x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

History Extra podcast

Immediate Media

The History Extra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world"s leading historical experts. 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

history

All Episodes

44:33

Crime fiction history: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/30

From Hercule Poirot to Sherlock Holmes, crime fiction has long been a popular genre. But what was the first crime novel? How has crime writing affected real-life cases? And what was the 'Detection Club'? In this 'everything you wanted to know' episode, Isabel King is joined by crime fiction author and researcher Martin Edwards to discuss the history of the influential genre.The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

43:52

How Christianity came to dominate the Roman world

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/28

What if the 'fall' of Rome wasn’t a collapse, but a rebrand? In this episode, Alice Roberts delves into the dramatic transformation of the Roman world and the rise of Christianity, from cliffside burials in Wales to imperial politics in Constantinople. Speaking to Danny Bird, she reveals how early Christianity wasn’t a grassroots movement of the poor, but a strategic shift embraced by elites, bishops and emperors.(Ad) Alice Roberts is the author of Domination: The Fall of the Roman Empire and

en

46:01

The spy next door: Moscow's century-long plot to...

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/26

In 2010, the world was stunned when the United States exposed a covert Russian spy network operating on its soil. Seemingly all-American families living in white-picket-fenced suburbia were in fact deep undercover Russian agents. Many had been living under assumed identities for decades, lying even to their own children. In this episode, journalist Shaun Walker speaks to Danny Bird about Moscow’s longlasting ‘illegals’ programme – perhaps the most audacious chapter in the history of espionage. He

en

49:42

Edward the Confessor: life of the week

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/25

Edward the Confessor, England’s penultimate Anglo-Saxon king, has long been remembered as a saintly, pious monarch – but was he really the weak ruler whose indecision paved the way for the Norman Conquest that some historical sources would have us think? And if not, how should we understand him? Emily Briffett spoke to historian Tom Licence to explore the life of this medieval monarch – from his early years in exile and his ambitions for the crown to the subsequent political challenges he faced that

en

30:00

Britain and the Caribbean: from slavery to Black...

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/24

Histories of British involvement in the Caribbean tend to focus mainly on the period of plantation slavery but, in her new book Empire Without End, Imaobong Umoren argues that we need to take a broader view. It's only by taking the story back to the 16th century and forward until the present, she contends, that we can fully understand the intertwining themes of colonialism and racism in the region – and see how they connect to events in Britain. In this episode, Imaobong explores these ideas in

en

45:17

Nationalism: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/23

Human beings tend to identify with being in a group, and, historically, few groupings have been more potent than the idea of the nation. But when did people first embrace the idea of the nation state? Is nationalism predominantly a right-wing creed? And does it thrive during periods of crisis and uncertainty? In this Everything You Wanted To Know episode, Danny Bird puts these questions and others submitted by our listeners to John Hutchinson.The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team

en

8:52

Preview: The forgers who faked a fortune

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/22

In 1775, a respectable lady, a mild-mannered apothecary and his fast-living identical twin stood accused of pulling off a scam that had earnt them a fortune. But as their trial unfolded, the defendants turned on one another, and the plot thickened – who was the real orchestrator of the scheme, and who would hang for it? In this preview of episode one of History’s Greatest Scandals Season 2, Professor Hannah Greig and Ellie Cawthorne revisit this sensational courtroom drama, and consider what it can

en

35:06

From dodos to 'lost' tribes: a history of extinction

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/21

After causing the extinction of the dodo, humans soon realised that we had the power to destroy entire species – and we continue to reckon with that power. Speaking to James Osborne, Sadiah Qureshi discusses her new book Vanished, which looks at the connections between extinction and imperialism, and explores how changing ideas about extinction have reshaped the face of the planet.(Ad) Sadiah Qureshi is the author of Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction (Penguin, 2025). Buy it now from

en

41:43

Europe's last pagans

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/19

Christianity came to dominate Europe in the Middle Ages. However, some parts of Europe remained pagan until very recently. So how did non-Christian peoples survive, and prosper, in parts of Europe for centuries after most of the continent had adopted the Church? Francis Young, folklorist and historian of religion and belief, explains all to David Musgrove.(Ad) Francis Young is the author of Silence of the Gods: The Untold History of Europe's Last Pagan Peoples (Cambridge University Press, 2025)

en

45:19

VJ Day and the story of women's football: history...

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/18

In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the historical background of current news events, historians Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss how VJ Day is remembered 80 years on – and explore the rise, fall and rise of women's football. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

en

38:14

The tangled legacies of two Americas

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/17

For centuries, North and Latin America have been locked in a relationship of rivalry and reciprocity. From revolutionary dreams to imperial ambitions, their fates have never been separate. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Greg Grandin explores how Latin America has long shaped – and resisted – US influence, from critiques of the Spanish conquest in South America, to the Latin American leaders who influenced ideas of freedom and human rights in the centuries since. (Ad) Greg Grandin is the author of

en

56:14

The Paris Commune: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/16

In the spring of 1871, the citizens of Europe’s second largest city rose up and proclaimed the Paris Commune. For eight extraordinary weeks, the French capital defied the national government that had been forced to decamp to Versailles – and adopted a series of progressive policies ranging from the abolition of nightwork in bakeries to the toppling of contested monuments. But what exactly was the Commune? How did this revolutionary government function? And why was it crushed with such vigour

en

39:17

VJ Day: why don't we talk about WW2 in Asia?

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/14

On the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, broadcaster Kavita Puri – presenter of a new BBC Radio 4 series on the Second World War in Asia – tells Matt Elton why stories of the Allied conflict with Japan remain overlooked and under-told.The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

en

29:08

Zoot suits, mashers & New Romantics: the evolution of...

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/12

From zoot suiters and mods, to mashers and Congolese sapeurs, since the early 19th century, fashionable male subcultures have popped up across the globe. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Peter Andersson examines how the idea of the 'dandy' has evolved over time, and argues that the idea of dressing well was not limited to the elites.(Ad) Peter Andersson is the author of The Dandy: A People's History of Sartorial Splendour (Oxford University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon:

en

46:32

Mary of Modena: life of the week

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/11

Cultural historian and author Breeze Barrington brings to life the fascinating – and often misunderstood – story of Maria, or Mary, of Modena. Born into Italian nobility and raised with quiet ambitions of becoming a nun, Mary was thrust onto the European political stage as a teenage bride to James, Duke of York (later crowned as James VII of Scotland and II of England). Talking to Elinor Evans, Breeze shares how Maria navigated a foreign court, vicious anti-Catholic sentiment, and personal loss, to

en

34:13

Arson, murder and goddesses: secrets of a Seventh...

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/10

What would it have been like to have witness one of the most spectacular sights of the ancient world first-hand? Speaking to Rachel Dinning, Bettany Hughes explores the extraordinary Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. From its awe-inspiring grandeur to its dramatic tales of arson, murder, and sanctuary, she reveals the secrets and significance of this remarkable ancient site. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History

en

53:24

Frontier life: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/09

What was life like on the frontier in 19th-century America? Forget Hollywood’s high-noon shootouts and lawless swaggering cowboys – historian Karen Jones paints a far more complex picture of the American frontier. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she helps us look past the myths to find more diversity and humanity in the stories of those who travelled westward in the 19th century to forge new lives. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad

en

42:42

Forgotten stories from South Asian history

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/07

South Asian history is currently in the spotlight, with 2025's South Asian Heritage Month focusing particularly on themes of movement and migration. But what's the value of such dedicated history months? And are there stories that are still being overlooked? Matt Elton spoke to three expert historians – Shrabani Basu, Sumita Mukherjee and Shalina Patel – to find out. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

en

36:57

Was the atomic bomb necessary to end war with Japan?

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/05

The decision by the United States to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 remains one of the most controversial moments in modern history. Did the atomic bombs force Japan's surrender in the Second World War? Or is this far too simple a narrative? Speaking to Elinor Evans, historian Richard Overy reconsiders the role of Oppenheimer's bombs, and the US firebombing that paved their way, in the final weeks of the war.(Ad) Richard Overy is the author of Rain of

en

38:40

JMW Turner: life of the week

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/04

In 2015, the Bank of England asked the British public to nominate a deceased cultural figure they felt deserved the honour of appearing on a banknote. The figure they chose was JMW Turner. So what made Turner such an extraordinary artist? And why do his landscape paintings still resonate today, 250 years on from his birth? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Nicola Moorby explores the man behind the breathtaking works of art. (Ad) Nicola Moorby is the author of //Turner and Constable: Art,

en

2,491 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Biography Flash

Inception Point Ai