History Extra podcast

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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/

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Top 10 History Extra podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best History Extra podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to History Extra podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite History Extra podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Witchcraft: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast

05/29/22 • 48 min

Were all suspected witches burned at the stake? Was torture a legal way of gaining a confession of practising magic? And which professions were most commonly accused of dabbling in the dark arts? Speaking with Charlotte Hodgman, Owen Davies answers your top questions about witchcraft in our latest Everything you wanted to know episode.

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8 Listeners

Prohibition: busting myths about the ban on booze

History Extra podcast

03/18/22 • 39 min

Mark Lawrence Schrad speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about his book Smashing the Liquor Machine, which busts commonly held myths about prohibition, revealing how campaigns to ban alcohol weren’t just led by puritanical evangelicals in the US, but were also backed by progressive campaigners across the globe.

(Ad) Mark Lawrence Schrad is the author of Smashing the Liquor Machine: A Global History (Oxford University Press, 2021). Buy it now from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smashing-Liquor-Machine-History-Prohibition/dp/0190841575/ref=asc_df_0190841575/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=535049525184&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12530786669099962417&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006715&hvtargid=pla-995956505473&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

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5 Listeners

Dracula at 125: what can a vampire tell us about Victorian Britain?

History Extra podcast

05/30/22 • 35 min

Marking the 125th anniversary of the publication of Dracula, Roger Luckhurst tells Ellie Cawthorne why Bram Stoker’s vampire thriller has had such an enduring appeal. They discuss how the book exposed the anxieties of the late Victorian age, how contemporary readers reacted, and some of the most intriguing adaptations.

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4 Listeners

The Mongols: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast

08/26/23 • 55 min

How brilliant a military leader was Genghis Khan? Could the Mongols have conquered all of Europe? And were they as brutal as they’re often portrayed to be? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Nicholas Morton answers your queries on the nomadic warriors who established the largest contiguous empire the world had ever seen, stretching from the borders of Hungary all the way to the East China Sea.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.

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3 Listeners

Jane Austen’s passion for fashion

History Extra podcast

09/11/23 • 26 min

From ribbons, bonnets and ballgowns to Mr Darcy’s see-through shirt, the works of Jane Austen have long sparked the imaginations of fashion-minded readers and audiences. But what did the author herself wear? Austen has often been accused of dowdiness, but as Hilary Davidson reveals, this was in fact far from the truth. She takes Lauren Good on a tour through the wardrobe of the renowned writer, from the clothes she wore behind closed doors to her most treasured jewellery.

(Ad) Hilary Davidson is the author of Jane Austen’s Wardrobe (Yale, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Austens-Wardrobe-Hilary-Davidson/dp/0300263600/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.

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2 Listeners

The lost world of Dickens’ London

History Extra podcast

08/24/23 • 32 min

From grimy back alleys and ghastly churchyards to debtors’ prisons and old curiosity shops, Charles Dickens evoked a vision of Victorian London that’s still vivid today. And, ever since Dickens’ books were published, literary fans have visited London to seek out traces of the lost world he described. Lee Jackson, author of Dickensland, guides Ellie Cawthorne through some of the atmospheric sites associated with the author – from Lincoln’s Inn to “Nancy’s steps”.

(Ad) Lee Jackson is the author of Dickensland: the Curious History of Dickens’s London (Yale, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dickensland-Curious-History-Dickenss-London/dp/0300266200_encoding=UTF8&qid=1688035673&sr=1-1/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.

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2 Listeners

Troy: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast

08/28/22 • 60 min

The story of the Trojan War – featuring the daring Achilles, beautiful Helen and one very deceptive horse – is a classic of western literature. But did this famous war ever really happen? And was Troy even a real place? On today’s ‘Everything you wanted to know’ episode, Professor Paul Cartledge answers listener questions on these ancient mysteries. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, he discusses the discovery of archaeological remains believed to be Troy, and why Homer’s Iliad may not be the most reliable historical source.

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2 Listeners

The Black Death | 6. how the pandemic transformed societies

History Extra podcast

06/02/22 • 45 min

In the final episode of our series on the Black Death, Professor Mark Bailey and Dr Claire Kennan discuss the medieval pandemic’s dramatic social, political and economic impact. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, they use England as a case study to explore how it restructured society, with effects that were felt for hundreds of years.

The primary sources quoted in this series are mainly taken from:

The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994)

The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005)

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2 Listeners

Fairy queens & giantesses: pagan goddesses in Christian Europe

History Extra podcast

06/01/22 • 40 min

Although medieval Europe was firmly Christian, pagan deities still loomed large in the popular imagination. Rhiannon Davies spoke to Ronald Hutton about four of these divine figures: the powerful and protective Mother Earth; the glamorous fairy queen; a night-roaming supernatural lady; and a Gaelic giantess.

(Ad) Ronald Hutton is the author of Queens of the Wild: Pagan Goddesses in Christian Europe: An Investigation (Yale University Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Wild-Goddesses-Christian-Investigation/dp/0300261012/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

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2 Listeners

The Inca empire: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast

07/17/22 • 60 min

What did an ordinary day in the Inca empire look like? How did the Inca count using knots? And why were stones so sacred to the civilization? In conversation with Emily Briffett, Bill Sillar answers listener questions on the mighty empire which dominated swathes of land in South America.

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2 Listeners

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