Podcast
HistoryExtra podcast
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The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.
We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.
Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.
Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.
Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.
Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.
Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.
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537episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How WW2 transformed Asia
Yesterday00:37:42Summary readyFor decades, the history of the Second World War has been told through predominately western eyes. That, writes historian Hans van de Ven, simply has to change. Hans's new book, Blood Dawn, sets out to reset the focus, exploring the conflict's story from an Asian perspective. In this episode, Hans tells Spencer Mizen how WW2 supercharged the fight for independence from European domination across India, China and Indonesia – and, in doing so, transformed a continent ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you'd like to delve further into why the Second World War in Asia is often overlooked, then check out a podcast we ran with the broadcaster Kavita Puri in 2025: https://bit.ly/4nRYOOS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Preview: Was Jack the Ripper Queen Victoria's grandson?
2d ago00:13:43Summary readyAs recent years attest, royal scandals have a habit of coming to light. But what if the mother of all royal scandals is still waiting to be revealed? Could it be that an heir to the British throne, Prince Albert Victor, lived a double life as a serial killer? Today on the HistoryExtra podcast, we’re bringing you a taste of the first episode of our new series, History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, in which crime historian Dr Drew Gray tells Rob Attar about the explosive suggestion that a British prince got away with multiple murders in the 19th century. To listen on, search for History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories or find the full episodes and follow the feed here: https://play.megaphone.fm/4xo_fufltzut49cj60jcla Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryHow opium became a powerful global commodity
4d ago00:44:01Summary readyOpium has been a painkiller, a vice and the fuel for at least two wars. But what makes it such a powerful global commodity? Benjamin Robert Siegel takes Isabel King through this complex history, exploring how opium shaped capitalism, medicine and global power from ancient poppy fields to the modern opioid crisis. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know why Britain went to war with China in the 19th century to protect the interests of drug dealers? To find out more, check out our 'Everything you wanted to know' episode on the Opium Wars: https://bit.ly/4wPh4eM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryA wild history of partying
6d ago00:40:09Summary readyFor hundreds of years, people have gathered after dark to drink, dance and escape the pressures of everyday life. But how did 'going out' become a habit across the world? Jon Bauckham chats to Imogen Willetts about the hedonistic history of partying, journeying from 17th-century Japan to Weimar Germany, Cold War Las Vegas and beyond. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To learn more Berlin, including its role in shaping nightlife, don't miss this episode of our History's Greatest Cities series: https://bit.ly/4hb5Gp1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryYuri Gagarin: life of the week
1w ago00:46:59Summary readyYuri Gagarin’s journey from a Nazi-occupied Soviet village into outer space make him one of the most famous people on Earth. In this episode, historian Asif Siddiqi tells Danny Bird about the life behind the legend, revealing how Gagarin came to embody the USSR’s postwar ambitions and why his winning smile still evokes the optimism of humanity’s first steps into the cosmos. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Two television shows – For All Mankind and Star City – imagine an alternative universe in which Soviet cosmonauts completed the first moon landing in 1969 ahead of US astronauts. But how might global history have unfolded if the space race had taken a different course? This article by Matthew Trask explores that question: https://bit.ly/4vBKywv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryHow Christianity conquered the Roman empire
1w ago00:32:52Summary readyThe Roman empire was home to a multitude of religious cults in the first century AD. However, only one – Christianity – rose to global domination. But why? That's a question that Tim Whitmarsh sets out to answer in his latest book, Rome's Age of Revolution. In this episode, Tim talks Spencer Mizen through a story that encompasses Christian entrepreneurs, Greek intellectuals and the surprising parallels between Jesus and the Emperor Augustus. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you’d like to hear more about the Roman empire in the first century AD, why not check out Spencer Mizen's Life of the Week interview with Edward Watts about one of the most remarkable characters in all of ancient history: the first emperor, Augustus. You'll find that here: https://bit.ly/4uOcNqR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Odyssey’s forgotten epilogue
1w ago00:44:29Summary readyWhy did Alexander the Great sleep with a copy of the Odyssey under his pillow? In this final episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series, Kev Lochun and classicist Daisy Dunn explore the astonishing cultural legacy of a poem that has been shaping how we think about home, heroism and hospitality for nearly 3,000 years. Plus, they consider what its portrayal of women reveals about power in the ancient world. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about ancient Greece? HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra archives to help you explore life in ancient Greece and the myths that shaped Greek religion: https://bit.ly/4pkQiZe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryWhy did witches confess?
2w ago00:47:36Summary readyWho were the people that were accused of witchcraft in the 1640s British witch trials? And why did they confess to being in league with the devil? In this episode, Marion Gibson breaks down the trial and interrogation records left behind by the witch hunters, to reveal the real stories of the individuals who were accused. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper, Marion explains why so many of these seemingly ordinary individuals actually agreed to the witchcraft accusations... ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you'd like to find out more about the Salem witch trials, we've got a brilliant podcast series about this called 'Salem: Investigating the Witch Trials'. You can listen here: https://bit.ly/4puBuYf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryInside the Maya storyworld
2w ago00:44:16Summary readyThe Maya have a rich and varied storyworld shaped by diverse traditions and communities. In this episode, Mallory E Matsumoto tells Emily Briffett about her recent book, The Maya Myths, which explores tales of destruction and rebirth, people made of maize dough, and journeys into the underworld – revealing a living tradition that blurs the line between history and storytelling. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Curious to hear more about the mythology of Mesoamerica? Don’t miss our conversation with Camilla Townsend, in which she delves into Aztec legends and folklore to reveal a society bursting with life and colour: https://bit.ly/4s247vj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryZheng Yi Sao: life of the week
2w ago00:48:16Summary readyFew pirates in history wielded as much power as Zheng Yi Sao, the woman who rose from obscurity to command one of the largest pirate fleets the world has ever seen, challenging the Qing empire's control of the South China Sea. Yet despite her extraordinary achievements, surprisingly little is known for certain about her life, and many of the stories told about her blur the line between history and legend. In this episode, Dian Murray – author of Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790-1810 – joins Emily Briffett to trace Zheng Yi Sao’s remarkable rise to power, her carefully negotiated surrender, and the enduring legacy of history's most formidable pirate queen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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