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
15 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 54min
Thomas More: life of the week
Dr Joanne Paul, an intellectual historian and biographer of Thomas More, guides us through More's many faces. She explores his humanist writings like Utopia, his rise to Lord Chancellor, and his fierce role in prosecuting heresy. Short, sharp scenes reveal how politics, conscience and reputation tangled in his life.
27 snips
Feb 9, 2026 • 42min
Going on strike in ancient Rome
Sarah E Bond, historian and Roman epigrapher who studies labour and material culture, explores ancient collective action. She discusses early strikes from Egyptian necropolis workers to Rome’s mint lock-in, plebeian secessions, collegia networks, women textile workers in Egypt, and charioteer factions’ power. The conversation traces how people withheld labour and challenged authority across the ancient world.
23 snips
Feb 8, 2026 • 44min
Magna Carta: king v barons
Nicholas Vincent, medieval historian at the University of East Anglia, unpacks the 1215 showdown between king and barons. He traces John’s military failures, economic strains and church conflicts. Short scenes cover life in 13th-century England, legal ideas about tyranny, key baronial leaders and why Runnymede became the tipping point.
Feb 6, 2026 • 34min
Untold LGBTQ stories of the National Trust
Michael Hall, historian and author of A Queer Inheritance, explores hidden queer links across National Trust properties. He traces queer origins at the Trust's founding, examines material clues and social networks that reveal connections, and discusses how class, gender nonconformity and archival methods shape these stories. The conversation calls for more research into queer heritage and identities.
14 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 36min
Why Greenwich is the home of time
Dr Emily Akkermans, Curator of Time at Royal Museums Greenwich, cares for historic timekeepers and explains Greenwich’s central role in global time. The conversation covers 17th-century pendulum advances, the longitude problem and maritime navigation. It also touches on the 1pm time ball, the 1884 meridian decision, railways and telegraphs spreading standard time, and the move from GMT to atomic clocks.
Feb 3, 2026 • 33min
James Gillray: life of the week
Alice Loxton, historian and author of Uproar, explores Georgian satire and print culture. She traces James Gillray’s rise from painter to ruthless caricaturist. She discusses London’s turbulent public stage, the print shops that spread his work, the publisher Hannah Humphrey, and how Gillray fashioned lasting images like ‘Little Boney’ that shaped political ridicule.
27 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 34min
Churchill and de Gaulle: a strange relationship
Richard Vinen, Professor of history at King’s College London and author of The Last Titans, explores Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. He traces their clashing personalities and dramatic wartime partnership. He contrasts their backgrounds, oratory and writing, explains de Gaulle's stubborn nationalism, and reflects on their postwar legacies and how modern media shapes leaders.
30 snips
Feb 1, 2026 • 46min
Why Pompeii's tragedy still captivates us today
Dr Jess Venner, Roman historian and Pompeii expert who interprets archaeological evidence to illuminate everyday life. She explains plaster cast techniques and what poses reveal about deaths. She contrasts Pompeii and Herculaneum preservation. She examines graffiti, erotic art, recent digs, and the ethics of displaying victims.
13 snips
Jan 30, 2026 • 38min
The United States and Latin America: a turbulent history
Greg Grandin, Yale history professor and expert on US–Latin American relations, offers sharp analysis of a turbulent two-centuries arc. He traces early expansionism and intervention, gunboat diplomacy and corporate influence. He covers the Cold War pivot, Castro’s role, and how the war on drugs reshaped regional politics.
20 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 48min
History's most mysterious manuscripts
Garry J Shaw, journalist and author of Cryptic, explores mysterious manuscripts and the people behind them. He highlights invented languages like Hildegard’s, secret-writing and theatrical ciphers, John Dee’s angelic diaries, and the enduring puzzlement around the Voynich Manuscript. Expect tales of hoaxes, hidden motives, and the spectacle of secrecy.
