HistoryExtra podcast
Episodes
The Women Behind Lord Byron
14 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Miranda Seymour discusses the extraordinary lives of Annabella Milbanke and Ada Lovelace, the wife and daughter of Lord Byron Hosted on Acast. See aca...
The Entebbe raid
10 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As the film Entebbe is about to arrive in UK cinemas, historian and author Saul David reveals the extraordinary story of the Israeli operation to resc...
The failings of the French Revolution
07 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Clarke, author of a new history of the French Revolution, argues that we need to look afresh at the events of 1789 and beyond Hosted on Acast....
500 years of medicine
03 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Simon Bowman of the Royal College of Physicians, which is celebrating its 500th anniversary, about how the work of doctors has changed sin...
Were the suffragettes terrorists?
30 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Fern Riddell talks about her new biography of suffrage campaigner Kitty Marion, which explores some of the darker aspects of the campaign fo...
1983: the Cold War almost goes nuclear
26 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Taylor Downing describes the events of the Able Archer scare, which nearly witnessed global Armageddon when the Soviets misread t...
Economists who changed the world
23 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author and economist Linda Yueh discusses the work and legacy of some of history’s greatest economic thinkers, revealing some of the lessons they mi...
Medieval bodies
19 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Art historian Jack Hartnell talks about his new book Medieval Bodies, which offers some fascinating perspectives on the ways people in the middle ages...
Africa’s contested past
16 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Tom Young and Emma Dabiri explore how Africa’s past has affected its present in a discussion prompted by the themes of Tom’s new book, ...
Shakespeare’s greatest actor
12 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of his BBC Radio 3 documentary Exit Burbage, the journalist and author Andrew Dickson explores the remarkable career of Richard Burbage, a Jacob...
The Vietnam War on film
09 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Acclaimed filmmaker Lynn Novick describes the making of an epic documentary series on the conflict in Vietnam, which she has co-directed with Ken Burn...
Medieval mystics
05 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Medieval historian Hetta Howes reveals the extreme lengths to which women in the Middle Ages went to get closer to God and discusses how mystics were ...
A quick history of France
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author John Julius Norwich reflects on some of the key moments in France’s history and relates a few of the more unusual and scandalou...
Creating the SAS
29 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by John Lewes, nephew and biographer of Jock Lewes, to talk about how his uncle helped found one of the world’s most famous special fo...
Opposing the Nazis
26 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Scott Kellner talks about the extraordinary diary of his German grandfather, Friedrich, who recorded his observations of many of the Third Reic...
The history of today
22 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historical novelist and broadcaster Sarah Dunant expands on her new BBC Radio 4 series When Greeks Flew Kites, which uses the past to illuminate moder...
The postwar world
19 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Keith Lowe joins us to talk about his book The Fear and the Freedom, which explores the legacy of the Second World War on the dec...
The Marshall Plan and the Cold War
15 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Economist and author Benn Steil explains the background to the 1947 US aid initiative to Europe and describes how it helped shape relations between th...
Ruth Ellis: the last woman to be hanged in Britain
12 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of her new BBC Four series The Ruth Ellis Files, Gillian Pachter explores the controversial case of a British woman who was hanged for murder in...
Vikings on screen
08 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to the acclaimed screenwriter and producer Michael Hirst about his work on the smash hit series Vikings and the secrets of creating blockbust...
Music and revolution
05 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Music expert Graham Griffiths discusses the 20th-century pianist and composer Leokadiya Kashperova, whose career was blighted by the events of the Rus...
Schama on Civilisations
01 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As the major new BBC arts history series Civilisations is due to air, we speak to Simon Schama, one of its three presenters, to discuss the making of ...
Science and suffrage
26 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian of science Patricia Fara discusses her new book A Lab of One’s Own, which explores the challenges facing women scientists in the First Wor...
The Terracotta Warriors
22 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
With a new exhibition open in Liverpool featuring a group of Terracotta Warriors, Edward Burman explores the fascinating history of these ancient Chin...
BBC Arabic at 80
19 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the year that BBC Arabic celebrates its 80th anniversary, we speak to the network’s Communication Advisor, Wissam El Sayegh, about the BBC’s hi...
The World Cup story
15 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
With this year’s tournament in Russia only a few months away, we speak to veteran football writer Brian Glanville about the 88-year history of this ...
The Spanish Flu pandemic
12 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Catharine Arnold joins us to discuss her new book Pandemic: 1918, which explores the story of the influenza outbreak that caused devastation across th...
The Pankhursts
08 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of our two episodes marking the centenary of (some) women being granted the vote in Britain, historian June Purvis considers the role of...
The Suffragettes
05 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the centenary of (some) British women being granted the vote, historian and author Diane Atkinson explores the stories of the suffrage ...
Elizabeth’s love rival
01 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Nicola Tallis explores the life of Lettice Knollys, who was a leading figure at the Tudor court until she enraged the Virgin Quee...
Britain’s secret wartime prison
29 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Helen Fry shares her discoveries about the Cage, a clandestine British interrogation centre, where extreme methods were used to extract info...
Living with the oceans
25 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe meets with historian David Abulafia to discuss humanity’s relationship with the Mediterranean and the Atlantic since an...
The story of the Bayeux Tapestry
22 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Following the announcement that the Noman embroidery may soon be heading to Britain, historian Kathryn Hurlock tackles some of the big questions relat...
East End Crime
18 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
John Bennett delves into the dark history of disorder and lawlessness in London’s East End From Jack the Ripper to the Kray twins, historian and tou...
Prisoners of war
15 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Clare Makepeace joins us to discuss her new book Captives of War, which draws on first-hand testimonies to examine the experiences of Britis...
Mary Shelley and her monster
11 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Fiona Sampson, author of a new biography of Mary Shelley, discusses the remarkable life of the Frankenstein author and considers what her story can te...
The tragedy of Lady Jane Grey
08 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Historian, author and broadcaster Helen Castor describes the short, but dramatic, life and reign of England’s ‘Nine Days Queen’, who is the subj...
Hamilton: the man behind the musical
04 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We explore the amazing life story of Alexander Hamilton, with Ron Chernow, whose biography of the American Founding Father inspired the hip-hop musica...
Churchill’s darkest hour
02 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Antony McCarten, writer of the new historical blockbuster Darkest Hour, considers whether the British leader came close to seeking peace with Hitler i...
1917: The world at war
28 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned First World War historian Professor David Stevenson explores the Russian Revolution, the Balfour Declaration, Passchendaele, and American ent...
Christmas history quiz
25 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The History Extra team present our annual festive quiz, testing your history knowledge with a Christmas twist. The questions have been set, as always,...
Alfred the Great and science at Christmas
21 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Max Adams discusses the famed Anglo-Saxon king and considers whether he deserves his stellar reputation. Meanwhile, we team up wi...
The origins of civilisation
18 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Yale political scientist James C Scott talks to us about his new book, Against the Grain, which explores some of the key questions around early agricu...
Cornwell on Shakespeare
14 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by the world-renowned historical novelist Bernard Cornwell who shares the story behind his latest book Fools and Mortals, which explores...
Eating with Dickens
11 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Food historian and author Pen Vogler explores the Victorian diet and recipes through the life and works of 19th-century Britain’s best-known writer ...
Animals that changed us
07 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The academic, author and broadcaster Alice Roberts talks to us about her new book Tamed, which explores some of the most important relationships peopl...
Britain on the edge
04 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The historian and journalist Simon Heffer ranges over class, empire, politics. scandals and suffrage in an exploration of Britain in the years leading...
Black Tudors
30 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Miranda Kaufmann, author of Black Tudors: The Unknown Story, explores the lives of several Africans who resided in 16th-century England Host...
Victorian medicine
27 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art, delves into the terrifying world of 19th-century hospitals and shows how scientific advances even...
The history of sleep
23 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Sasha Handley explores the bedtime routines of the early modern period and considers what lessons today’s sleepers can draw from past cent...
Charles II on the run
20 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We join historian and author Charles Spencer on location at Boscobel House to discuss Charles II’s desperate flight from parliamentarian forces at t...
Demons and shipwrecks
16 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
To accompany their upcoming events in the UK-wide Being Human festival, Kasia Szpakowska discusses her research into Ancient Egyptian demonology, whil...
Drinking history
13 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Forsyth, author of A Short History of Drunkenness, draws on fascinating examples from across the globe to explore humanity’s longstanding relat...
Britain’s Chinese army
09 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Frances Wood and Spencer Jones, who are both contributors to the upcoming Channel 4 documentary Britain’s Forgotten Army, reflect on the ...
The Last Kamikazes
06 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
BBC journalist Mariko Oi discusses her experiences of interviewing some of the last survivors of the notorious Japanese raids in World War Two, in adv...
How networks shape history
02 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The renowned historian, author and broadcaster Niall Ferguson reveals the ways networks have transformed our world, from the medieval era to the socia...
The search for King Arthur
30 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Archaeologist Dr Miles Russell talks to us about his bold new theory on the legendary British ruler, which is based on a reinterpretation of Geoffrey ...
The Medici
26 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Mary Hollingsworth reflects on the powerful dynasty who dominated the Italian Renaissance but whose tale also includes tyranny, c...
The death of Stalin
23 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Joshua Rubenstein discusses the dramatic events surrounding the death of Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1953, now the subject of a major new ...
The Gunpowder Plot
19 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Hannah Greig and John Cooper, who are consultants on the new BBC drama Gunpowder, explore the story of the 1605 attempt to blow up the king...
Living with the Gods
16 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Former British Museum director Neil MacGregor talks about his new BBC Radio 4 series Living with the Gods, and the accompanying exhibition, which toge...
Richard III reconsidered
12 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and politician Chris Skidmore discusses his major new biography of the Yorkist king, offering his take on pivotal moments such as Richard’...
The Munich Conference
09 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The acclaimed historical novelist Robert Harris talks to us about his new book Munich, which explores the events of September 1938 where Neville Chamb...
The world of the Scythians
05 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We explore some of the most fascinating objects in the British Museum’s new exhibition about this nomadic warrior people who flourished 2,500 years ...
Starkey on the Reformation
02 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of his BBC Two documentary to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the historian and broadcaster David Starkey offers his views on Mar...
Tales of war
28 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The distinguished authors and broadcasters Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan discuss their new book War Stories, which explores some remarkable incidents o...
Victoria the matchmaker
25 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and TV producer Deborah Cadbury discusses her new book Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking, which reveals how the 19th-century British monarch sough...
Christianity and the classical world
21 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Classicist and journalist Catherine Nixey talks about her new book The Darkening Age with Professor Edith Hall. Their discussion explores the momentou...
The Ukrainian famine
18 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Anne Applebaum discusses her new book Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, which charts the events of the devastating 1932–33 f...
The Knights Templar
14 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a special extended-length episode popular historian Dan Jones is joined by Dr Suzannah Lipscomb to discuss his new book The Templars, which explore...
William Marshal: the greatest knight
11 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend event, medieval historian Thomas Asbridge reflects on the remarkable career of William Marshal who served five...
The History Hot 100
07 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Greg Jenner and Joanne Paul join us to talk about the results of our 2017 History Hot 100 survey. We asked you to tell us which historical ...
Viking Britain
04 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Thomas Williams of the British Museum about his new book Viking Britain: An Exploration, which offers a fresh take on several centuries of...
A deadly royal favourite?
31 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and broadcaster Benjamin Woolley explores the very close relationship between James VI and I and his favourite the Duke of Buckingham. He also ...
Queen Victoria behind closed doors
29 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Professor Jane Ridley reveals some lesser-known aspects of the 19th-century monarch’s life in a talk that she delivered at our ...
Friends or Enemies? Anglo-French relations
24 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Fabrice Bensimon and Renaud Morieux explore the complex relationship between France and Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was an e...
Migrating to Britain
21 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Clair Wills of Princeton University discusses her new book Lovers and Strangers, which explores the lives of people from across the globe who moved to...
The Jarrow March
17 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and BBC broadcaster Stuart Maconie reflects on the iconic 1936 protest against poverty and unemployment. He also describes his experiences of r...
Witchcraft through the ages
14 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Professor Ronald Hutton about his new book The Witch, which reveals how societies throughout the globe have lived in fear of witchcraft fo...
Icelandic murder mystery
10 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to filmmaker Dylan Howitt, director of a new BBC Four documentary entitled Out of Thin Air, which explores the story of a double disappearanc...
China in World War Two
07 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Expert historians Hans van de Ven and Rana Mitter discuss China’s lengthy war against Japan and consider its impact on the country’s civil war and...
The Koh-i-Noor
03 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author William Dalrymple and BBC journalist Anita Anand join us to discuss their new history of the Koh-i-Noor, the famed Indian diamond...
Living through Partition
31 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Kavita Puri, presenter of the new BBC Radio 4 series Partition Voices, which tells the story of the turbulent birth of India and Pakistan ...
The lost objects of South Asia
27 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Kanishk Tharoor talks about the latest series of BBC Radio 4’s Museum of Lost Objects, which explores the heritage of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh...
The brilliance of Henry James
24 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In advance of a major new Henry James season on BBC Radio 4, Professor Sarah Churchwell explores the life and work of the great Anglo-American author,...
The English in America
20 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author James Evans talks to us about his new book Emigrants, which explains why hundreds of thousands of English people decided to make ...
Germany’s World War Two
18 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk that he delivered at our recent World War Two event in Bristol, Professor Nicholas Stargardt reflects on how the Second World War was experi...
Voices of the Cold War
13 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by the BBC journalist Bridget Kendall who picks out some of the most fascinating stories that feature in her new book and Radio 4 series...
A legendary spymaster
10 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historical author Henry Hemming discusses the life and career of Maxwell Knight, an eccentric spymaster and nature enthusiast who may have inspired th...
Hans Sloane and the British Museum
06 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and historian James Delbourgo discusses his new book Collecting the World, which explores the life of the 18th-century natural historian Hans S...
Female flyers in Nazi Germany
03 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and biographer Clare Mulley discusses her new book The Women Who Flew for Hitler, which explores the lives of two remarkable women who became l...
Children at war
29 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Emma Butcher reflects on the experiences of child soldiers throughout history, ranging from Ancient Sparta to the Hitler Youth and recent co...
The Second World War
22 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
James Holland discusses the second book in his The War in the West trilogy with John Buckley, focusing on the years 1941-43. Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Jane Austen and Tudor London
15 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley shares her thoughts on the Georgian novelist who is the subject of her new biography. Meanwhile, Professor Step...
Medieval manuscripts and the First World War
08 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher de Hamel discusses his recent book Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts, which has just won the Wolfson History Prize. Meanwhile, we speak...
The Six-Day War and the Great Fire of London
01 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Matthew Hughes reflects on a brief, but hugely-important, Arab-Israeli conflict that began 50 years ago this month and continues to have an...
Civil wars and Restoration England
25 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard professor David Armitage explores how internal conflicts have changed through history and considers what lessons can be learned for the wars o...
England’s bloody Reformation
18 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As we near the 500th anniversary of the European Reformation, Professor Peter Marshall explores how the events impacted on England. He explains how He...
Queen Victoria’s dinners and Henry VIII’s niece
11 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Food historian and broadcaster Annie Gray explores the eating habits of Britain’s second-longest reigning monarch and compares them to the typical V...
Martin Luther and the making of the USA
04 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Lyndal Roper explores the life of the father of the Reformation and considers his impact on Protestant history. Meanwhile, we speak to Misha...