Podcast
HistoryExtra Long Reads
Hosted by History Extra · EN
Take a deep dive into the past as we bring you the very best of HistoryExtra magazine, Britain’s bestselling history magazine. With a new episode released every Monday, enjoy fascinating and enlightening articles from leading historical experts, covering a broad sweep of the centuries – from the scandals of Georgian society to the horrors of the First World War, revolutions, rebellions, and more.
25episodes
Episodes
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Marilyn Monroe: the brains behind the bombshell
1w ago00:24:05Tap to summarizeLucy Bolton reveals how the star became a cultural icon not just through her glamorous image, but through fierce ambition, talent and relentless hard work The heart-shaped face. The iridescent blonde hair. And who can forget that billowing white dress? Image was key to Marilyn Monroe’s meteoric rise but, as this Long Read written by Lucy Bolton explains on the star’s centenary, her success was only possible because of raw talent, ambition and a ferocious work ethic. Today's feature originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →How the Black Death devastated the Muslim world
2w ago00:21:36Tap to summarizeThe Black Death is infamous for ravaging the population of Europe – yet it was most lethal in the Muslim world, leaving such a trail of devastation that bodies were abandoned to rot in the streets. This Long Read written by Thomas Asbridge investigates why plague took such a heavy toll in the Near East... Today's feature originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The secret history behind the Odyssey
3w ago00:19:06Tap to summarizeFeaturing Cyclopes, Lotus-Eaters and goddesses that turn men into pigs, the Odyssey reads like a fantastical adventure story. Yet, argues this Long Read written by Daisy Dunn, Homer’s epic poem – now a Hollywood blockbuster – offers a fascinating lens onto the reality of life in Bronze Age Greece. Today’s feature originally appeared in the August 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →"War minus the shooting": football during the Cold War
4w ago00:14:36Tap to summarizeWhat happens when football becomes far more than a game? As the 2026 World Cup unfolds, this Long Read written by Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall revisits four matches played during the Cold War that turned the beautiful game into a battleground of ideology, identity and state power. Today's feature originally appeared in the July 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Georgian Britain's most curious hoax
Jul 500:19:50Tap to summarizeThe Enlightenment was an era of open-eyed progress, of the advance of science and reason – right? So why, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, did British people continue to be hoodwinked? This Long Read written by Madeleine Pelling exposes eight frauds and forgeries from a golden age of hoaxes. Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →US at 250: the hard road to independence
Jun 2800:22:59Tap to summarizeThe US Declaration of Independence was formally adopted on one famous day in July 1776. Yet this celebrated event was the product of years of misunderstandings and escalating tensions. On the 250th anniversary of the birth of a nation, this Long Read written by George Goodwin traces the evolution of one of the most consequential documents in history. Today's feature originally appeared in the July 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Elizabeth II: the great survivor
Jun 2100:22:47Tap to summarizeWhen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, she could barely have conceived the currents – imperial retreat, multiculturalism, deindustrialisation – that would transform the nation during her reign. This Long Read, written by David Cannadine, explores how she navigated seven decades of dizzying change. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The seven deadly sins: a medieval self-help guide
Jun 1400:22:32Tap to summarizeToday, we think of the seven deadly sins as outdated definitions of moral flaws prohibited by the church. But as this Long Read written by Peter Jones reveals, these vices were originally conceived to provide medieval solutions to universal human problems. Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Lost stories from Pompeii
Jun 700:24:15Tap to summarizeThe eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 buried Pompeii and its citizens beneath pumice, stone and ash for centuries. But, as this Long Read written by Jess Venner reveals, we can now reconstruct the lives of its citizens before the catastrophe. Today's feature originally appeared in the May 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Nell Gwyn: England's mistress
May 3100:18:29Tap to summarizeNell Gwyn became famous for her love affair with Charles II, and for her love of drinking, gambling and carousing. Yet, as this Long Read written by Sophie Shorland explores, this upwardly mobile celebrity was also a canny political operator who wielded substantial power in court. Today's feature originally appeared in the April 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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