1,816 episodes

The HistoryExtra podcast brings you interviews with the world's best historians, on everything from the ancient world and the Middle Ages to the Second World War and the history behind current events. Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, it offers fresh takes on history's most famous figures and events. Subscribe for the real stories behind your favourite historical films and TV shows, and compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.

History Extra podcast History Extra

    • History
    • 4.4 • 2.5K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

The HistoryExtra podcast brings you interviews with the world's best historians, on everything from the ancient world and the Middle Ages to the Second World War and the history behind current events. Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, it offers fresh takes on history's most famous figures and events. Subscribe for the real stories behind your favourite historical films and TV shows, and compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    The brutal WW2 battle for Italy

    The brutal WW2 battle for Italy

    When Allied forces invaded Italy in September 1943, they hoped to be in Rome by Christmas. But by the end of the year, after four months of unrelenting warfare, the Italian capital was still 70 miles away. Historian, author and podcaster James Holland speaks to Rob Attar about this savage clash between the Allies and Nazi Germany.

    (Ad) James Holland is the author of The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943 (Bantam, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savage-Storm-Battle-Italy-1943/dp/1787636682/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

    The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 43 min
    David Mitchell on a new history of England’s monarchy

    David Mitchell on a new history of England’s monarchy

    From his turn as Shakespeare in Upstart Crow to his historical sketches with Robert Webb, comedian and actor David Mitchell’s work has often touched on the past. Now he’s written his first history book, Unruly, charting England’s monarchy from its earliest days to the reign of Elizabeth I. David tells Matt Elton about this storied history.

    (Ad) David Mitchell is the author of Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens (Penguin, 2023). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Funruly%2Fdavid-mitchell%2F9781405953177
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 41 min
    Archaeology’s golden age: everything you wanted to know

    Archaeology’s golden age: everything you wanted to know

    The first half of the 20th century is often talked about as a golden age of archaeology – a time marked by thrilling finds such as those of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the ship burial at Sutton Hoo. But was it really as golden as we might wish to believe? Speaking to Kev Lochun, Dr Hélène Maloigne answers listener questions about one of most exciting periods in the history of archaeology, where glittering discoveries and moral conundrums stood shoulder to shoulder.

    The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 36 min
    One day in the British empire

    One day in the British empire

    On 29 September 1923, the British empire was at its territorial height. But even as British power stretched across the globe, were the seeds of the empire’s destruction already sown? Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Matthew Parker charts what was happening across diverse territories in September 1923, through the testimonies of those on the ground, from Samoa and Nigeria to New Zealand and India.

    (Ad) Matthew Parker is the author of One Fine Day: Britain's Empire on the Brink (Little, Brown, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Fine-Day-Matthew-Parker/dp/1408708582/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

    The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 28 min
    Great Reputations: Emmeline Pankhurst

    Great Reputations: Emmeline Pankhurst

    In the latest in our series charting the reputations of key historical figures, June Purvis and Lyndsey Jenkins discuss the life and contested legacy of Emmeline Pankhurst – from whether her story obscures that of the wider suffragette movement to whether her political activism really means she can be labelled a ‘terrorist’

    The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 44 min
    Radio Times: a century of British broadcasting

    Radio Times: a century of British broadcasting

    In 1923, a new periodical was launched to guide listeners through the BBC’s nascent radio offerings. Its name? The Radio Times. Across the coming decades, it not only featured radio and TV listings, but also offered a window into the nation’s changing media and social landscape. As Radio Times magazine marks its centenary, Matt Elton assembles a panel of experts to discuss the ways in which the dramatic social and media shifts of the past century are captured in its pages.

    The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 52 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
2.5K Ratings

2.5K Ratings

HistoryMama86 ,

Always learn something

I’ve been listening to this podcast for a little over a year now and I always feel like I learn something new. Love the storytelling, poignant questions, and femme focused storylines. I would say that they need to learn how to pronounce “Medici” correctly, as well as other words that aren’t of English origin.

SamMahony ,

Was so good

I’m an American and this chick stinks. Please for love of God get rid of her, it’s not the American it’s the woke inclination, it makes the podcast lose credibility. She’s awful, the fake laughing is the worst

Jules5168 ,

Franco episode glitch

Why does the recent Franco episode interrupt itself and restart around 26:00?!

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