
History Extra podcast
Immediate Media
The History Extra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts. Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine, History Extra 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. Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
Categories: Education
Listen to the last episode:
Professor James Palmer guides us through the 300-year reign of the Merovingians, the Frankish dynasty whose legacy helped birth the very idea of France. Speaking to Kev Lochun, he explores how they used violence, myth, and immaculate hair to maintain power – until the pope brought the dynasty to its knees. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous episodes
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2353 - The Merovingians: everything you wanted to know Sat, 21 Jun 2025
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2352 - How the Allies won WW2 Thu, 19 Jun 2025
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2351 - Ancient tips for health and happiness Tue, 17 Jun 2025
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2350 - Thomas Aquinas: life of the week Mon, 16 Jun 2025
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2349 - Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades Sun, 15 Jun 2025
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2348 - Fatherhood: a short history Sat, 14 Jun 2025
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2347 - CIA book smugglers of the Cold War Thu, 12 Jun 2025
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2346 - The Renaissance: not such a golden age? Tue, 10 Jun 2025
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2345 - Archimedes: life of the week Mon, 09 Jun 2025
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2344 - The Third Reich's first genocide Sun, 08 Jun 2025
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2343 - English folklore: everything you wanted to know Sat, 07 Jun 2025
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2342 - What happened in Shakespeare's "lost years"? Thu, 05 Jun 2025
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2341 - Plague, famine and chivalry: a human history of the 14th century Tue, 03 Jun 2025
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2340 - WW2 legacies and Magna Carta: history behind the headlines Mon, 02 Jun 2025
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2339 - Drink, dance, death: wine in ancient Egypt Sun, 01 Jun 2025
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2338 - The Scottish Enlightenment: everything you wanted to know Sat, 31 May 2025
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2337 - Deadly skies: the WW2 mission to fly over the Himalayas Thu, 29 May 2025
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2336 - Royal sisters: the tragic lives of Queen Victoria's granddaughters Tue, 27 May 2025
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2335 - Calamity Jane: life of the week Mon, 26 May 2025
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2334 - Spiritual showmen: the 1920s occult Sun, 25 May 2025
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2333 - Cheese history: everything you wanted to know Sat, 24 May 2025
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2332 - Taking sides: how the Civil War turned friends into enemies Thu, 22 May 2025
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2331 - Were Roman women done dirty by modern translations? Tue, 20 May 2025
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2330 - Otto von Bismarck: life of the week Mon, 19 May 2025
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2329 - The Einstein murders Sun, 18 May 2025
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2328 - The Beaker People: everything you wanted to know Sat, 17 May 2025
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2327 - Gods, demons, witches and exorcists: inside an ancient Assyrian library Thu, 15 May 2025
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2326 - Peaks, perils, and pioneers: the deadly history of mountaineering Tue, 13 May 2025
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2325 - Josephine Baker: life of the week Mon, 12 May 2025
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2324 - Women who ruled over Africa Sun, 11 May 2025
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2323 - The Taiping Rebellion: everything you wanted to know Sat, 10 May 2025
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2322 - How to choose a pope Thu, 08 May 2025
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2321 - VE Day: a people's history Tue, 06 May 2025
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2320 - Nikola Tesla: life of the week Mon, 05 May 2025
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2319 - What caused the Irish Famine? Sun, 04 May 2025
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2318 - The unification of Italy: everything you wanted to know Sat, 03 May 2025
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2317 - Public vs private: history behind closed doors Thu, 01 May 2025
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2316 - The rise of James VI & I: when Britain went global Tue, 29 Apr 2025
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2315 - Papal elections and tariff troubles: history behind the headlines Mon, 28 Apr 2025
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2314 - How the English took Manhattan Sun, 27 Apr 2025
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2313 - Troubadours: everything you wanted to know Sat, 26 Apr 2025
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2312 - The 93 penises of the Bayeux Tapestry Thu, 24 Apr 2025
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2311 - The great siege of Malta: Knights Hospitaller vs the Ottoman empire Tue, 22 Apr 2025
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2310 - Joanna Plantagenet: life of the week Mon, 21 Apr 2025
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2309 - Suleyman the Magnificent's bid for world domination Sun, 20 Apr 2025
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2308 - The Etruscans: everything you wanted to know Sat, 19 Apr 2025
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2307 - Lexington and Concord: 250 years on Thu, 17 Apr 2025
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2306 - The botanists of besieged Leningrad Tue, 15 Apr 2025
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2305 - The Brothers Grimm: life of the week Mon, 14 Apr 2025
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2304 - Could the US have won the Vietnam war? Sun, 13 Apr 2025