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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/

History Extra podcast

Which crimes were most common in Scotland in the 17th century – and what can those crimes reveal about society at the time? In today's episode, we're delving into a world of violence, vengeance, bandits and blasphemers, as historian Allan Kennedy speaks to Emily Briffett about his recent book Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland. He explores what constituted a crime, who committed them, and how justice was pursued in a society shaped by intense religiosity and complex legal systems.

(Ad) Allan Kennedy is the author of Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland (Edinburgh University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Serious-Crime-Late-Seventeenth-Century-Scotland-Kennedy/dp/1399533169/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

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

Bandits & blasphemers: crime in 17th century Scotland

After five years we come to our final 'everything you wanted to know about' episodes. We revisit our first episode where Marc Morris, author of an acclaimed history of the Norman Conquest, tackles some of the big questions about William the Conqueror and his followers.

Our brand new multipart specials begin next Sunday starting with a look at the Gunpowder Plot.

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

The Normans: everything you wanted to know

The assassination ofJulius Caesar is one of the most infamous plots of the ancient world, but the dictator's death wasn't the only moment in his life and afterlife marked by political machinations. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Jessica Clarke reveals how careful curation and stage management transformed Caesar's funeral from a quiet moment of mass mourning to a bloody spectacle of revenge.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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How Julius Caesar's funeral drama fuelled the mob

Samuel Pepys is well-known for his brilliantly evocative diary, which gives an unsurpassed insight into daily life in Restoration London. However, it turns out Pepys also had a sinister side. Something that has been overlooked or ignored in his diaries for centuries, is that Pepys was a self-confessed sexual predator and abuser of women. Biographer Guy de la Bédoyère explains all to David Musgrove.

(Ad) Guy de la Bédoyère is the author of The Confessions of Samuel Pepys: His Private Revelations (Abacus, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Confessions-Samuel-Pepys-Private-Revelations/dp/034914740X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

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

The dark side of Samuel Pepys

Margaret Tudor was the daughter of a king, the sister of a king, and the wife of a king. But she was a political power player in her own right, carefully balancing family loyalties to both the crown of England and the crown of Scotland. She also left an extraordinary legacy of correspondence detailing her life as a princess, queen, regent and mother. Drawing on her research surrounding these letters, historical linguist Dr Helen Newsome-Chandler explores Margaret's life in conversation with Emily Briffett.

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

Margaret Tudor: life of the week

Women's role as slaveowners is often overlooked – but, just like men, they both profited from and maintained the institution of slavery. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, historian Miranda Kaufmann profiles several 'Caribbean heiresses' who married into the British aristocracy and brought huge wealth generated from slavery into the country. 

(Ad) Miranda Kaufmann is the author of Heiresses: Marriage, Inheritance and Caribbean Slavery (Oneworld, 2025). 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%2F9780861548019.

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

Britain's female slaveowners: the heiresses who made fortunes from enslavement

If you could sneak a peek past the front door of a Roman home, what could you expect to find? Why was having a hole in your ceiling a clever feat of engineering in the ancient world? How could sharing a communal toilet actually still be a very private act, and why was central heating a luxury in ancient Rome? Emily Briffett is joined by historian Dr Hannah Platts, as they step inside the ancient Roman home to uncover more.

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

Roman homes: everything you wanted to know

Historian, author and broadcaster David Olusoga is among the famous faces to feature on new TV series The Celebrity Traitors, which launches in the UK next Wednesday, 8 October on BBC One. But what are the opportunities, and dangers, when historians become celebrities? And to what extent should history be entertainment? Regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter share their thoughts. Plus: history’s most incredible imposters

Find the full episode and never miss an episode by heading to History Behind the Headlines or following this link: ⁠⁠https://play.megaphone.fm/4csqwegyqeca-lg7yumskq
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Preview: Should historians be celebrities?

There were many ways queer people in the Georgian era fought against social and legal restrictions to express their desire and convey their love for one another, from molly houses and marriages to adult adoption,. Speaking to Isabel King, Anthony Delaney discusses his new book Queer Georgians.

(Ad) Anthony Delaney is the author of Queer Georgians: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers and Homemakers (Transworld Publishers, 2025). 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%2Fqueer-georgians%2Fanthony-delaney%2F9781529927689.

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

Queer life in Georgian Britain

If you lived in 16th-century London, would you have any idea what was happening in Paris, Venice or Frankfurt? Well, yes, according to Joad Raymond Wren – and that news could reach you quicker than you might expect. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Joad uncovers a complex network of communication operating across Europe between the end of the Middle Ages and the rise of modern mass media, from ambassadors' news bulletins to emerging postal services. 

(Ad) Joad Raymond Wren is the author of The Great Exchange: Making the News in Early Modern Europe (Allen Lane, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Exchange-Making-Modern-Europe/dp/0241188539/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=WiNnK&content-id=amzn1.sym.6b6d4bc1-013f-4684-8a3d-174e5cf88d17&pf_rd_p=6b6d4bc1-013f-4684-8a3d-174e5cf88d17&pf_rd_r=262-1509211-7609724&pd_rd_wg=Qidud&pd_rd_r=e40330ef-009c-40ff-9312-5510cb970586&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

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

Breaking news! How stories spread in early modern Europe

What was it like to undergo an operation in a world with no anaesthetic? How was the stethoscope invented? And when did surgeons first operate on a human heart? Talking to Lauren Good, Dr Carol Cooper explores the history of medicine through 12 pivotal objects – from the bone saw to the heart-lung machine. 

(Ad) Carol Cooper is the author of The History of Medicine in Twelve Objects (Quarto Publishing PLC, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Medicine-Twelve-Objects/dp/0711294623#:~:text=An%20award%2Dwinning%20non%2Dfiction,Carol%20is%20also%20a%20novelist./?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

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

Secret forceps & pig bladders: medical objects through time

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