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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

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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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:

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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

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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

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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

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2,414 results

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