HistoryExtra podcast

The amazing history of Egypt

07 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2015 History Weekend event, Professor Joann Fletcher, presenter of the BBC series Immortal Egypt, explores the story of this rem...

Victorian bakers and the Leningrad symphony

31 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and TV presenter Alex Langlands explains how bread making in the 19th century differed from today. Meanwhile, music expert Tom Service tells...

2015 Christmas history quiz

24 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Test your trivia knowledge with our podcast pub quiz. The questions have been devised by QI’s Justin Pollard Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...

Britain’s railways and the Titanic

17 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Bradley, author of The Railways: Nation, Network and People talks to us about a British transport revolution. Meanwhile, we pay a visit to Titan...

A history of red hair and amazing animals

10 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jacky Colliss Harvey charts the fascinating history of red-headedness from ancient times until the present day. Meanwhile, Stephen Moss talks about hi...

The Battle of the Atlantic and the history of Spain

03 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Dimbleby describes the pivotal World War Two naval clash, while Marion Milne talks about a new BBC Four series on Spain through the ages Host...

Shakespeare in 1606 and Olympic swimmers

26 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor James Shapiro talks to us about his new book 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, a follow-up to his acclaimed 1599. Meanwhile th...

The Peasants’ Revolt and a Cold War spy

19 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg introduces his latest historical novel, Now is the Time, which centres on the 14th-cenury uprising. Meanwhile, we ...

Ancient Rome special

12 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Classical historian and broadcaster Mary Beard talks to us about her new one-volume history of Rome entitled SPQR. Meanwhile, we speak to the bestsell...

The end of the Cold War and British culture

05 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Robert Service describes how the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union – Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev – brought about a d...

World War Two spies and an extraordinary naturalist

29 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling military historian Sir Max Hastings joins us to discuss his new book The Secret War. Meanwhile, we speak to historian and author Andrea Wu...

The Last Kingdom and Agincourt

28 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bernard Cornwell talks about his books that inspired the new TV drama The Last Kingdom, while Anne Curry discusses Agincourt ahead of the 600th annive...

A year in medieval England

15 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Cambridge historian and BBC Making History presenter Helen Castor interviews medieval historian Dan Jones about his new book, Realm Divided, which exp...

The Brontës and a revolutionary artist

08 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Brontë’s latest biographer, Claire Harman, visits the home of three remarkable literary sisters. Meanwhile, broadcaster and historian Loy...

New views on the Holocaust and 1980s Britain

01 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Yale historian Timothy Snyder discusses Black Earth, his bold new study of the Nazi genocide of the Jews. Meanwhile, we speak to Andy Beckett whose la...

Celts special

24 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the British Museum's major new exhibition, Celts: Art and Identity, opens, curator Julia Farley guides us around some of the most important and int...

The Somme and the Jacobites

18 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Andrew Roberts talks to us about his new book on the opening day of one of World War One's bloodiest battles. Meanwhile, Professor Christoph...

Roman emperors and women through the ages

10 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Holland speaks to us about his new book on the first five Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Meanwhile, we're joined...

North Sea oil and the Blitz

03 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

BBC Radio 4 presenter James Naughtie talks to us about his new series that charts the history of Britain's oil boom, which began 40 years ago. Meanwhi...

Killing Mussolini

27 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2014 History Weekend, historian Roderick Bailey describes the attempts of Britain's SOE to assassinate the Italian Fascist leade...

Ancient cities and the Norman conquest

20 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Classical historian Andrew Wallace-Hadrill explains how the great cities of Athens and Rome functioned in the ancient world. Meanwhile, medieval exper...

Crusade logistics and the battle over the slave trade

13 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford historian Christopher Tyerman talks to us about his new book How to Plan a Crusade. Meanwhile, we pay a visit to the University of Cambridge wh...

The Pacific War and First World War black soldiers

06 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Francis Pike challenges some commonly-held assumptions about World War Two in Asia, as we reach the 70th anniversary of the attack on Hirosh...

Ancient thinkers and the history of madness

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes discusses three of history's greatest philosophers: Socrates, Confucius and the Buddha, who all feature in he...

Witch trials and feuding queens

23 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Robert Poole visits Lancaster Castle, scene of the dramatic 1612 trials of the Pendle witches. Meanwhile, we're joined by Nancy Goldstone wh...

Anglo-Saxon saints and British slave-owners

16 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford historian Janina Ramirez picks out some of the most remarkable saints from the early medieval period. Meanwhile, historian and broadcaster Davi...

Regency scandal and the history of canals

09 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historical author Geraldine Roberts talks about a disastrous Georgian marriage that filled the newspapers of the day. Meanwhile, Professor Emma Griffi...

India at war and mining accidents

02 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Yasmin Khan talks about her new book, The Raj at War, which explores the impact of World War Two on the people of India, many of whom fought...

Terror in Elizabethan England

25 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2014 History Weekend in Malmesbury, Tudor historian Jessie Childs describes how Catholics were suppressed during the reign of th...

Waterloo 200 special

18 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As we reach the bicentenary of the battle of Waterloo, expert historians Julian Humphrys and Tim Blanning reveal how Napoleon was finally defeated, an...

The real King John and the BBC in World War Two

11 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As we reach the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, historians Stephen Church and Marc Morris offer their views on the controversial king who sealed the...

Queen Victoria at home and a new Civil War museum

04 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Ridley, biographer of Queen Victoria, guides us around Osborne on the Isle of Wight where the queen and Prince Albert used to reside. Meanwhile, ...

The Battle of the Bulge and children of the Holocaust

28 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Military historian Antony Beevor offers a fresh interpretation of the 1944 Ardennes offensive that represented Hitler's final attempt to turn the tide...

The history of India and a terrible explosion

21 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sunil Khilnani joins us to talk about his new BBC Radio 4 series Incarnations, which tells the story of India through the lives of its most ...

Wolfson History Prize 2015 special

14 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The winners of this year's Wolfson History Prize, Richard Vinen and Alexander Watson, join Rob Attar for a discussion about their books on the First W...

VE Day special

07 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Richard Overy describes the situation in Britain and Europe as the Second World War came to an end. Meanwhile, we're joined by TV producer S...

Magna Carta and the Holocaust

30 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

David Starkey, one of Britain's best-known historians, joins us to offer his views on the Great Charter as it approaches its 800th anniversary. Meanwh...

Medieval universities and an unlikely friendship

23 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Hannah Skoda pays a visit to Merton College in Oxford to explore the origins of one of the world's most famous educational institutions. Mea...

Gallipoli and famine

16 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli, Australian writer Peter FitzSimons describes the disastrous Allied campaign of 1915. Meanwhile, historian...

Saladin and suffragettes

09 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

John Man – author of a new biography of Saladin – explains how the medieval Muslim leader was able to triumph over the crusaders. Meanwhile, we ta...

Science and St Peter

02 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Steven Weinberg discusses his new book that charts thousands of years of scientific discovery. Meanwhile, actor and TV p...

The history of immigration

26 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode is an immigration history special. Historians Robin Fleming and Mark Ormrod draw on the latest research to examine the lives of mi...

Richard III reburial special

19 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

With just a few days to go until the reburial of the last Plantagenet king in Leicester Cathedral, we speak to two experts with close connections to t...

Food from the past and the history of illegitimacy

12 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the new BBC TV series Back in Time for Dinner is due to air, we talk to food writer Mary Gwynn about how our mealtime tastes have changed over the ...

Shakespeare and war in the Middle East

05 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Hodgman visits Stratford-upon-Avon to explore the birthplace of William Shakespeare in the company of expert Paul Edmondson. Meanwhile, Oxfo...

The life of Keynes and a trip to Ancient Greece

26 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed biographer Richard Davenport-Hines talks to Matt Elton about his new book on the 20th-century economist John Maynard Keynes, which focuses o...

The Peasants’ Revolt

19 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are broadcasting a lecture that was delivered at our History Weekend festival in Malmesbury in October 2014. Historian Juliet Barker spea...

Amazing inventions and London after dark

12 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Science writer Steven Johnson discusses his new BBC TV series How We Got to Now, which explores some of the greatest innovations in history. Meanwhile...

Life in the workhouse and British biographies

05 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Hodgman visits a former Victorian workhouse in the company of historian Samantha Shave to see whether life inside really matched the Dickens...

Elizabeth I and an unlikely suffragette

29 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Lisa Hilton explores the life and reign of the Virgin Queen, subject of her new biography Elizabeth I: Renaissance Prince. Meanwhile, BBC Ra...

Debating British monarchy

22 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The authors of new Penguin biographies of Henry VIII, Edward VI, George V and George VI discuss these kings' lives and reigns. They also consider wide...

Henry VIII and Henry the Young King

15 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Tudor historian John Guy, author of a new short biography of Henry VIII, discusses the Tudor king's life and relationships and what he's learned about...

Wolf Hall and medieval civil war

08 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the BBC TV dramatisation of Wolf Hall is shortly due to air, series director Peter Kosminsky reveals the challenges and joys of filming Hilary Mant...

Stalin’s early years and Mein Kampf

01 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Princeton historian Stephen Kotkin, author of a major new biography of Josef Stalin, describes the Soviet leader's path to power. Meanwhile, BBC journ...

Christmas podcast quiz

24 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

For our Christmas Eve podcast, it's the return of our annual history quiz. Test your knowledge of all things historical with four themed rounds of que...

Kamikaze pilots and Captain John Smith

18 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Christopher Harding analyses the motivations of the Japanese kamikaze pilots, while Peter Firstbrook describes the life of the man whose life was famo...

Student radicals and Crete in WWII

11 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Esmée Hanna explores the wave of protests that took place in a number of British universities in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud tells the story of...

The North Sea and Bronze Age remains

04 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historical author Michael Pye explores several centuries of the North Sea's history to reveal how its waters aided all manner of social, economic and ...

Revolutions in Europe and forensics in history

27 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Adam Zamoyski discusses his new book, Phantom Terror, which reveals how Europe's rulers lived in fear of conspiracies in the years between t...

Science fiction and dancing in history

13 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dominic Sandbrook gives us the lowdown behind his new TV series Tomorrow's Worlds: The Unearthly History of Science Fiction. Meanwhile, Lucy Worsley e...

The Berlin Wall and the return of Charles II

06 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, historian Hester Vaizey reveals the impact this momentous event had on the lives o...

The Gunpowder Plot and the First World War

30 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach Bonfire Night, historian Clare Jackson pays a visit to Coughton Court in Warwickshire to explore its connections to the Gunpowder Plot....

Germany through the centuries and Hitler’s cocaine habit

23 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

British Museum director Neil MacGregor joins us to talk about his new BBC Radio 4 series Germany: Memories of a Nation, which illustrates the country'...

Georgian gardens and historical fiction

16 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Hodgman heads to Hampton Court Palace to check out their restored Georgian kitchen garden in the company of garden keeper Vicki Cooke. Meanw...

The battle of Agincourt and the Spanish communists

09 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ranulph Fiennes talks about his ancestors' involvement in the battle of Agincourt, and Paul Preston explores the life of Spanish communist politician ...

The trials of Joan of Arc

02 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Helen Castor discusses her new biography of the tragic French heroine Joan of Arc, describing her famous victories and the dramatic trial th...

The history of humanity

25 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Yuval Harari chats to us about his new book, Sapiens, which explores tens of thousands of years of history and offers fresh insights into subjects ...

Hunting the regicides and the Chartist movement

18 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Spencer talks to Matt Elton about his new book, Killers of the King, which describes Charles II's efforts to track down and take revenge on th...

Fresh views on the Wars of the Roses

11 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Jones is interviewed by Tudor expert Suzannah Lipscomb about his new book on the Wars of the Roses. The two historians discuss the writing of popu...

Thomas Cromwell’s fall from grace

04 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tudor historian Tracy Borman discusses the career of Thomas Cromwell, the henchman of Henry VIII who brought down Anne Boleyn only to eventually share...

George III and the art of anatomy

28 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Former BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow talks about her new book The Strangest Family, which explores the private lives of King George III and his fam...

The long history of the Crusades

21 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In a lecture from our 2013 History Weekend festival, historian Tom Asbridge talks about how our understanding of the Crusades has changed over the pas...

James Bond and Vichy France

14 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and author Matthew Parker discusses how Ian Fleming's James Bond novels reveal his thoughts about the changes taking place in Jamaica in the...

The global First World War

07 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga discusses the subject of his new TV series The World's War, revealing how millions of people across the globe ...

The German view on the First World War

31 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the centenary of the First World War, historian Alexander Watson, author of Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-191...

Richard III and dirty Tudors

24 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Skidmore, who is writing a new biography of Richard III, talks to us about how his research is presenting a different picture of the controversi...

The World War Two French resistance and British holidays

17 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown talks to Matt Elton about his new book on French resistance fighters who took on the Nazis during the Sec...

Cold War smuggling and First World War veterans

10 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Finn and Petra Couvee reveal how the CIA tried to change the course of the Cold War by smuggling banned literature into the USSR, including Bori...

Delphi and the Spanish empire

03 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Classical historian Michael Scott delves into the remarkable history of Delphi, the site of a renowned oracle in Ancient Greece and a place that was v...

Finance and war

26 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historian and Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng explores the long and complex relationship between wealth and warfare, from the Spanish empire until the ...

English gardens and Latin American football

19 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Timothy Mowl guides us around a historic English garden, while Andreas Campomar explains Latin America's fixation with football Hosted on Acast. See a...

The legacy of the First World War

12 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We're joined in the studio by the acclaimed Yale historian Adam Tooze to talk about his new book The Deluge, which focuses on the climax of the First ...

Wolfson History Prize special

03 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Historians Catherine Merridale and Cyprian Broodbank have just been announced as the winners of the latest Wolfson History Prizes for their books on t...

D-Day and the Wars of the Roses

29 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

As we approach the 70th anniversary of D-Day, military historian James Holland challenges some popular assumptions about the 1944 Normandy campaign an...

Roman slavery and the man who started the First World War

22 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry Toner discusses the lives of slaves in Ancient Rome, while Tim Butcher explores the life of Gavrilo Princip, killer of Franz Ferdinand Hosted on...

Monte Cassino and revolutionary Russia

15 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

On the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, Matthew Parker explores one of the Allies' toughest challenges in the Second World War. Meanwh...

Thomas Malthus and Wilkie Collins

08 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This week we explore the life and work of two intellectual giants of the 19th century. First up, Robert Mayhew discusses the Georgian economist Thomas...

Victorian burials and the history of psychology

01 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ruth Levitt describes how London's cemeteries couldn't cope with the rising number of dead in the 19th century and reveals the solutions the Victorian...

The value of war and the rail revolution

24 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We speak to Ian Morris, author of War: What is it Good For?, about why he believes conflict has sometimes been a force for good. Plus, railway histori...

African history special

17 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This week's podcast focuses on African history. First up, Miranda Kaufmann visits a replica of Francis Drake's Golden Hind and there explains how Afri...

Lawrence of Arabia and the Romanov sisters

10 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Anderson, the latest biographer of TE Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) describes his subject's eventful life and considers whether ...

Britain in the 1970s

03 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dominic Sandbrook charts the highs and lows of 1970s Britain in a lecture delivered at our History Weekend festival Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

Anglo-Saxon treasures, and did Britain invent freedom?

27 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Hodgman explores the Staffordshire Hoard, while Daniel Hannan argues that English-speaking people created many of our modern liberties Hoste...

Cold War spies and friendship through the ages

20 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Macintyre delves into the life of double agent Kim Philby, while Thomas Dixon explains how the meaning of friendship has changed over the centurie...

Escaping the Blitz and recording the First World War

13 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Juliet Gardiner pays a visit to an unusual Second World War shelter, while Julia Cave recalls her experiences interviewing veterans of the First World...

Viking treasures and Hitler's 'perfect woman'

06 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Gareth Williams guides us through the British Museum's major new Vikings exhibition, while Julie Gottlieb explains why a Nazi women's leader was visit...

Tasmanian aborigines and the historic importance of the River Nile

27 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Lawson talks about the often-brutal experiences of the people of Tasmania, while Toby Wilkinson explores the historic importance of the River Nile...

Napoleon's formative years and great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment

20 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Broers discusses Napoleon's formative years, while Alexander Broadie looks at some of the great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment Hosted ...

The Babylonian Noah and Norse mythology

13 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Irving Finkel describes a remarkable Babylonian tablet that changes our understanding of the flood legend. Meanwhile, Joanne Harris gives us her take ...

Royal cousins at war and Brunel's brilliance

06 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Sanders considers how Europe's monarchs ended up on opposing sides in the First World War, while Eugene Byrne explores the talents of Isambard...