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    History

    History Extra podcast – Immediate Media

    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. 

    Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/

    Advertise

    Copyright: © Immediate Media

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    Latest Episodes:
    America's anti-Chinese laws: a forgotten history Oct 20, 2026
    Show notes

    From the middle of the 19th century, Chinese people in the United States found themselves increasingly policed, as legislation was introduced that contained and controlled their economic and cultural lives. Historian Beth Lew-Williams tells Elinor Evans about her work uncovering this wide-reaching set of laws for her book John Doe Chinaman, and reveals how Chinese people resisted and avoided discrimination.

    Beth’s book is a finalist for the 2026 Cundill History Prize – you can find more details at cundillprize.com.


    –––––


    GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

    To find out more about the Chinese Exclusion Act, read this article: https://bit.ly/4ik36NB


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    PRESSURE LIVE PODCAST


    Join us tomorrow, Thursday, 22 October, for a live episode of the HistoryExtra podcast exploring the history behind recent WWII drama PRESSURE – the gripping untold story behind D-Day.

    We’ve teamed up with STUDIOCANAL for a special event at the Royal Society of Arts in London, to celebrate the film’s upcoming Home Premiere. The event features David Haig, the film's co-writer, in conversation with Catherine Ross, library and archive manager at the Met Office. Doors open at 6pm with the event starting at 7pm, and tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Find out more and book your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/historyextra-live-uncovering-pressure-tickets-2003304436497?aff=oddtdtcreator

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    An African king in the Roman empire Oct 19, 2026
    Show notes

    He was barely a toddler when he was paraded as a captive in a Roman triumph in 46 BC, but young North African prince Juba went on to marry a daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, and rule an African kingdom. Andrew Kenrick, author of Rex Juba: 15 Glimpses of an African King, unravels his amazing life, in conversation with David Musgrove.

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    GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

    For more on Rome's history with Africa, check out the podcast with Philip Freeman on Rome and Carthage: https://bit.ly/3ROcNts

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Everyday life in a slave trading town Oct 18, 2026
    Show notes

    In 1665 the Portuguese Inquisition arrested Crispina Peres, a powerful slave trader in the west African port of Cacheu. The records of her case provide a remarkable window into everyday life in 17th-century west Africa, and form the basis of Toby Green's latest book, The Heretic of Cacheu. In this episode he is joined by Rob Attar to explore the story of Crispina and the lost world she inhabited.



    Go to ⁠https://surfshark.com/historyextra⁠ or use code HISTORYEXTRA at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    From plague 'searchers' to strawberry birthmarks: a history of women's bodies Oct 15, 2026
    Show notes

    What was 'nidgeting'? How did women know they were pregnant before modern tests? And what did people in the past believe a mother’s imagination could do to her unborn child? In this episode, Lauren Good speaks to historian Erin Maglaque about her book Presence, which explores the history of the female body – and society's longstanding beliefs about it.

    –––––

    GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

    To find out more about the history of women's bodies, why not listen to another of Lauren's interviews on the HistoryExtra podcast with Helen King, in which they explore how ideas surrounding female anatomy have long caused contention: https://bit.ly/4bpHjQX

    –––––

    PRESSURE LIVE PODCAST

    Join us next Thursday, 22 October, for a live episode of the HistoryExtra podcast exploring the history behind recent WWII drama PRESSURE – the gripping untold story behind D-Day.

    We’ve teamed up with STUDIOCANAL for a special event at the Royal Society of Arts in London, to celebrate the film’s upcoming Home Premiere. The event features David Haig, the film's co-writer, in conversation with Catherine Ross, library and archive manager at the Met Office. Doors open at 6pm with the event starting at 7pm, and tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Find out more and book your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/historyextra-live-uncovering-pressure-tickets-2003304436497?aff=oddtdtcreator

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    The country house at war Oct 13, 2026
    Show notes

    It might be assumed that the owners of Britain's country houses weren't hugely affected by the Second World War, and that they continued to live in luxury in their vast estates. However, as Judith S Lewis explains to Lauren Good, that wasn't the case. From the conscription of upper-class women to stories of great loss, she charts the roles that country houses and their occupants really played in the war effort.

    -----

    PRESSURE LIVE PODCAST

    Join us next Thursday, 22 October, for a live episode of the HistoryExtra podcast exploring the history behind recent WWII drama PRESSURE – the gripping untold story behind D-Day.

    We’ve teamed up with STUDIOCANAL for a special event at the Royal Society of Arts in London, to celebrate the film’s upcoming Home Premiere. The event features David Haig, the film's co-writer, in conversation with Catherine Ross, library and archive manager at the Met Office. Doors open at 6pm with the event starting at 7pm, and tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Find out more and book your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/historyextra-live-uncovering-pressure-tickets-2003304436497?aff=oddtdtcreator

    -----

    Go to⁠ ⁠https://surfshark.com/historyextra⁠⁠ or use code HISTORYEXTRA at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    The pioneering surgeon who stood up to Rasputin Oct 12, 2026
    Show notes

    She pioneered lifesaving battlefield surgery, challenged the medical establishment, stood up to Rasputin, and became the world's first female professor of surgery – yet today, few people have heard of Vera Gedroits. In today's episode, acclaimed biographer Miranda Seymour tells Elinor Evans about Vera's remarkable life and accomplishments – and why her story was erased.

    Go to⁠ ⁠https://surfshark.com/historyextra⁠⁠ or use code HISTORYEXTRA at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    The stolen Native Americans who shaped US history Oct 11, 2026
    Show notes

    Between 1492 and 1880, as many as 600,000 Native Americas were enslaved in the area that would become the United States. That’s the figure estimated by historian Linford D Fisher in his book Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in US History – one of the books shortlisted for the 2026 Cundill History Prize. In today’s episode, he speaks to Matt Elton about the extent of this slavery, the impact that it had on tribal communities, and its legacy today.

    Go to⁠ ⁠https://surfshark.com/historyextra⁠⁠ or use code HISTORYEXTRA at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Being disabled in the medieval era Oct 08, 2026
    Show notes

    Prosthetic legs, wheelbarrow wheelchairs and guide… children? Those were just some of the assistive technologies and body augmentations available to our medieval and early modern ancestors. In this episode, Rae Gillibrand highlights how bodily difference was understood in this pre-modern era, and explores the medical marketplace and community support that was available. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Rae reveals a world of ingenuity, adaptation and care.

    -----

    GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

    To find out more about Tudor attitudes to disability – and why they may have been more compassionate than you might think – don’t miss this HistoryExtra article written by Phillipa Vincent-Connolly: https://bit.ly/4rZgN7y

    -----

    Go to⁠ ⁠https://surfshark.com/historyextra⁠⁠ or use code HISTORYEXTRA at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Vanilla: a far from ordinary history Oct 06, 2026
    Show notes

    It's now often used as an adjective for anything standard, plain, and borderline boring – but the history of vanilla is anything but. Eric T Jennings – whose book Vanilla: The History of an Extraordinary Bean is among the titles shortlisted for the 2026 Cundill History Prize – tells Matt Elton about the ways in which piracy, espionage and cut-throat capitalism have shaped its story.

    ------

    GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

    Delve further into food history with our podcast series History's Greatest Dishes, in which Annie Gray and Emily Briffett discuss the stories behind pizza, blancmange and more. Like and subscribe now to catch up and get ready for season two: https://www.historyextra.com/podcast-series/historys-greatest-dishes/

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


    Ancient explosives and the philosopher's stone: a history of alchemy Oct 05, 2026
    Show notes

    Think of alchemy, and you likely imagine bubbling vials of strange potions and molten metals. But how close is this popular perception to the truth? That’s the question behind historian and adventurer Kit Chapman’s latest book, The Age of Alchemy, which was recently announced as winner of the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.

    In this episode, Kit guides Emily Briffett through a remarkable story of discovery that blurred the boundaries between science and mysticism – and explains how alchemists pursued dreams of fortune and immortality that laid the foundations for modern science.

    -----

    GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

    An unlikely mix of scientist, scholar, engineer and magician, the 'magus' was a figure that sat at the heart of the transformative Renaissance period. Don’t miss this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast charting the careers of these men, seen as genius scholars by some and charlatans by others: https://bit.ly/47A7pyN

    -----

    Go to⁠ ⁠https://surfshark.com/historyextra⁠⁠ or use code HISTORYEXTRA at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark!

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


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