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
Apr 20, 2021 • 27min
Who was Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister? Robert Walpole
In the first episode of our new series profiling the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their time in 10 Downing Street, historian and author Jeremy Black celebrates Britain’s first prime minister – pioneering 18th-century statesman Robert Walpole. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 19, 2021 • 51min
Barbarossa: Hitler’s greatest gamble
As we approach the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s fateful invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the historian, author and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby revisits the dramatic, murderous struggle between the two totalitarian regimes. (Ad) Jonathan Dimbleby is the author of Barbarossa: How Hitler Lost the War (Penguin, 2021) Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barbarossa-How-Hitler-Lost-War/dp/024129147X/?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
Apr 18, 2021 • 46min
The Suez Crisis: everything you wanted to know
Join historian Alex von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand, as he unpacks the dramatic 1956 Suez Crisis. Delve into why Britain and France took a colossal gamble against Egypt, and how personal animosities influenced their decisions. Discover the pivotal role of American intervention that forced Britain's withdrawal and the consequential rise of Nasser in the Arab world. Lastly, explore how this crisis marked the end of Britain's superpower status and reshaped the Cold War's dynamics.
Apr 17, 2021 • 46min
Traitor or triple agent? The WW2 spy Mathilde Carré
Author Roland Philipps talks about his latest book, Victoire: A Wartime Story of Resistance, Collaboration and Betrayal, which recounts the extraordinary exploits of Mathilde Carré, a double – possibly even triple – agent in the Second World War. (Ad) Roland Philipps is the author of Victoire: A Wartime Story of Resistance, Collaboration and Betrayal (Bodley Head, 2021). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victoire-Wartime-Resistance-Collaboration-Betrayal/dp/1847925812/?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
Apr 16, 2021 • 36min
Leonardo da Vinci’s private life
Historian Catherine Fletcher discusses what is known about the private life and relationships of the Renaissance polymath. She considers the gaps in the historical record, and the inspirations for the story in the new TV drama Leonardo, starring Aidan Turner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 14, 2021 • 42min
The bigamy trial that scandalised Georgian England
Historian and author Catherine Ostler relates the tale of Elizabeth Chudleigh, a glamorous Duchess-Countess whose high-profile bigamy trial fascinated Georgian society. She also charts how Chudleigh managed to reinvent herself after this very public downfall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 13, 2021 • 1h 20min
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry ep5: What now?
In the final episode of the series, our panel considers the afterlife of the Tapestry, debating its differing legacies in France and Britain, whether it might be exhibited in Britain, and why it continues to fascinate. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Michael Wood and Dr Janina Ramirez. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 12, 2021 • 1h 27min
Dan Jones on 1,000 years of British history
To mark HistoryExtra’s 1,000th episode, Dan Jones takes us on a whistlestop tour through the last millennium of British history, touching on some of the most memorable moments and reinterrogating the familiar stories we tell about our national past. (Ad) Dan Jones is the author of Crusaders: An Epic History of the Holy Land (Head of Zeus, 2019). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crusaders-Epic-History-Wars-Lands/dp/1781858896/?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
Apr 11, 2021 • 1h 9min
The Maya: everything you wanted to know
Professor Matthew Restall tackles listener questions and popular search queries about the central American civilisation Professor Matthew Restall tackles popular search queries and listener questions about the central American civilisation. Where did the Maya live? What did they eat? And did they really predict that the world would end in 2012? (Ad) Matthew Restall is the co-author (with Amara Solari) of The Maya: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2020). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maya-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0190645024/?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
Apr 10, 2021 • 42min
Women prisoners in 19th-century Ireland
Elaine Farrell shares the stories of incarcerated Irish women, from daily routines inside a convict prison to relationships with staff and contact with the outside world. She also asks what their experiences can tell us about the lives of working-class women in 19th-century Ireland more generally. (Ad) Elaine Farrell is the author of Women, Crime and Punishment in Ireland: Life in the Nineteenth-Century Convict Prison (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Crime-Punishment-Ireland-Nineteenth-Century/dp/1108839509/?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
