HistoryExtra podcast

Historian Tracy Borman answers listener questions about the history of British royal residences, from imposing castles to decadent palaces. She speaks to Rachel Dinning about secret rooms, spooky hauntings, and her work as Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A blood-splattered slice of Viking action arrives in UK cinemas today with the release of Robert Eggers’ new saga-inspired epic, The Northman. Professor Neil Price, archaeologist and historical consultant on the film, speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about the process of recreating the Viking world on screen, and some of the historical themes that inspired the story. The Northman is in UK cinemas from 15...

Over time, we’ve viewed birds as pets, pests, natural delights and bad omens. Roy and Lesley Adkins tell Emily Briffett about our complex and lengthy relationship with birds – a story of changing landscapes, fluctuating tastes in food and fashion, enjoyment and exploitation. (Ad) Roy and Lesley Adkins are the authors of When There Were Birds (Little Brown, 2021). Buy it now from Waterstones: https...

What could you expect to hear in the atrium of a Roman home? What was everyday life like for the slaves who worked in the kitchens? And which emperor hosted the worst dinner party? In conversation with Emily Briffett, Dr Hannah Platts takes us on a multi-sensory tour of the ancient Roman home. (Ad) Hannah Platts is author of Multisensory Living in Ancient Rome: Power and Space in Roman Houses (Blo...

Speaking to Dave Musgrove, medieval historian Elizabeth Boyle reflects on life throughout the Covid lockdowns, using early Irish literature to explore how similar the emotions of people in the middle ages were to our own. (Ad) Elizabeth Boyle is the author of Fierce Appetites: Loving, Losing and Living to Excess in my Present and in the Writings of the Past (Sandycove, 2022). Buy it now from Amazo...

What was corruption like in the ancient world – and how can studying it help us make sense of shady dealings in the 21st century? Matt Elton speaks to Shushma Malik, Marta Garcia and Yehudah Gershon – three researchers behind a new project to reveal more about the murkier side of ancient Greece and Rome. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices....

Mark Crail tackles popular internet search queries and listener questions about the history of Britain’s trade union movement and its attempts to secure better conditions for the country’s workers. He talks to Jon Bauckham about the 19th-century origins of the unions, their connection with the Labour Party, and their role in strikes through the centuries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Wiretapping has a chequered past in the United States, from civil war soldiers who were seen as heroes for tapping enemy wires to the political scandals that rocked the 20th-century establishment. Brian Hochman, the author of The Listeners: A History of Wiretapping in the United States tells Rhiannon Davies about the history of electronic eavesdropping. (Ad) Brian Hochman is the author of The List...

Professor Terence Dooley, author of Burning the Big House, tells Ellie Cawthorne why so many of Ireland’s grand homes were subjected to arson during the early 20th century, revealing a complex web of disputes over land, protests against imperialism and IRA reprisals. (Ad) Terence Dooley is the author of Burning the Big House: The Story of the Irish Country House in a Time of War and Revolution (Ya...

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns tells Elinor Evans about the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin – a man who both loved Britain but became a key figure in American independence, and who was a slave-owner yet later campaigned for abolition. Burns also talks about the challenges and thrills of portraying complex histories on screen, and of finding voices that bring the past to life. Hosted o...

Daisy Dunn tells Spencer Mizen how students at Oxford University – including Evelyn Waugh, Vera Brittain and John Betjeman – were buffeted by world events in the 1920s and 30s. (Ad) Daisy Dunn is the author of Not Far From Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars (Orion Publishing, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=4746&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.water...

International history expert Professor Kristina Spohr talks to Matt Elton about the historical parallels of the current conflict in Ukraine – and why we shouldn’t see it as a new Cold War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do we mean by the word ‘clan’? Were these Scottish kinship groups more often allies or enemies? And did they really wear tartan? Speaking with Emily Briffett, Professor Murray Pittock tackles popular search queries and listener questions about Scottish clans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lloyd Bowen shares the story of one remarkable 1601 duel with Elinor Evans. He reveals what the wealth of evidence around a single dispute can tell us about the codes of honour that governed elite violence in early modern England. (Ad) Lloyd Bowen is the author Anatomy of a Duel in Jacobean England: Gentry Honour, Violence and the Law (Boydell & Brewer, 2021). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://...

Archaeologist Dominic Perring discusses what we know about London’s Roman past with Emily Briffett, examining the city’s key turning points and exploring how life there was affected by fire, plague and warfare. Using archaeological and historical records, he ties London’s story into the wider history of the Roman empire. (Ad) Dominic Perring is the author of London in the Roman World (Oxford Unive...

Anna Keay introduces Spencer Mizen to the dramatic decade between the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. She reveals what life was like under Oliver Cromwell, as Britain embarked on its experiment with republicanism. (Ad) Anna Keay is the author of The Restless Republic: Britain without a Crown (William Collins, 2022). Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amaz...

Historian Taylor Downing chronicles the events of the year 1942, which he contends was Britain’s lowest moment in the Second World War. Speaking to Rob Attar, he revisits some of the disasters that befell the country that year and highlights the crucial victory that transformed Churchill’s fortunes. (Ad) Taylor Downing is the author of 1942: Britain at the Brink (Little Brown, 2022). Buy it now fr...

Archaeologist Cat Jarman delves into the mysteries and debates surrounding the history of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. In conversation with Rob Attar, she explores the creation of the astonishing moai monuments and explains the seemingly dramatic collapse of the island’s population. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...

Health and beauty historian Lucy Jane Santos answers listener questions and popular online search queries about beauty throughout the ages. From early cosmetics apparently made for gladiators to whether Georgian women really did use mouse fur for false eyebrows, this whistle-stop tour highlights some of the past’s strangest – and most dangerous – beauty practices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Hannah Greig, a historical consultant to the hit series Bridgerton, takes us behind the scenes of season two. She speaks to Elinor Evans about the real history on screen, from Regency etiquette to the gentlemen’s clubs that gained popularity in the era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Suleyman the Magnificent became Sultan of the Ottoman empire in 1520, he was proclaimed the world’s most powerful man, who could use his armies to smite Christendom. But behind the facade, scheming favourites pulled the strings and worked tirelessly to fulfil their own endless ambitions. Rhiannon Davies spoke to Christopher de Bellaigue to uncover the truth about Suleyman’s fascinating reign....

Winston Churchill looms large in the modern imagination. Everyone from Fidel Castro to George W Bush have cited him as an exemplar in times of crisis. Historian Geoffrey Wheatcroft talks to Spencer Mizen about the world’s fixation with the wartime leader, arguing that this obsession is neither healthy, nor necessarily merited. (Ad) Geoffrey Wheatcroft is the author of Churchill’s Shadow: An Astoni...

Classicist and author Garrett Ryan talks to Kev Lochun about some of the biggest and most commonly asked questions surrounding ancient Greece and Rome. Why are all the statues naked? Who was the biggest drinker in the classical world? And why didn’t anyone go looking for the Greek gods on Olympus – or did they? (Ad) Garrett Ryan is the author of Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants (Pr...

In the third episode of our monthly series marking the centenary of the BBC, media historian David Hendy tells Matt Elton how the BBC became an important part of the national fabric during the Second World War – and how the conflict changed the organisation forever. (Ad) David Hendy is the author of The BBC: A People’s History (Profile Books, 2022). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimreso...

Dr Mike Rapport tackles popular search queries and listener questions about the 19th-century conflicts that tore Europe apart and triggered seismic political changes around the globe. He speaks to Jon Bauckham about the causes of the wars, the pivotal battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, and the life of Napoleon Bonaparte himself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn mo...