HistoryExtra Long Reads

Did James I 'steal' Elizabeth I's crown? This Long Read, written by Tracy Borman, considers evidence that the transition from Tudor to Stuart dynasties may not have been quite as seamless as we've been led to believe. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2025 issue, and has been voice...

In the 12th century, a sect of killers spread fear across the Middle East, executing a series of high-profile political murders. This Long Read, written by Steve Tibble, introduces the original Assassins. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partners...

There have long been whispers of a romance between Queen Victoria and her Scottish servant John Brown, but nothing concrete to support them. This Long Read – written by historian Dr Fern Riddell, author of an explosive new book on the subject – reveals how she turned sleuth to track down evidence of their secret passion. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazin...

The rise of Æthelstan was as important a moment in English history as 1066 and Magna Carta. On the 1,100th anniversary of his coronation, this Long Read, written by David Woodman, salutes a king who forged a nation. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2025 issue, and has been voice...

In the wake of the nuclear attacks on Japan, the official Allied line was that radiation sickness was not a danger. Yet, as this Long Read written by Steve O'Hagan reveals, the first Western journalist to witness the effects on the people of Hiroshima told a very different story. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature or...

His diaries are revered for their kaleidoscopic evocation of Restoration England. Yet a fresh analysis of Pepys’ world-famous journals – carried out by Guy de la Bédoyère – reveals a man with a proclivity for coercion and sexual violence. This Long Read written by Guy explores this dark side to the famous diarist. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, dire...

From William the Conqueror’s battle-winning cavalry to Richard III’s fatal final charge, this Long Read written by Oliver H Creighton and Robert Liddiard explores five moments when horsepower changed the course of medieval military history. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the August 2025 iss...

From unholy fights in the most sacred of spaces to downing glasses of sherry for breakfast, this Long Read written by Sarah Elizabeth Cox introduces the pugilists who punched their way into Britons’ affections during the dying days of bare-knuckle prize-fighting. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared...

She was an Italian Catholic in a ferociously anti-papist English court. An aspiring nun in a hotbed of hedonism. In this Long Read written by historian Breeze Barrington, we follow the extraordinary trials and tribulations of James II & VII’s second wife, Maria of Modena. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally...

In the interwar era, artists and designers embraced a sleek modern style that embodied the optimism and elegance of the age. On the centenary of the Paris expo that launched Art Deco on the international stage, this Long Read written by historian Emma Bastin explores its origins and impacts. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’...

In 1579, Queen Elizabeth I embarked on a romance with a French duke she affectionately dubbed her “frog”. The pair seemed destined for marriage. Yet, writes historian Elizabeth Tunstall in this Long Read, the people of England had other ideas… HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the July 2025 is...

We all have childhood memories of playgrounds. But what can the evolution of outdoor play in Britain tell us about the experience of being young over the past 200 years? This Long Read, written by historian Jon Winder, serves up a history of sandpits, bombsites and battles with cars. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s featur...

The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC drove tensions sky-high in ancient Rome. As this Long Read written by historian Jessica Clarke reveals, plays staged at his funeral were carefully chosen to inflame anger and incite revenge on his killers. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the July 2...

When Bob Geldof exhorted audiences to fill Wembley Stadium and empty their pockets for famine relief in Ethiopia, he changed the face of charity fundraising – and of live music. Forty years on, this Long Read written by David Hepworth – one of the BBC presenters on the day – explores the legacy of Live Aid. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to y...

When the Battle of Britain erupted, many Luftwaffe pilots anticipated a swift victory. Yet soon that confidence had been replaced by chronic fatigue and a crippling fear of drowning in “dirty water”. This Long Read written by aviation historian Victoria Taylor charts the mental disintegration of Hitler’s flyers. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct...

Drugging, fraud, even murder – women couldn’t really commit such heinous crimes, could they? Written by historian Rosalind Crone, this Long Read explores five audacious female-led felonies from the 18th and 19th centuries which bust misconceptions about women's lives in the past. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature or...

Hans Holbein’s masterwork The Ambassadors is an exquisite portrait of two 16th-century diplomats. But, as well as being artistically impressive, the painting is also crammed with symbols and hidden messages. This Long Read written by historian Tracy Borman deciphers the clues hidden in Holbein's work that betray the turbulence of a fateful year. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles...

Malcolm X became one of the most influential leaders in the US civil rights movement – thanks largely, explains this Long Read written by historian Ashley D Farmer, to the women who shaped his life and ideas. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partner...

When the Spartacus revolt erupted in 73 BC, it exposed a terrifying truth: that the cocksure Roman Republic was nowhere near as invincible as it liked to believe. This Long Read written by historian Guy de la Bédoyère takes up the story. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2025 issue, a...

In 16th and 17th-century Scotland, many hundreds of ‘witches’ were put to death – 10 times the proportion executed in England. This Long Read written by Martha McGill asks what drove the killings. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the...

When blight began devastating potato crops across Ireland in 1845, British officials immediately recognised the dangers. And yet, within six years, the Great Famine had caused the deaths of at least 1 million people. This Long Read written by Padraic X Scanlan tells the story of how tangled Anglo-Irish relations and a profound devotion to market forces turned a crisis into a national catastrophe....

For the ancient Egyptians, wine played a pivotal part in mythology, ritual and the natural processes that enabled their survival. This Long Read written by Islam Issa explores six key roles it fulfilled in their society over the millennia. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2025 issue,...

Men committed the majority of violent crimes in Tudor and Stuart England. But when women murdered, the press had a field day. This Long Read, written by author and historian Blessin Adams, asks what drove society’s gleeful fascination with its “angels of death”. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared...

When the remains of Richard III were rediscovered under a car park, Turi King led the verification team that worked on the skeleton – proving with 99.999% certainty that it was indeed that of the long-lost medieval king. As 2025 sees in the 10th anniversary of Richard’s reburial service, this Long Read written by King reflects on how science finally cracked this 500-year-old cold case. HistoryExtr...

Today she’s widely remembered as a risqué entertainer – yet she was also involved in many of the earth-shaking events of her era. As 2025 sees the 50th anniversary of Josephine Baker’s death, this Long Read written by Anna Maria Barry tells the story of a 20th-century icon. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature original...