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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. 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

history

All Episodes

46:11

How women were erased from economic history

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/14

Across 12,000 years of history, prosperity has flourished in societies where women could fully participate – and faltered when they were pushed to the margins. That's what Dr Victoria Bateman argues in her new book Economica. From Stone Age big-game hunters to Roman traders, Renaissance brewers and pirate queens, she explores how women’s economic power has shaped civilisations, but also how bias, law and culture have erased these contributions. Speaking to Danny Bird, Victoria challenges myths about

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49:42

The Phoenicians: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/13

They gave us the alphabet, charted the seas by the Pole Star, and built Carthage – once Rome’s greatest rival. So why have the Phoenicians been forgotten? Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Josephine Quinn explores the story of these ancient seafarers, traders and city-builders who connected the cities surrounding the Mediterranean – and left an extraordinary legacy – long before Greece and Rome rose to power.The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn

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38:34

Black women and the fight for human rights

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/11

Despite facing significant obstacles in their own lives, black women in the United States were at the forefront of campaigns for human rights at home and abroad. Historian Keisha N Blain tells the stories of some of these women who, in the 19th and 20th centuries, worked outside the corridors of power to fight for freedom across the globe. She was joined in conversation by Rob Attar. (Ad) Keisha N Blain is the author of Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights (W. W. Norton &

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51:42

Soviet dissidents who challenged the Kremlin

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/09

In the years following Stalin’s death in 1953, a new phenomenon emerged within the Soviet Union: so-called 'dissidents'. Preferring to think of themselves as 'rights defenders', these individuals advocated a form of 'civil obedience' – a demand that the state abide by its own constitution and the basic rights and freedoms it promised on paper. Historian Benjamin Nathans speaks to Danny Bird about his Cundill Prize-nominated book To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause, which examines this extraordinary

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30:59

El Cid: life of the week

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/08

The life of El Cid, the famed 11th-century Castilian warrior otherwise known as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, is steeped in legend. Historian Nora Berend joins Danny Bird to examine his real-life exploits during the centuries-long series of campaigns by Christian kingdoms to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule, known as the Reconquista. She unpacks his complex loyalties to both Christian and Muslim rulers, and explores how his story has been continually reshaped to serve politics, culture and

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40:32

Burying the enemy: commemorating the world wars'...

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/07

For Britain and Germany, both world wars saw hundreds of thousands of casualties – but what happened to the bodies of those who died on enemy territory? And what impact did this have upon their bereaved relatives, and their nation's memory of the war? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Tim Grady explores how both nations cared for their fallen foe during and after the First and Second World Wars.(Ad) Tim Grady is the author of Burying the Enemy: The Story of Those who Cared for the Dead in Two World

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49:50

The Mughal empire: everything you wanted to know

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/06

The Mughal empire was one of the most powerful and influential dynasties in South Asian history, blending together a mix of cultural traditions to create a legacy of dazzling architecture, innovative governance, and turbulent politics. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Nandini Chatterjee journeys through the empire's rich history – and considers why it continues to spark debate today. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad

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43:07

The Amazons: wonder-women of the ancient world

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/04

If you know anything about the Amazons of ancient legend, it's probably that they were fearsome female fighters, who bravely battled against male heroes of Greek legend. But, according to Professor David Braund, the Amazons were far more than just formidable warrior women – he explains why to David Musgrove. (Ad) David Braund is the author of Amazons: The History Behind the Legend (Cambridge University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon:

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45:38

How did the Vikings shape Russia and Ukraine?

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/02

The story of the Vikings who travelled to eastern Europe is just as thrilling as the story of those who headed west. It's also just as important – still being relevant today through deep rooted connections to the ongoing war in Ukraine. But what are those long-lasting links, exactly? Historian and author Martyn Whittock examines this complicated history in conversation with James Osborne.(Ad) Martyn Whittock is the author of Vikings in the East: From Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Putin – The

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49:10

William the Conqueror: life of the week

History Extra podcast ·

2025/09/01

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, crossed the Channel and changed English history forever. Known to some as a ruthless and ambitious conqueror and to others as a astute and innovative state-builder, his legacy is still debated today, almost a thousand years later. But how much do we know about the man behind this formidable reputation? As new BBC Drama King and Conqueror hits the screens, Emily Briffett speaks to Professor David Bates to chart William's dramatic rise to power and the brutal

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40:14

Why the Maginot Line couldn't save France in WW2

History Extra podcast ·

2025/08/31

As the threat of war began to loom in the 1930s, an elaborate system of fortifications sprung up in northeastern France. Known as the Maginot line, this string of defences was designed to protect the nation in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. So, when Hitler's forces did invade, how much blame should the Maginot Line shoulder for the fall of France in double-quick time? That's a question that's troubled historians ever since the traumatic events of 1940. In conversation with Spencer Mizen,

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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2,422 results

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