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 41min
Spy, hero, rebel, traitor: the story of Roger Casement
Rory Carroll, Guardian staff correspondent and author, offers a concise mini bio as an expert on Roger Casement and Irish history. He traces Casement’s shift from humanitarian diplomat to militant ally of Germany. Short, sharp scenes cover the failed POW brigade plan, secret arms runs, the infamous diaries, British intelligence efforts, and Casement’s contested legacy.
7 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 43min
The relentless rise of the mafia
Ryan Gingeras, professor and historian of modern geopolitics and author of Mafia, A Global History. He traces how mafias from Yakuza to Camorra spread worldwide via war, migration and globalization. He discusses The Godfather's cultural impact, the rise of cocaine cartels like Pablo Escobar, and how criminal networks sometimes rival states.
Mar 24, 2026 • 40min
Harriet Martineau: life of the week
Stuart Hobday, historian and author of 19th-century lives, brings Harriet Martineau to life. He explores her rise from a sick, deaf childhood to bestseller status, her bold sociological and economic writing, her abolitionist America tour, campaigning journalism, sharp travel wit, controversial religious views, and lasting influence on reformers and later writers.
Mar 23, 2026 • 39min
Sores, sweat and secretions: the pox in early modern London
Charlotte Vosper, academic and author who studies the history of medicine, gender and sexuality, explores the pox in early modern London. She traces how the disease was defined and blamed, reveals bizarre and secretive cures, and shows how stigma, space and gender shaped diagnosis, treatment and legal uses of venereal disease.
Mar 22, 2026 • 32min
Elizabeth’s enemies: plots, rivals and the Spanish Armada
Nicola Tallis, historian and author who specializes in 16th-century England, explores Elizabeth I’s constant threats. She traces the rivalry with Mary, Queen of Scots and the plots revealed by Walsingham’s spy network. She also examines why Philip II launched the Spanish Armada and how strategy, commanders and weather shaped its fate.
Mar 20, 2026 • 40min
Britain and the looted African gold
Barnaby Phillips, historian and author of The African Kingdom of Gold, explores the 19th-century Ashanti kingdom and the fate of its looted gold. He discusses Ashanti craftsmanship, the 1873–74 British campaign and palace plunder. The conversation follows long restitution efforts, shifting international momentum and the 2024 homecoming of sacred regalia.
17 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 48min
The devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire
Barry Strauss, Cornell historian and author of Jews vs. Rome, brings ancient warfare and politics to life. He traces the sparks and battles of the Great Revolt, the siege and destruction of the Second Temple, rebel strategies and fatal divisions. He also explores Rome’s harsh reprisals, the long aftermath and how Jewish identity endured.
Mar 17, 2026 • 1h 6min
Culture and conflict: a historical tour of Dublin
Gillian O'Brien, historian of Irish history and Dublin's past, guides a lively tour of the city's turbulent and cultural history. She traces Viking roots, Norman power shifts, and the Pale's legacy. She sketches Georgian grandeur beside tenement poverty, famine effects, nationalist struggles, civil war scars, and modern Celtic Tiger reinvention. She ends with top sites and seaside tips.
