HistoryExtra podcast

Melvyn Bragg on Heloise and Abelard

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg discusses the 12th-century French thinkers Peter Abelard and Heloise, and the enduring love story at the ...

Exploring Britain’s cathedrals

11 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Travel writer Christopher Somerville discusses his experiences of visiting some of Britain’s historic cathedrals and explains what they can tell us ...

The Scottish Clearances

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Tom Devine explores one of the most traumatic moments in Scottish history and explains how a number of misconceptions still exist around the...

King John: medieval monster

04 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Nicholas Vincent discusses the life and reign of the infamous 13th-century monarch, whose reign saw military disasters abroad and the sealin...

World War Two's 'ordinary' soldiers

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Military historian Jonathan Fennell discusses his new book, which explores the experiences of citizen soldiers from Britain, its empire and commonweal...

Rethinking the crusades

28 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Nicholas Paul explores some little known aspects of the crusades and also considers why this aspect of medieval history has inspired the far...

The women killed by Jack the Ripper

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hallie Rubenhold discusses her new book The Five, which uses the untold stories of Jack the Ripper’s victims to reveal what life was like for worki...

The global Vikings

21 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Medieval historian Levi Roach describes how the Norse people travelled, raided and settled far beyond their Scandinavian homeland, even journeying acr...

Henry VI: terrible king

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Lauren Johnson discusses the life and reign of Henry VI, whose decades on the throne coincided with defeat in the Hundred Years’...

Churchill's navy

14 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Matthew Seligmann describes the changes made by Winston Churchill to the Royal Navy in the years leading up to the First World War – rangi...

Victorian murder scandal

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author and biographer Claire Harman talks to us about a 19th-century killing that drew in the literary world, including Dickens and Thackeray. Hosted ...

Rutger Bregman: historian in the news

07 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We speak to Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, who recently hit the headlines with his appearance at the World Economic Forum and an unaired interview on...

King George V at war

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Alexandra Churchill considers the impact of the British monarch on the First World War, and explores the question of whether he could have done more t...

Schools through time

28 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Former education secretary Alan Johnson discusses the history of schooling since the Victorian era, which is the subject of his new series on BBC Radi...

Bart van Es on The Cut Out Girl

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Bart van Es talks to us about The Cut Out Girl, which was recently announced as the Costa Book of the Year. He explains how his family took...

Medieval warrior queen

21 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Catherine Hanley tells the story of Empress Matilda, the daughter of Henry I whose battle with Stephen for the English throne in the 12th c...

A global history of philosophy

18 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Philosopher and author Julian Baggini speaks about his new book, How the World Thinks, in conversation with the historian Justin Champion. Hosted on A...

Love in Georgian times

14 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For our Valentine’s Day episode, historian Sally Holloway explores the nature of courtship, love and marriage in 18th-century Britain, highlighting ...

Eric Hobsbawm: history and politics

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Richard J Evans discusses his new biography of Eric Hobsbawm, the influential 20th-century historian who was famously – and sometimes cont...

The story of modern Japan

07 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Christopher Harding explores Japan’s dramatic history over the past 150 years, considering its relationship with the west and the cultural impact...

War and music

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

BBC broadcaster John Simpson discusses the connections between classical music and some of the most notable events of the mid-20th century, from Worl...

Bonus Episode: How technology is changing politics

02 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition, produced by our friends from the Science Focus podcast, Jamie Susskind explains how the politics of the future will be shaped...

A Roman woman of great power

31 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Emma Southon explores the extraordinary life of Agrippina the Younger, who was the wife of Claudius, the mother of Nero and the sister of Ca...

World-changing women

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jenni Murray, longstanding presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, discusses her new book, which tells the stories of some of the most fascinati...

Legacies of the Holocaust

24 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historians Mary Fulbrook and Richard J Evans explore the aftermath of the Nazi genocide, looking at how thousands of perpetrators escaped justice and ...

Diversity in history

21 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Olivette Otele, who recently became Britain’s first black female professor of history, joins Dr Sadiah Qureshi of the University of Birmingham to di...

The story of the Hurricane

17 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Joel Hammer, producer of the new BBC World Service podcast The Hurricane Tapes, revisits the life of Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, the American boxer...

Mary, Queen of Scots’ tragic life

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian, author and broadcaster Kate Williams tells the dramatic story of the 16th-century Scottish queen and reflects on her doomed relationship wi...

The true history of The Favourite

10 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historians Amanda Vickery, Hallie Rubenhold and Hannah Greig discuss the acclaimed new historical drama The Favourite and consider how accurately it r...

Remarkable women through history

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Max Adams, author of Unquiet Women, explores the lives of some remarkable women from history whose stories have been largely forgotten. He also overt...

Egypt’s lost tombs

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Egyptologist, author and broadcaster Chris Naunton talks about the search for the resting places of famous Egyptians such as Nefertiti and Cleopatra H...

Medieval civil war

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian, author and broadcaster Nick Barratt explores the dynastic clashes between Henry II and his ambitious sons for control of the Plantagenet cr...

Indians in World War One

27 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Santanu Das explores the experiences of Indians who fought in and were affected by the First World War and explains how he has utilised a wi...

2018 Christmas history quiz

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Join the BBC History Magazine team for the return of our annual Christmas history quiz with questions set by QI writer Justin Pollard. Read the t...

Bess of Hardwick: a Tudor success story

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Hubbard, biographer of Bess of Hardwick, explores the fascinating life of a Tudor woman who rose from relative obscurity to become one of the ric...

Wonders of the Middle Ages

17 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kathleen Doyle and Tuija Ainonen discuss a major Anglo-French project that has made hundreds of medieval manuscripts available for the public to view ...

Letters that changed the world

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore describes some of history’s most fascinating and important letters, from Mark Antony’s tho...

Black radicalism with Kehinde Andrews

10 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, discusses his new book, Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 2...

Napoleon: the insecure emperor

06 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Adam Zamoyski, author of a new biography of Napoleon, offers his views on the iconic French leader, exploring how his stellar career was dri...

History in colour

03 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Popular historian Dan Jones and digital artist Marina Amaral discuss their groundbreaking book The Colour of Time, which uses colourised photographs t...

Walter Ralegh: enemy of the state

29 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Beer, biographer of Walter Ralegh, explores the extraordinary life and incendiary legacy of the Tudor polymath. She reveals how he became a favou...

The Germans who fought Hitler

26 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Paddy Ashdown tells the stories of German opponents of Nazism who plotted to bring down Hitler’s regime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...

Hunting Britain’s Nazis

22 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Robert Hutton talks about his new book Agent Jack, which describes the activities of Nazi sympathisers in Britain during World W...

Tales from D-Day

19 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Author and historian Giles Milton describes some dramatic but lesser-known stories of soldiers and civilians who were involved in the Normandy landing...

Bernard Cornwell on the Last Kingdom

15 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As the third series of the Anglo-Saxon drama is about to air, we speak to the renowned historical novelist Bernard Cornwell about his books that inspi...

Nietzsche’s dangerous ideas

12 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The award-winning biographer Sue Prideaux discusses the life and work of the influential 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and explains how...

Dan Snow on shell shock

08 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The popular historian discusses war trauma over the past century, the subject of his upcoming BBC Two documentary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

The end of the First World War

05 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the centenary of the Armistice, Gary Sheffield explores the final moments of the conflict that devastated the world for four and a half...

Mike Leigh on Peterloo

01 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The acclaimed writer and director talks about the creation of his major new historical epic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

The Peterloo Massacre

29 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Jacqueline Riding discusses the tragic events of August 1819 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn m...

Anglo-Saxon treasures

25 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Claire Breay, lead curator of a major new Anglo-Saxons exhibition at the British Library, explores the cultural highlights of 600 years of English his...

Thomas Cromwell reconsidered

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Diarmaid MacCulloch discusses his new book on the Tudor statesman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your a...

A new life of Churchill

18 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The historian and author Andrew Roberts discusses his new biography of Winston Churchill, revealing some of the insights arising from his research and...

Peter Jackson on the First World War

15 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We speak to the Lord of the Rings director about They Shall Not Grow Old, his ambitious new film that recreates the First World War in colour Hosted o...

Adventures in Iceland

11 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

With the aid of his recently discovered diaries, Katherine Findlay tells the unusual story of Pike Ward – a Devon fish merchant who became an Icelan...

Brexit and American independence

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Tom Cutterham compares the ongoing negotiations to take Britain out of the EU with those of the 1780s when the United States departed from t...

Bonus Episode: Identifying Jack the Ripper

07 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition, produced by our friends from the Science Focus podcast, criminologist David Wilson applies the latest scientific techniques i...

The Nazi on the run

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The author and barrister Philippe Sands discusses the incredible story of Otto von Wächter, which forms the basis of his new BBC podcast and Radio 4 ...

The spy who changed the cold war

01 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling historical author Ben Macintyre talks to us about his new book, The Spy and the Traitor, which tells the remarkable story of a KGB double ...

Queen Victoria by Lucy Worsley

27 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We head to Kensington Palace, once home to the young Victoria, to discuss the queen’s life with the author, historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley H...

Neil Oliver’s history of the British Isles

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The archaeologist and broadcaster Neil Oliver talks about some of the highlights of his new book, which charts the history of the British Isles throug...

The good war?

20 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Peter Hitchens discusses his new book, The Phoney Victory, which challenges a number of popular beliefs about the Second World W...

The extraordinary history of ordinary things

17 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historians Sam Willis and James Daybell explore some of the fascinating stories that appear in their Histories of the Unexpected book and podcast, fro...

A half-hour history of Europe

13 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Author and journalist Simon Jenkins is joined by Professor Kathleen Burk to discuss his forthcoming Short History of Europe, which explores some of th...

Dissent through the centuries

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Private Eye editor and broadcaster Ian Hislop is joined by curator Tom Hockhenhull to discuss some of the themes and objects that appear in their ...

Who should we commemorate?

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Lawrence Goldman explores the issues surrounding monuments to controversial historical figures in light of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign and...

Scots and Catalans

03 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Sir John Elliott explores the long histories of Scottish and Catalan nationalism and considers some of the key similarities and differences ...

100 women who changed the world

30 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historians Joanne Paul, Olivette Otele and June Purvis dissect the results of our recent poll into history’s most important women, which saw Marie C...

Charles de Gaulle reconsidered

28 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Julian Jackson, author of a major new biography of Charles de Gaulle, offers a fresh take on the iconic French leader, exploring his role in...

Female spies of the Civil War era

23 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Nadine Akkerman introduces a number of remarkable women who acted as secret agents in the 17th century Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Captain Cook’s Endeavour

20 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Peter Moore talks about HMS Endeavour, the ship that carried Cook on his landmark voyage to the Pacific 250 years ago Hosted on ...

Dan Jones on the secrets of popular history

17 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian, author and broadcaster Dan Jones talks to us about his career, his latest projects and how he combines swimming with his love of the past H...

Mary Beard’s life in Classics

16 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We pay a visit to the renowned Cambridge classicist to discuss her career, her passion for the ancient world and her desire to share her expertise wit...

Historical fact and fiction

15 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Tracy Borman describes the process of writing her first historical novel, set in the era of King James VI & I and the European wi...

Ian Kershaw on postwar Europe

14 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For the 500th episode of the History Extra podcast we are joined by Professor Sir Ian Kershaw, who appeared in our very first programme. This time the...

Inside the mind of Elizabeth I

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of five special programmes to mark our upcoming 500th episode, historian, author and broadcaster Helen Castor explores the psychology of ...

Britons under Nazi rule

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historical author Duncan Barrett tells the stories of Channel Islanders who spent several years living under German occupation during World War Two Ho...

Islam’s struggle with modernity

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Husain, author of The House of Islam, meets with the historian Tom Holland to explore the roots of some of the challenges Muslims face in the 21st ...

Britain’s foreign policy secrets

02 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Rory Cormac discusses his new book Disrupt and Deny, which investigates Britain’s use of spies and special forces for covert operations in...

The Tommies’ final acts

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Ruffle, creator of the BBC Radio 4 historical drama Tommies, explores the situation on the front line in August 1918 as the First World War a...

Catholics in Elizabethan England

26 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Jessie Childs tells the story of Thomas Tresham, a Tudor gentleman who built a remarkable monument to his Catholic faith and risked the ange...

Rethinking 20th-century Britain

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor David Edgerton explains why we need to revise our understanding of recent British history, from the world wars to the welfare state Hosted o...

Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary life

19 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On the centenary of Mandela’s birth, we speak to the politician and author Peter Hain about the South African leader’s remarkable achievements in ...

The murder of the Romanovs

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historical author Helen Rappaport explains why the last Russian tsar and his family met a violent end in 1918 and considers whether Britain could have...

Britain’s refugee camps

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Jordanna Bailkin discusses her new book, Unsettled, which explores the experiences of people of several different nationalities who fled to ...

Spies through the ages

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Christopher Andrew discusses his new book The Secret World, which explores the history of intelligence and espionage from ancient times unti...

Making the modern world

05 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We are joined by bestselling historical author Simon Winchester, who reveals how some of history’s greatest engineers helped create the industrial a...

Ireland’s past and present

02 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Jane Ohlmeyer discusses a new multi-volume history of Ireland and explains how the past continues to affect Anglo-Irish relations today Host...

Sherwood Forest through the ages

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough, presenter of a BBC Radio 3 series on forests, takes a trip to the home of Robin Hood to explore how forests have shaped ...

The national debt dilemma

25 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Economist Martin Slater charts 350 years of British government borrowing – from the Glorious Revolution to the 2008 financial crisis – and conside...

Restoring women’s voices

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Jackson, joint founder of East End Women’s Museum, explores how historical women are currently commemorated and how this might be done better ...

The history of manners

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Distinguished historian Sir Keith Thomas reflects on how concepts of civility and civilisation shaped society in the early modern period Hosted on Aca...

World War One at home

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Maggie Andrews, historical consultant on the BBC Radio 4 drama series Home Front, joins us to reveal how the First World War was affecting B...

Grenfell Tower: from hope to tragedy

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of the BBC Two documentary Before Grenfell: A Hidden History, architect Peter Deakins discusses his involvement in the creation of the tower blo...

Britain’s Catholic emancipation

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed historian and author Antonia Fraser joins us to discuss her new book The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Rights 1829 Hosted on Acast. ...

The mystery of Donald Maclean

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Author and editor Roland Philipps discusses A Spy Named Orphan, his new biography of the enigmatic Cambridge spy Donald Maclean Hosted on Acast. See a...

America’s changing dream

31 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sarah Churchwell and fellow historian Adam IP Smith explore some of the ideas in her new book Behold, America, which traces the history of A...

Challenging British heroes

29 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of her new Channel 4 series, the author and broadcaster Afua Hirsch argues that we need to seriously revise our understanding of the likes of Ne...

Jane Seymour: Henry VIII’s favourite queen

24 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling author and historian Alison Weir discusses the life and tragic death of the Tudor king’s third wife, who bore him his long-awaited male ...

The remarkable history of the Netherlands

21 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In advance of his new BBC Radio 4 series, the journalist and broadcaster Misha Glenny reflects on some of the key moments in the Netherlands’ story:...