HistoryExtra podcast

What happened to the Franklin Expedition? The real mystery behind The Terror

20 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1845, two British navy ships sailed into the Canadian arctic and never returned. The fate of the Franklin Expedition has proven one of history’s ...

Cellini: the “supreme scoundrel of the Renaissance”

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini – a story of murder, plague, imprisonment and ev...

How our hunger for land shaped history

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Winchester explores how humans’ quest to own land – from enclosure and division to violent seizure – has wreaked irreparable changes thr...

Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry Ep1: When, where and why was the Tapestry made?

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the opening episode of this podcast series examining one of the most fascinating objects of the medieval age, we explore all the need-to-know infor...

The Clifford’s Tower massacre & medieval anti-Semitism

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dean Irwin explains the story of the 1190 anti-Semitic massacre at Clifford’s Tower in York, and how it fits into the wider story of England’s med...

The Thirty Years’ War: everything you wanted to know

14 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Does the Thirty Years’ War merit its gruesome reputation? Who were the winners and losers of the conflict? And why did a Protestant mob throw Cathol...

Rebels, hostages and diplomats: royal women of the crusader states

13 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Katherine Pangonis chronicles the formidable line of female rulers that shaped the crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century   Katherine ...

To beard or not to beard? Facial hair through history

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Alun Withey, expert on the history of facial hair, takes us on a journey through shaving and grooming trends from 1650-1900   Why were big bushy b...

The western front: a cauldron of innovation

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the popular imagination, the western front of the First World War has long been synonymous with futility and deadlock. But Nick Lloyd, author of ne...

Assassinations: from the ancient world to JFK

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian John Withington, author of Assassins’ Deeds: A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day, explores some of history’...

The big questions of women’s history

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We mark International Women’s Day with a panel discussion tackling the central issues of women’s history   We mark International Women’s Day wi...

The Cold War: everything you wanted to know

07 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From espionage across the Iron Curtain, to the global struggles between communists and capitalists, Michael Goodman responds to your questions on the ...

Voices of China

06 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Wood, author of The Story of China, gives a lecture on the ancient civilisation’s rich and varied history. He introduces us to five individ...

BONUS EPISODE: Game of Thrones’ medieval roots

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Carolyne Larrington explores the medieval world that inspired the fantasy epic in a special HistoryExtra bonus episode, available now for free at htt...

Why treason was so unforgivable in the Middle Ages

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Amanda McVitty explains what treason meant in the medieval era, and why its consequences were particularly brutal   Dr Amanda McVitty, author of T...

Formidable dynasties of the Italian Renaissance

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Hollingsworth discusses her new book, Princes of the Renaissance, which charts the wars and alliances between the powerful Italian families of th...

Vikings in North America

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gordon Campbell reveals how the Vikings made epic voyages of discovery across the Atlantic a millennium ago    The argument over whether Norse explo...

Shipwrecked in the Arctic: a 16th-century survival story

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Andrea Pitzer discusses her latest book Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World, which recounts the Arctic ordeal of Dutch explorer...

The Roman emperors: everything you wanted to know

28 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shushma Malik discusses some of the most admired and reviled Roman emperors, and considers whether the legends surrounding them stand up to scrutiny  ...

Adventure and archaeology in the golden age of Egyptology

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Toby Wilkinson, author of A World Beneath the Sands, gives a lecture on the men and women whose obsession with Egypt’s ancient civilisation drove ...

Crafting historical weapons for Wolf Hall and The Witcher

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From Roman catapults to medieval daggers, Tod of Tod’s Workshop has made it all. The historical weapon-maker gives a behind-the-scenes peek into mak...

Nefertiti: wife, mother, pharaoh

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following the discovery of her striking bust in 1912, Nefertiti has become one of the best-known women of ancient Egypt. Professor Aidan Dodson – au...

The women who fought back against Hollywood

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Film critic Helen O’Hara talks about her new book Women vs Hollywood, which highlights female pioneers of film, and reveals some of the challen...

Rivalries and romances: couples that shook up history

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to making a mark in the history books, sometimes two heads are better than one. Broadcaster and author Cathy Newman talks about her late...

The Vikings’ global connections

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Cat Jarman explores the far-reaching trading networks of the Vikings, from the Baltic sea to Asia   Dr Cat Jarman discusses her new book River Ki...

The space race: everything you wanted to know

21 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Ellis responds to listener questions on the great Cold War rivalry that saw the US and the Soviet Union battle for dominance in space   In the la...

Sathnam Sanghera on how modern Britain is shaped by empire

20 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sathnam Sanghera discusses where we can see the legacy of imperialism in Britain today – from politics and education to museums and multiculturalis...

The big questions of LGBTQ history

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We mark LGBT+ History Month with a panel discussion tackling some of the biggest themes in LGBTQ history   February is LGBT+ History Month. We mark i...

Chaos & communism: China’s 1949 revolution

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and journalist Graham Hutchings discusses his new book China 1949, which explores the events of a tumultuous year that saw communist victor...

Elizabeth Barrett Browning: poet, activist, trailblazer, runaway

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fiona Sampson, author of a new biography, Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, discusses the life and work of the Victorian poet...

Is “Blitz Spirit” a myth?

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of their new BBC One documentary, Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley, historical consultant Joshua Levine...

Fatal accidents and violent injuries in the Middle Ages

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been studying medieval skeletons, reveals what her findings can tell us about injuries and violence in the era   Dr Jenna D...

The Dissolution: everything you wanted to know

14 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Hugh Willmott responds to listener questions on Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century   In this special live edition ...

The forgotten mothers of civil rights leaders

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and James Baldwin are often remembered as change-makers who came into the world with their political ideas fully-form...

Sex, romance and rights: women's lives since 1950

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Carol Dyhouse talks about her new book, Love Lives: From Cinderella to Frozen, which explores how women's lives, dreams and loves have bee...

Victorian pet cemeteries: animals in the afterlife

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the 19th century, devoted pet-owners established Britain’s first pet cemeteries. Dr Eric Tourigny explains what they tell us about Victorian atti...

How slavery fuelled the British empire

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Padraic X Scanlan discusses his book Slave Empire: How Slavery Built modern Britain, which examines how slavery fuelled the British empire and explor...

17th-century London: a city shaped by catastrophe

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Margarette Lincoln talks about her latest book, London and the 17th Century, which describes how a period blighted by plague, fire, revolution...

Medieval forgeries

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. Levi Roach explains who counterfeited medieval manuscripts and why   Forgery was the dirty li...

Daily life in ancient Egypt: everything you wanted to know

07 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley responds to listener questions about d...

Novelist Kate Mosse on The City of Tears

06 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Kate Mosse talks about her historical novel The City of Tears, which transports readers back to the Wars of Religion in 16th-century France  ...

The Dark Ages: a ‘black hole’ in Britain’s history

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Max Adams discusses his book The First Kingdom, Britain in the Age of Arthur, which pieces together the evidence to uncover what happened after the f...

1962: London’s big freeze

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Juliet Nicolson talks about her latest book, Frostquake, which tells the story of the frozen winter of 1962. As Britain shivered under a blan...

Edward I’s letters

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Kathleen Neal explains what we can learn about Edward I, the famously militaristic “Hammer of the Scots”, from his letters   Dr Kathleen Neal ...

Cary Grant: from humble beginnings to Hollywood icon

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Mark Glancy tells us about his latest book, Cary Grant: The Making of a Hollywood Legend, which chronicles the remarkable story of how Archiba...

Blitz spirit or broken morale?

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Crang investigates reports on British morale made during the Second World War and considers what they can tell us about the ‘Blitz spirit’...

The Black Death: everything you wanted to know

31 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor John Hatcher answers listener questions about the medieval pandemic, and reflects on how the Covid-19 crisis might shape our understanding o...

Why do we fight wars?

30 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret MacMillan gives a lecture on her book War: How Conflict Shaped Us, which explores the recurring reasons for conflict throughout history and ...

A guide to the Norse gods

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From Thor to Odin, Carolyne Larrington discusses the legendary figures of Viking mythology   Professor Carolyne Larrington discusses her book The Nor...

The hunt for Caesar’s killers

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author and journalist Sir Peter Stothard discusses his latest book, The Last Assassin, which chronicles the hunt for Julius Caesar’s murderers, a m...

Werewolves of the ancient world

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Daniel Ogden, author of new book The Werewolf in the Ancient World, explores the origins of the werewolf legend in stories from classical G...

Rich vs poor in Regency Britain

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Ian Mortimer discusses how a vast chasm between rich and poor marked society in the early 19th century Historian Ian Mortimer discusses the ...

Spectacular discoveries at Sutton Hoo

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of the release of the new film The Dig, Professor Martin Carver discusses the real story of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo Ahead of the rel...

The Persian empire: everything you wanted to know

24 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, an expert in ancient history, re...

The shipwreck that sank a royal dynasty

23 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a talk from our virtual lecture series, author Charles Spencer discusses his book The White Ship, which explores the story of England’s early No...

The NHS: a brief history

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Susan Cohen discusses how Britain’s National Health Service has changed over the decades since its landmark creation in 1948. She explore...

Rebuilding Europe after WW2

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Paul Betts discusses his book Ruin and Renewal, which explores how postwar regeneration after 1945 was inspired by the contested concept of...

How oceans shaped human civilisation

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski discusses the impact of oceans on human civilisations through history, from providing food to connecting tra...

Searching for freedom after the Holocaust

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rosie Whitehouse tells the story of a group of Holocaust survivors who sailed to Palestine in 1946, in defiance of the Royal Navy   Author and journa...

The race for vaccines: lessons from history

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the campaign to vaccinate the population against Covid-19 picks up pace, Gareth Williams explores previous efforts to combat lethal diseases, from ...

Britain’s Swinging Sixties: everything you wanted to know

17 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dominic Sandbrook answers popular search queries and listener questions about Britain in the 1960s   Did the Sixties really swing? Why did the decad...

MI9’s secret escape missions

16 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Helen Fry, author of MI9, gives a lecture on the secret service for escape and evasion, who led missions to help allied prisoners of war ma...

Hitler and Stalin: tyrants at war

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Laurence Rees compares the actions of the two dictators over the course of the Second World War   Historian, author and broadcaster Laurence Rees dis...

How historians helped build the British empire

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Priya Satia explores how historians helped advance the British empire, only to later become critics of imperialism   Professor Priya Satia discusses ...

When British pop invaded America

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Hepworth tells the story of the British rock bands – from the Beatles and Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin – who took the United States by sto...

The collapse of the Third Reich

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Frank McDonough discusses the second volume in his history of the Third Reich, The Hitler Years, which details how Nazi Germany fell from the peak of...

Domesday Book: medieval big data

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Baxter discusses the latest insights revealed by a new study of the 11th-century survey of England    Professor Stephen Baxter discusses the...

The Renaissance: everything you wanted to know

10 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry Brotton, professor of Renaissance studies at Queen Mary University of London, responds to listener questions and popular internet search queries...

The decline and death of Henry VIII

09 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Hutchinson gives a lecture on the Tudor monarch's final years, plagued by illness, bankruptcy, and thwarted ambitions In a lecture he delivered...

Was the 1990s a golden age for British South Asians?

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kavita Puri discusses the experiences of British South Asians during the 1990s and early 2000s. BBC journalist Kavita Puri discusses the new series of...

Editor’s pick: Ian Kershaw on postwar Europe

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from our archive, Ian Kershaw offers his take on how the continent has developed since the Second World War In this archive episode fr...

Brexit’s long historical roots

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Tombs discusses the historical background to Brexit, exploring Britain’s long and fluctuating relationship with Europe Professor Robert Tombs...

Editor’s pick: Lenin’s revolutionary train journey

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this archive episode, Catherine Merridale recounts how the future Soviet leader travelled to Petrograd in 1917 – a key moment in the Russian Revo...

The battle for Sicily, 1943

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

James Holland tells the story of the dramatic Allied assault on the island of Sicily in the Second World War Military historian James Holland tells th...

The Industrial Revolution: everything you wanted to know

03 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Griffin tackles internet search queries and questions submitted by listeners about Britain’s Industrial Revolution Emma Griffin tackles interne...

German Jews in WW1

02 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Grady gives a lecture exploring the varied experiences of German Jews in the First World War In a lecture he delivered at our 2019 History Weekend...

Bizarre books and macabre manuscripts

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Edward Brooke-Hitching discusses some of history’s strangest literary curiosities, from hoax manuscripts to tomes bound in human skin Edward Brooke-...

Bonnie Prince Charlie: hero or coward?

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jacqueline Riding considers whether the Jacobite prince was a valiant freedom fighter, or a haughty coward Ever since he led a failed Jacobite rebelli...

Editor’s pick: covert Catholicism in Elizabethan England

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from our archive, Jessie Childs tells the story of Tudor gentleman Thomas Tresham, whose faith set him at odds with the Virgin Queen I...

Thomas Becket: from murder to martyrdom

29 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Eight hundred and fifty years ago today, the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was brutally murdered in his cathedral. Dr Emily Guerry explains...

Bridgerton: ripping up the rulebook on Regency romance

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah Greig, historian and etiquette advisor to new Netflix show Bridgerton, joins us to talk about the historical detail that can be found in the dr...

The Wars of the Roses: everything you wanted to know about

27 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren Johnson responds to listener questions about the Wars of the Roses, the 15th-century clashes for the English throne between the houses of Lanca...

Editor’s pick: the Windrush generation

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from our archive, Colin Grant tells the stories of postwar immigrants who moved to Britain from the Caribbean In this archive episode,...

Our 2020 Christmas quiz

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Test your historical knowledge with our annual festive quiz, devised by QI writer Justin Pollard Join the HistoryExtra team for the return of our annu...

Editor’s pick: Ron Chernow on Alexander Hamilton

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from our archive, biographer Ron Chernow discusses the extraordinary life of the American Founding Father who inspired a hit musical I...

Christmas ghost stories

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Telling spooky tales at Christmastime is a very old tradition. Francis Young explains the origins of this custom and what it tells us Telling spooky t...

The history of Christmas: everything you wanted to know

20 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Did Cromwell ban mince pies? And why does Santa wear red? George Goodwin responds to listener questions and internet search queries on festive history...

A WW2 story of survival

19 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Cut Out Girl author Bart van Es gives a lecture on the Jewish children who survived the Holocaust by living in hiding in the Netherlands In a lec...

Editor’s pick: Were the suffragettes terrorists?

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this archive episode, historian Fern Riddell discusses her biography of suffrage campaigner Kitty Marion, which explores some of the darker aspects...

Ten things to do with a medieval donkey

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kathryn Smithies discusses the economic and cultural significance of donkeys in the Middle Ages    Kathryn Smithies, author of Introducing the Medi...

Hunting down the Portland Spy Ring

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and espionage historian Trevor Barnes discusses his book Dead Doubles, which details the thrilling 1960s MI5 investigation into the infamous P...

The gay MPs who opposed appeasement

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

MP and author Chris Bryant discusses his new book The Glamour Boys, which tells the story of group of young, queer British MPs who were some of the f...

Magna Carta: everything you wanted to know

13 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor David Carpenter responds to listener questions on the great medieval charter and its 800-year-long legacy   Professor David Carpenter respo...

Japan and the west

12 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Harding gives a lecture on Japan’s attempts to carve out a place for itself in a world dominated by western power and culture In a lecture he ...

Cundill Prize-winner Camilla Townsend on global history

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Camilla Townsend recently won the Cundill History Prize for Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs. Here, she talks about the book’s succ...

Castro and the trip that shaped the 1960s

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In September 1960, Fidel Castro visited New York City to give the opening address at the United Nations General Assembly. Historian Simon Hall, author...

Imperialism on the oceans

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sujit Sivasundaram discusses his book Waves across the South: A New History Revolution and Empire, which rewrites the story of the British ...

The International Brigades: fighting fascism in Spain

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Giles Tremlett discusses how more than 35,000 volunteers from across the globe fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War Historian, author and j...

The Glorious Revolution: everything you wanted to know

06 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How did James II’s replacement by William of Orange as king of England, Scotland and Ireland change the course of British history? Ted Vallance resp...

The orphan hero who fought at Trafalgar

05 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Helen Berry gives a lecture on the extraordinary story of an 18th-century foundling, George King In a lecture she delivered at our 2019 Chester Histo...