HistoryExtra Long Reads

Latest Episodes:

How the SAS reinvented itself after WW2 Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

Britain’s War Office thanked the SAS for its remarkable efforts in WW2 by abolishing it – yet soon realised the error of its ways. This Long Read written by Gavin Mortimer tells the story of how the elite unit reinvented itself to confront the challenges of the postwar world.

Today's feature originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

How the Vikings menaced the Mediterranean Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

Killing, burning, pillaging, enslaving. Even when heading to sunnier climes, Viking raiders deployed the same tactics that they had used along the shores of northern and western Europe, as this Long Read written by Thomas Williams reveals.

Today's feature originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

Victorian murders most female Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Women accused of violent murders have often faced assumptions about their motives and disbelief that the ‘gentle sex’ could commit such bloody crimes. This Long Read written by Rosalind Crone investigates four such cases from the 19th century.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from HistoryExtra Magazine, the new name for BBC History Magazine. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

The bizarre beginnings of the Winter Olympics Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Boxing and football? In a Winter Olympics? In October? Held in 1908, the first ever Winter Games was an experimental affair – but, according to this Long Read written by Martin Polley, it was one that sowed the seeds for future and snowier competitions.

Today's feature originally appeared in the February 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

Air raids and arias: Britain's WW2 operatic obsession Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

As the conflict with Nazi Germany raged on, British tram drivers tuned in to Tchaikovsky and waitresses revelled in Wagner. But why? This Long Read written by Alexandra Wilson explores the surprising Second World War obsession with opera.

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

How many Bayeux Tapestries were there? Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

David Musgrove investigates whether the iconic embroidery was simply one of many

A new theory, put forward by Professor John Blair, questions whether the world-famous embroidery was unique. In this Long Read, David Musgrove asks the experts whether there could have more than one ‘Bayeux Tapestry’.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

Julius Caesar: he came, he saw, he crucified pirates...? Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Ancient accounts of Julius Caesar’s early life depict an all-action hero who outwitted tyrants and terrorised bandits. But can they be trusted? This Long Read written by David S Potter investigates...

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

Margaret Beaufort: schemer or opportunist? Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, is often characterised as a domineering woman who plotted her son’s rise to the throne. But how true is that depiction? This Long Read, written by Lauren Johnson, explores the life of the founding matriarch of the Tudor dynasty.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

How Spain became a democracy Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy in the late 1970s surely counts as one of modern Europe’s most remarkable stories. On the 50th anniversary of General Franco’s death, this Long Read written by Paul Preston explores how pluralism arose from the ashes of tyranny.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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

Beyond Jane Austen Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Jane Austen was a brilliant observer of Georgian Britain – but she couldn’t speak for everyone. The author’s books depict an evocative slice of early 19th-century life, but many aspects of the Regency era are only hinted at in her novels, as this Long Read written by Lizzie Rogers reveals.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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