HistoryExtra podcast

A whistle-stop tour around the world in AD 1500

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To mark HistoryExtra’s 1500th episode, Jerry Brotton takes Ellie Cawthorne on a whistle-stop tour around the world in AD 1500, from the powerful dyn...

Are period dramas damaging history?

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How important is it for period dramas to accurately reflect the past? What ethical issues are raised by actors playing fictionalised versions of real ...

Pharaohs' pants & knightly toilet troubles: teaching history to kids

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How exactly do you get children interested in history? Public historian Greg Jenner discusses his new children’s book You Are History, and explains ...

Medieval excommunication: eternal damnation or no big deal?

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Christian-dominated medieval Europe, what did it mean to be excommunicated? How much of an earth-shattering punishment was it, and what can excommu...

The gunpowder plot: everything you wanted to know

06 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What drove a group of plotters to attempt to blow up the king on 5 November 1605? To what extent did the conspiracy sour relations between Protestants...

How is Tutankhamun’s legacy shaped by colonialism?

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Christina Riggs talks to Kev Lochun about the legacy of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. She looks beyond the glittering treasures of h...

The Mary Rose | 3. the fatal final moments

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Henry VIII stood along the walls of Southsea Castle on 19 July 1545, the air was hot and still. Yet, England was on the brink of disaster, as an en...

History & science: the big questions

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What can modern scientists learn from historians? Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, Professor Sasha Hadley, Professor Sanjoy Bhattacharya and Professor Alice Rob...

How the Allies plucked victory from the jaws of defeat

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Second World War saw Allied forces evolve from serial losers to a war-winning machine. Comedian and history buff Al Murray talks to Spencer Mizen ...

Halloween monsters: everything you wanted to know

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did witches transition from terrifying old crones to symbols of female empowerment? Was Count Dracula inspired by a real person? And why do ghosts...

Halloween traditions: everything you wanted to know

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did a Catholic religious celebration transform into a spooky, supernatural festivity? Why were turnips and swedes replaced by pumpkins? And what h...

Christianity: a success story from the start?

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Christianity has been one of the dominant forces in European history, but according to historian Peter Heather, its rise to prominence wasn’t inevit...

The Mary Rose | 2. the Tudor heyday of Henry VIII’s warship

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Mary Rose had a long life before its fighting days were brought to an abrupt end as it sank to the bottom of the Solent. Rewinding back almost 500...

A family history of the world

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore discusses his major new book, which tells the entire history of the world through the prism of families. ...

Cuba & the USA: an intertwined history

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ada Ferrer discusses her Cundill History Prize-nominated book, Cuba: An American History. In her account spanning five centuries, Ferrer takes Elinor ...

Chaos, ruin & renewal: Germany in 1945

23 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the bitter, drawn-out conclusion of the Second World War in 1945, Germany stood in ruins – both literally and psychologically. Cities had been re...

Sci-fi history: everything you wanted to know

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why has the idea of a “utopia” been so compelling over the centuries? What major cultural shifts have been reflected by the sci-fi genre? And why ...

The Cuban Missile Crisis Series Trailer

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On 16 October 1962, US President John F Kennedy was made aware of the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles away from the shores ...

Chaucer’s disputed legacy: new discoveries

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most famous figures in English literature, and remains widely lauded for his major works such as The Canterbury Tales ...

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: war without end

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Soviet forces mounted an invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, they entered a nation already in the grips of a complex civil war. Speaking to...

The Mary Rose | 1. raising the wreck

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Forty years ago, when the Mary Rose was raised from the seabed on 11 October 1982, it was a momentous occasion, met with global broadcasts and cheers ...

Spectacles of death: public executions in London

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From grisly medieval punishments to the justice doled out to celebrity criminals in the Victorian era, public executions were a spectacle that shaped ...

Berlin’s turbulent 20th century

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sinclair McKay traces the history of the German city through the lives of its inhabitants, and how they weathered the tumult of the 20th century – f...

A mutineer in the family

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1789, a group of mutinous sailors seized control of HMS Bounty from its captain William Bligh in dramatic fashion. A new book by Harrison Christian...

The Bank of England: everything you wanted to know

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why was the Bank of England created? Did it power the Industrial Revolution? And when did it become known as the “Old Lady”? As the Bank continues...

Empire: the big historical questions

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There has been an absolute sea change in the study of empire in recent years. But what are the challenges of grappling with often difficult imperial h...

1066: the pope and the conqueror

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the anniversary of the battle of Hastings, Daniel Armstrong speaks to David Musgrove about the truth behind the story that Pope Alexander II grante...

Why Bond and the Beatles ruled the sixties

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 5th October 1962 was a big bang moment for modern British culture. John Higgs takes Spencer Mizen back to the momentous day when the Beatles’ fi...

Ian McEwan on writing historical novels

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How responsible are novelists for shaping public understanding of the past? And how can books recreate the sentiments of a bygone era? In conversation...

The Congo-Océan railroad’s deadly history

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the deadliest construction projects in history, the Congo-Océan railroad likely caused as many as 23,000 African deaths. Unofficial estimates ...

15 minutes of fame: rediscovering forgotten figures

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To wrap up our ‘15 minutes of fame’ series, public historian and broadcaster Helen Carr hosts a panel discussion with historians Fern Riddell, Car...

Black British history: everything you wanted to know

08 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How far back does the story of black people in Britain stretch? Who was Cheddar Man? And what evidence do we have of black people in the medieval and ...

Richard III returns

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years after the remains of Richard III were unearthed, and as The Lost King arrives in UK cinemas, archaeologist and author Mike Pitts reflects on...

Robert Harris on the manhunt for Charles I’s killers

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Charles II was determined to seek revenge on the men who killed his father. During the Restoration period the regicides fled across the globe and were...

Anti-Chinese prejudice: from gold rushes to exclusion laws

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the 19th century, the promise of gold brought Chinese immigrants to the west in unprecedented numbers. But before long, friction emerged on the gol...

WW2’s most daring raid

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Giles Whittell tells the story of the 1942 St Nazaire Raid, which saw hundreds of British commandos launch an audacious attack o...

15 minutes of fame: Babur, dynasty founder and diarist

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

The Knights Templar: everything you wanted to know

01 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who joined the Knights Templar? When not waging war, what did they get up to on a day-to-day basis? And how did they become associated with the Holy G...

Clash of cultures: how interpreters bridged the gap between Britain and China

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Henrietta Harrison discusses her Cundill Prize-shortlisted book on the interpreters who took on the dangerous task of communicating between the Britis...

What can one woman reveal about Jewish life in medieval England?

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What can the life of one woman reveal about the experience of Jews in medieval England? Following the unveiling of a statue of Licoricia of Winchester...

The Napoleon of Fleet Street

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Andrew Roberts discusses his new biography of Lord Northcliffe, the early 20th-century press baron who dominated the British media and had t...

Should mummies be on display?

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is it strange that we go to museums to look at dead bodies? Angela Stienne’s book Mummified explores some of the ethical issues around displaying an...

15 minutes of fame: Hannah Humphrey, entrepreneurial Georgian printseller

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

The CIA: everything you wanted to know

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why was the CIA formed? Who were the key players in the agency’s history? And what was its most significant scandal? Seventy five years on since the...

The end of Roman Britain: families, ancestors and DNA

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The use of ancient DNA analysis looks set to revolutionise our understanding of the end of Roman Britain. In this episode, we are joined by Professor ...

Love, marriage & wallpaper: the artistic lives of Jane and William Morris

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Victorian designer William Morris is remembered for his distinctive nature-inspired designs, many of which still grace wallpapers and furniture fabric...

Tutankhamun | 7. the contested legacy of an icon

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the 100 years since his tomb was discovered, Tutankhamun has become the icon of ancient Egypt – a muse for fashionistas and movie-makers, a pop ...

African and Caribbean people in Britain: a 2,000-year history

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The story of African and Caribbean people in Britain goes back to before the Roman empire. Rhiannon Davies spoke to Professor Hakim Adi to discover ho...

Dangerous ideas & scandalous lives: Germany’s first Romantics

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the turn of the 19th century, a small university town in Germany became the beating heart of an intellectual revolution. From philosophers and poet...

15 minutes of fame: Kleisthenes, father of Athenian democracy

18 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

Royal funerals: everything you wanted to know

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Where did traditional royal funerary practices come from? When did lying in state begin? And will the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II set any new preced...

Dan Jones on writing historical fiction

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After making his name as a medieval historian, Dan Jones has turned his hand to historical fiction. His debut novel, Essex Dogs, follows ten hardened ...

Tutankhamun | 6. secrets of the pharaoh's mummy

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no more instantly recognisable symbol of ancient Egypt than a mummy. And, of course, the mummy of Tutankhamun is the most famous of all. But...

Escape from Colditz

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling author and historian Ben Macintyre joins us to discuss one of the most infamous German prisoner of war camps of the Second World War. I...

Winter is coming: the Anglo-Saxon year

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Anglo-Saxons think about changing seasons? Did they have the same months and use the same calendar as we do? What were the main festivals ...

15 minutes of fame: Aina Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s Yoruba goddaughter

11 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

Roman women: everything you wanted to know

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Could a Roman woman lead an army? What was it like to give birth in the ancient world? And how could women gain financial independence in the Roman em...

The Mary Rose | TRAILER

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What can a long-lost shipwreck reveal about Tudor England? In our new HistoryExtra podcast series, we’ll be marking the fortieth anniversary of the ...

Author, adventurer, archaeologist: Agatha Christie’s action-packed life

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Agatha Christie is known as the queen of crime fiction. But, as Lucy Worsley reveals, her life contained almost as much drama and mystery as her novel...

Tutankhamun | 5. Treasures of the tomb

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Howard Carter cracked open Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, he marvelled at the “wonderful things” he had discovered. But what exactly were thes...

The Holocaust: a 21st-century view

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How has our understanding of the Holocaust changed over the decades? Professors Mary Fulbrook, Richard J Evans and Rebecca Clifford explore this quest...

Russia’s national past: unpicking history from propaganda

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In order to understand modern Russia, historian Orlando Figes argues, you need to understand the country’s view of its own past. From Putin’s hist...

15 minutes of fame: Malintzin, Aztec interpreter

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

Ellis Island: everything you wanted to know

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Between the 1890s and 1920s, an estimated 12-13 million immigrants arrived in the United States via a vast processing centre on an island just off New...

HistoryExtra Plus - Summer Listening Trailer

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Would you like to make the most of the summer holidays with more fascinating historical conversations? Then subscribe to our premium podcast channel...

How nomads changed the world

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

 Nomads have altered the shape of human history in many ways, but as societies that didn’t tend to leave a written record, their stories are often ...

Tutankhamun | 4. The mystery of Nefertiti

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The striking bust of Nefertiti has captivated people since its discovery in 1912. But who was this queen? How powerful was she? And how was she relate...

Return of the Viking raiders

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Across the eighth and ninth centuries, Britain and Ireland were targeted by a series of brutal Vikings raids. But that wasn’t the end of the story. ...

The big questions of religious history

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why is being a historian of religion such a dangerous endeavour today? Is it easier to study the history of a religion if you are an adherent or an ou...

15 minutes of fame: Franz Nopcsa, Hungarian adventurer and palaeontologist

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday! To celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves the...

Troy: everything you wanted to know

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The story of the Trojan War – featuring the daring Achilles, beautiful Helen and one very deceptive horse – is a classic of western literature. Bu...

Castles: from mighty fortresses to fantastical palaces

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Goodall examines how the castle’s role has evolved through time – from medieval fortresses and prisons to regal residences and tourist hotspo...

Tutankhamun | 3. Life & death of a boy king

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tutankhamun is the most famous pharaoh of all, but what do we actually know about his short life and reign? In episode three of our series on the boy ...

Glass men & killer doubles: a history of delusions

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From ancient people who believed they were made of butter, to French Terror survivors who were convinced they’d been guillotined and given the wrong...

The BBC at 100: what can history tell us about its future?

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the final instalment of our series marking the BBC’s centenary, David Hendy explores what the corporation’s history can tell us about its futur...

15 minutes of fame: St Hadrian of Canterbury, medieval African theologian

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

Robin Hood: everything you wanted to know

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are few better-known folktales than the story of a gentlemanly outlaw roaming the forest with his band of merry men, robbing the rich to give to...

How one woman liberated a notorious US slave jail

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kristen Green uncovers the life and legacy of Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved women trapped within the US domestic slave trade. Speaking to Emily Briffett, ...

Tutankhamun | 2. Egypt in the era of the boy king

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tutankhamun’s reign took place during one of ancient Egypt’s most fascinating and turbulent periods – the 18th Dynasty. In episode two of our ne...

Lost languages & travelling communities: unexpected medieval histories

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of our series of conversations with winners of the 2022 Dan David Prize, Dr Kristina Richardson tells Helen Carr about her research into littl...

Countryside campaigners: four women who fought for our green spaces

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Matthew Kelly tells David Musgrove the story of four women who helped to protect and preserve the English countryside from the 1870s through...

15 minutes of fame: Charley Wilson, working-class trans man

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday, and to celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves...

Hollywood history: everything you wanted to know

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are the most impactful films in Hollywood history? What made the golden age of film so golden? And how important were Hollywood movies in project...

The Sahara: a green and pleasant land

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Sahara is known as one of the world’s hottest and driest environments, but during his explorations of the desert over the past 60 years, Martin ...

Tutankhamun | 1. Unearthing the boy king’s lost tomb

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One hundred years ago, in 1922, Egyptologist Howard Carter made one of the most spectacular discoveries in the history of archaeology, when he unearth...

Is Queen Henrietta Maria’s rotten reputation deserved?

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the wife of Charles I, Henrietta Maria was in the firing line of the parliamentary propaganda machine. The Stuart queen was known as the “popish ...

Measurement: an unexpected history

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From weight and distance, to calorie-counting and calculating the depths of space, throughout history, humans have loved to measure things. Speaking t...

15 minutes of fame: Alice Kinloch, Pan-African activist

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday! To celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves the...

First World War poets: everything you wanted to know

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How much has our view of the First World War – one of mud, trenches and futility – been shaped by the work of a handful of poets? How did the Brit...

Stalingrad: a soldier’s testimony

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Author Iain MacGregor reveals how the unpublished memoirs of a German officer shed fascinating new light on the battle of Stalingrad. Speaking with Ro...

Medieval monks: a day in the life

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Danièle Cybulskie charts a day in the life of a medieval monk, from morning rituals and mealtime misbehaviour to daily chores and worldly reflection....

Gone with the Wind: how a 1936 novel explains modern America

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sarah Churchwell discusses her new book The Wrath to Come, which re-examines the controversial legacy of Margaret Mitchell’s immensely pop...

Treason: from Anne Boleyn to Lord Haw Haw

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Mark Cornwell charts the history of treason in Britain. He tells Kev Lochun how a handful of high profile cases – from Anne Boleyn and the...

15 minutes of fame: St Wilfrid, quarrelsome church reformer

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday! To celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves the...

Gold rushes: everything you wanted to know

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Tuffnell answers listener questions on the series of gold rushes that captivated the imaginations of hordes of prospectors in the 19th century...

Reconstructing black lives in the Antebellum South

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of our series of conversations with winners of the 2022 Dan David Prize, Dr Kimberly Welch talks to Helen Carr about her research using legal ...

The end of Roman Britain | 8. ends and beginnings

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of the series, David Musgrove wraps up what we’ve learnt from our experts about how Britain moved out of the orbit of the Roman...

Hannibal: Rome’s greatest nightmare

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Philip Freeman shares the story of how the brilliant Carthaginian general Hannibal led his elephants over the Alps and into Rome’s nightmares, makin...

Stalin’s library: inside the mind of a dictator

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Geoffrey Roberts explores the life and career of Josef Stalin through his vast book collection. In conversation with Rob Attar, Professor Ro...

15 minutes of fame: Queen Tiye, overshadowed ancient Egyptian royal

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the HistoryExtra podcast’s 15th birthday! To celebrate, we’ve asked 15 historians to nominate a figure from history they think deserves the...