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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/

History Extra podcast

What do exploding bats and amphibious galleons have in common? They're both fascinating features of some of the world's most mysterious manuscripts, as revealed by journalist and author Garry J Shaw in his book, Cryptic. From Hildegard of Bingen’s secret language to the hoaxes of Renaissance Spain, and from John Dee’s angelic communications to the peculiar Voynich Manuscript, Shaw unravels the allure and enigma of texts shrouded in secrecy.

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History's most mysterious manuscripts

Emerging in the early 20th century as Europe's youngest general since Napoleon Bonaparte, Francisco Franco was destined to make waves. But how did this uncharismatic reactionary become Spain’s dictator, dominating the country for nearly four decades? Danny Bird speaks to journalist Giles Tremlett about the life of the man who continues to haunt Spain more than 50 years after his death in 1975.
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Francisco Franco: life of the week

"Statistically, they were on a suicide mission." That's Roger Moorhouse's assessment of the odds facing Hitler's U-boat crews in the final years of the Second World War. Speaking with Spencer Mizen, Roger relates the story of these missions from the German perspective – a tale encompassing scurvy, sleep deprivation, terror and acts of astonishing kindness.

(Ad) Roger Moorhouse is the author of Wolfpack: Inside Hitler's U-boat War (William Collins, 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%2Fwolfpack%2Froger-moorhouse%2F9780008644895.
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How grim was life on Hitler's U-boats?

The buried Roman city of Pompeii was ‘discovered’ in the 16th century, but was it ever lost? In this penultimate episode of our four-part series, Kev Lochun speaks with historian Dr Jess Venner about the years between destruction and excavation. How did the beleaguered Roman emperor Titus react to the disaster and the refugee crisis that followed? Why was no attempt made to resettle and rebuild? And how did the city become the archeological marvel we know it as today?

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Want to know more about the story of Pompeii? HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the story of the cataclysm, the Roman way of life and the nature of the Roman empire: https://bit.ly/4bjYKmE
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How ancient Pompeii was rediscovered

In the chaotic opening months of the First World War, Britain's intelligence services were desperate to learn where the Germans would attack next. Enter the White Lady. As historian Helen Fry lays out in her new book, this courageous network of Belgian civilians began spying on German troops from behind enemy lines – and, in the process, changed the course of the war. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Helen tells an extraordinary story of massacres, drug dealing, double-crossing and secret messages encased in potatoes.

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

For more on spycraft in the Second World War, don't miss our interview with Helen Fry on the ingenious British intelligence operation to bug German prisoners during the conflict: https://bit.ly/459WzOG
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Why Belgian agents risked their lives spying for Britain

From the mud-churned battlefields of the First World War to the high-stakes clashes of the Cold War, the tank has shaped the course of conflict like no other machine. In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by Mark Urban, as he reveals the dramatic evolution of armoured warfare through its iconic vehicles – and the engineers, commanders and crews who drove them into the history books.
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How tanks redefined warfare

Robert McNamara is best remembered as a key architect of the Vietnam War, a man who pushed for military escalation as thousands died on all sides of the conflict. In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, historians William and Philip Taubman speak with Elinor Evans about their landmark biography of one of the most powerful and controversial men in American history. Drawing on newly uncovered material, including Jackie Kennedy’s personal letters and a secret Pentagon aide’s diary, they reveal the inner world of a man who was often blamed for escalating the Vietnam War – while privately longing to end it.

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Don't miss our podcast series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which Bill Taubman joined a panel of experts to tell Elinor Evans about a pivotal 13 days that saw diplomatic tensions escalate in a world on the brink of nuclear disaster. All four episodes are available now: https://bit.ly/45TLykN.

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(Ad) William and Philip Taubman are the authors of McNamara at War: A New History (WW Norton & Co, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2400&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fmcnamara-at-war%2Fwilliam-taubman%2Fphilip-taubman%2F9781324007166&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty.
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Robert McNamara: life of the week

In his latest book, The Hitler Years: Holocaust 1933–1945, Frank McDonough offers a heart-rending year-by-year narrative of the Nazis' escalating persecution of the Jews – from Hitler's rise to power to the death camps. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Frank describes how a campaign of intimidation on the streets of Germany evolved into genocide.
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The road to the Holocaust

The Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were wiped off the map within 24 hours of Vesuvius erupting, buried under volcanic debris that would entomb them for centuries. In this second episode of our four-part series, Kev Lochun is joined by historian Dr Jess Venner to explore the cataclysm with the help of the experiences of two men: Roman statesman Pliny the Elder, who sailed into danger never to return, and his nephew Pliny the Younger, whose letters provide the only known eyewitness account of the disaster. 

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Want to know more about the story of Pompeii? HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the story of the cataclysm, the Roman way of life and the nature of the Roman empire: https://bit.ly/4bjYKmE
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The final days of Pompeii

In the eyes of a German fighter pilot in the skies over English Channel in 1940, the Battle of Britain was as much a struggle of human endurance as it was of strategy and skill. Speaking to Emily Briffett, aviation historian Dr Victoria Taylor takes us inside the mind of the Luftwaffe, revealing the experiences of pilots, ground crews and support personnel as they faced the perils of aerial combat, the brutal pressure of Nazi ideology, and the relentless intensity demanded of them by those in command.
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Life in the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain

Does the Medieval era deserve its reputation for poor hygiene and bad odours? Dr Katherine Harvey examines the evidence and reveals some of the unusual techniques that people used to keep clean. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The filthy Middle Ages?

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