HistoryExtra podcast

In the final episode of the series, our panel considers the afterlife of the Tapestry, debating its differing legacies in France and Britain, whether it might be exhibited in Britain, and why it continues to fascinate. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Michael Wood and Dr Janina Ramirez. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

To mark HistoryExtra’s 1,000th episode, Dan Jones takes us on a whistlestop tour through the last millennium of British history, touching on some of the most memorable moments and reinterrogating the familiar stories we tell about our national past.   (Ad) Dan Jones is the author of Crusaders: An Epic History of the Holy Land (Head of Zeus, 2019). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/C...

Professor Matthew Restall tackles listener questions and popular search queries about the central American civilisation   Professor Matthew Restall tackles popular search queries and listener questions about the central American civilisation. Where did the Maya live? What did they eat? And did they really predict that the world would end in 2012?   (Ad) Matthew Restall is the co-author (with Amara...

Elaine Farrell shares the stories of incarcerated Irish women, from daily routines inside a convict prison to relationships with staff and contact with the outside world. She also asks what their experiences can tell us about the lives of working-class women in 19th-century Ireland more generally.    (Ad) Elaine Farrell is the author of Women, Crime and Punishment in Ireland: Life in the Nineteent...

Sean McMeekin discusses his revisionist new history of the Second World War, which places Josef Stalin at the centre of the conflict   Historian Sean McMeekin discusses his revisionist new history of the Second World War, which places Josef Stalin at the centre of the conflict. He shows how the Soviet dictator outmanoeuvred both enemies and allies to secure his own ends.   (Ad) Sean McMeekin is th...

In 1961 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to journey into space. Stephen Walker delves into the supercharged battle between the Soviets and Americans to reach this milestone   On 12 April 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history when he became the first man to journey into space. Stephen Walker delves into the story of Gagarin’s gruelling secret mission and the seismic battle between th...

Although the story it depicts may have gone down in history, the Tapestry’s coverage of the events of 1066 is far from the whole story. In fact, there’s plenty that is missing, from rival claimants to entire battles. And these omissions can arguably tell us as much about the Tapestry as what is included. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Tom Li...

Jo Willett tells the story of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who pioneered smallpox inoculation almost a century before Edward Jenner   Mary Wortley Montagu is one of the most important figures in the battle to combat smallpox, so why is this 18th-century aristocrat so little-known today? Jo Willett, author of The Pioneering Life of Mary Wortley Montagu, shares the story of a fiercely independent scie...

How much damage did the Great Fire of London cause? How long did it take to put out? And did it really start in Pudding Lane? Rebecca Rideal responds to listener questions and popular internet search queries about the devastating blaze that swept through the capital in 1666.   Rebecca Rideal is the author of 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire (Thomas Dunne Books, 2016). Buy it now from Amazon: https:...

The ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous women in history, but how many of the legends surrounding her are actually true? Egyptologist Professor Joyce Tyldesley explores the life and legacy of the last queen of Egypt.   (Ad) Joyce Tyldesley is the author of Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt (Profile, 2008). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cleopatra-Queen-Egy...

In 1910, a sixteen-year-old girl named Lydia Harvey walked onto a steamship, sailed away from New Zealand and disappeared. She had been ensnared by two traffickers, who transported her Buenos Aires. Julia Laite uncovers Lydia’s journey, from a young girl coerced into prostitution to a star witness in a trial against her traffickers.   (Ad) Julia Laite is the author of The Disappearance of Lydia Ha...

Dr Melanie Giles unravels some of the mysteries around amazingly preserved human remains found in bogs – and reveals what we can learn from them   Dr Melanie Giles unravels some of the mysteries around amazingly preserved human remains found in bogs – and reveals what we can learn from them. She explains why these bodies have survived so well and the reasons why they might have been buried in wetl...

In recounting the Norman invasion of 1066, the Bayeux Tapestry tells a story that we’re all familiar with. But, look a bit closer and it’s not so simple. In this episode, we investigate whose version of events the Tapestry presents, and how its account of 1066 tallies up with other documentary sources. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Elisabet...

Jennifer Higgie charts the story of women’s self-portraits over the last 500 years of western art – uncovering tales of transgressive self-expression and overcoming oppression    Jennifer Higgie charts the story of women’s self-portraits over the last 500 years of western art, revealing how female artists’ images of themselves transgressed societal norms, embraced self-expression and revealed insi...

What did it mean to be ‘born in the purple’? What lasting legacy did the empire have on how we eat dinner? And what does ‘Byzantine’ actually mean? Professor Judith Herrin responds to listener questions and internet search queries about the 1,000-year history of Byzantine empire, which emerged in late antiquity and survived until the end of the Middle Ages. (Ad) Judith Herrin is the author of Byza...

Rebecca Wragg Sykes introduces us to 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, whose life has inspired the new film Ammonite. She reveals the real woman behind the film, discussing Anning’s personal relationships, highlighting her most important discoveries and explaining how she was part of a substantial network of women scientists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn...

Historian Turtle Bunbury, author of new book The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile and Imperialism, shares stories of Irish emigrants and their descendants. He charts their influence on global history, from Christian missionaries in Europe in the early Middle Ages to the presidency of the United States. (Ad) Turtle Bunbury is the author of The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile an...

Emma Stonex, author of a new novel The Lamplighters, talks about the strange true story of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse keepers, who vanished without a trace in December 1900, and delves into the unusual experience of life as a lighthouse keeper. (Ad) Emma Stonex is the author of The Lamplighters (Pan Macmillan, 2021) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lamplighters-Emma-Stonex/dp/1529047315/?tag=bbchistory0...

At around 70 metres long and handstitched with intricate detail, making the Bayeux Tapestry was no mean feat. In this episode, we delve into the details of how this mammoth embroidery was constructed, from the artistic traditions it follows and the materials used, to who may have actually stitched the designs. Plus, we reveal why it isn’t in fact a tapestry at all. Dr David Musgrove and Professor...

Shrabani Basu, author of The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer, shares the surprising story of George Edalji, who was wrongly accused of fatally maiming cattle in 1903. She reveals how this miscarriage of justice exposed the simmering racial tensions of Edwardian England and captured the imagination of Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle. (Ad) Shrabani Basu is the author of The Mystery of the Pa...

Nicola Tallis answers listener questions and online search queries about the Elizabethans. She covers everything from the dangers of using golden toothpicks and the religious rifts of the era to the reasons Queen Elizabeth I never married and the fate of her royal jewels. (Ad) Nicola Tallis is the author of Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch (Michael O’Mara, 20...

In 1845, two British navy ships sailed into the Canadian arctic and never returned. The fate of the Franklin Expedition has proven one of history’s most compelling mysteries, and most recently inspired the BBC drama The Terror. Here, Andrew Lambert explores the history behind the series and asks: what really happened to the expedition’s 129 crewmembers? (Ad) Andrew Lambert is the author of Frankli...

Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini – a story of murder, plague, imprisonment and even necromancy   Professor Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the 16th-century Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini, whose biography shines a light on the dark heart of the Renaissance and features murder, plague, imprisonment and ev...

Simon Winchester explores how humans’ quest to own land – from enclosure and division to violent seizure – has wreaked irreparable changes through history   Simon Winchester, author of Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World, explores how humans’ quest to own land has wreaked irreparable changes through history. He discusses when our division of land began, how the seizure of it...

In the opening episode of this podcast series examining one of the most fascinating objects of the medieval age, we explore all the need-to-know information about the Bayeux Tapestry, examining when and how it was made, who might have commissioned it and why. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Shirley Ann Brown and Professor Elizabeth Pastan. Ho...