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
May 14, 2021 • 38min
Katharine Parr: secrets of a Tudor survivor
Historian and novelist Alison Weir discusses the life of Katharine Parr – from her relationship with the king to her secret faith and other marriages. Plus, Alison reflects on her recently completed Six Tudor Queens series, discussing how her opinions of Henry VIII’s wives changed during the writing process. (Ad) Alison Weir is the author of Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife (Headline, 2021). Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Tudor-Queens-Katharine-Sixth/dp/1472227824/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 12, 2021 • 42min
Blackface: a brief history
Ayanna Thompson discusses the history of blackface – a story spanning William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison Professor Ayanna Thompson, author of Blackface, discusses the long history of blackface performances and minstrelsy – a story that spans William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison. +++AFFILIATE TEXT +++(Ad) Ayanna Thompson is the author of Blackface (Bloomsbury, 2021). Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackface-Object-Lessons-Professor-Thompson/dp/150137401X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 11, 2021 • 27min
Who was Britain’s greatest prime minister? Harold Wilson
In the latest episode of our new series profiling the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their time in 10 Downing Street, Charlotte Lydia Riley chooses Harold Wilson, whose forward-looking premiership came to define the progressive 1960s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 10, 2021 • 45min
Madness, property and power: the strange case of Mary Davies
Leo Hollis untangles the bizarre 18th-century court case surrounding Mary Davies: a wealthy heiress married in mysterious circumstances In 1701, Mary Davies – a hugely wealthy widow struggling with bouts of unstable behaviour – took a room in Paris’s Hotel Castile. The coming days are a tangle of conflicting accounts, but it seems that she emerged from her rooms as a married woman, before hastening back to London and vehemently denying her change in circumstances. However, her husband soon came calling, demanding his rights to her extensive land and property. Leo Hollis explores a bizarre court case that shocked London. +++AFFILIATE TEXT +++(Ad) Leo Hollis is the author of Inheritance: The Lost History of Mary Davies: A Story of Property, Marriage and Madness (Oneworld, 2021). Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritance-History-Property-Marriage-Madness/dp/178607995X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5 snips
May 9, 2021 • 1h 17min
The Vietnam War: everything you wanted to know
Historian Mark Atwood Lawrence discusses the origins and American involvement in the Vietnam War, the impact of the conflict on domestic priorities, debates on the war's aftermath and fighting strategies, the evolution of military tactics, atrocities and chemical weapon usage, Communist utilization of Laos and Cambodia, casualty numbers, post-war challenges, and the lessons learned from the war.
May 8, 2021 • 1h 5min
Medieval Ethiopia’s diplomatic missions
Ethiopia was a Christian kingdom during the medieval period, and in the 15th and 16th centuries its kings sent diplomatic missions to their counterparts in western Europe. Verena Krebs reveals what these missions can tell us about the medieval world, and Ethiopia’s place within it.(Ad) Verena Krebs is the author of Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Buy it now on Amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medieval-Ethiopian-Kingship-Diplomacy-Europe/dp/3030649334/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 6, 2021 • 51min
Uncovering the truth about WW2’s Katyn massacre
Jane Rogoyska, a historian and biographer focused on 20th-century Polish history, delves into the chilling details of the 1940 Katyn massacre where over 20,000 Polish officers were executed on Stalin's orders. She uncovers the decades-long Soviet cover-up, the complex political narratives, and the motives behind the brutality. Additionally, Rogoyska reflects on the lasting impact on Polish-Russian relations and the modern implications of state-sponsored disinformation, highlighting how echoes of the tragedy resonate even today.
May 5, 2021 • 48min
The changing shape of slimming clubs
From Weight Watchers to Rosemary Conley’s fitness empire, slimming clubs have been a staple of British culture for decades. But, as Dr Katrina Moseley reveals, their history goes far beyond the best diets to try or exercise regimes to adopt, with female friendship, entrepreneurial opportunities and feminist fury all playing a part in the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 4, 2021 • 26min
Who was Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister? Clement Attlee
In the latest episode in our new series profiling the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their time in 10 Downing Street, historian Charlotte Lydia Riley explores the postwar leadership of Labour prime minister Clement Attlee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 3, 2021 • 45min
How close to nuclear war did the Cuban Missile Crisis get?
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 saw a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union escalate to the edge of nuclear war. Historian Serhii Plokhy, author of a new account of the crisis, explores the factors that led the two sides back from the brink. (Ad) Serhii Plokhy is the author of Nuclear Folly: A New History of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Allen lane). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nuclear-Folly-History-Missile-Crisis/dp/0241454735/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
