HistoryExtra podcast

Fiona Sampson, author of a new biography, Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, discusses the life and work of the Victorian poet. Although perhaps best known for her runaway romance with fellow poet Robert Browning, Elizabeth also battled chronic illness and family troubles to create influential activist writing and ground-breaking poetry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Ahead of their new BBC One documentary, Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley, historical consultant Joshua Levine and producer Yasmine Permaul interrogate the idea of “Blitz Spirit”. Introducing us to a raft of characters who lived through the bombings in London, they reveal how people really reacted to the devastating raids that threatened them and their loved on...

Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been studying medieval skeletons, reveals what her findings can tell us about injuries and violence in the era   Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been part of a research project studying medieval skeletons from Cambridge, reveals what her findings can tell us about occupational injuries, accidents and levels of violence in the medieval period.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Dr Hugh Willmott responds to listener questions on Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century   In this special live edition of our ‘everything you wanted to know’ series, Dr Hugh Willmott responds to listener questions about the suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century, exploring why Henry VIII targeted religious houses, how they were repurposed, and what happened t...

Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and James Baldwin are often remembered as change-makers who came into the world with their political ideas fully-formed – but this was far from the case. As Anna Malaika Tubbs reveals in her new book Three Mothers, the mothers of these civil rights leaders shaped their activism and taught their sons to resist racism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Historian Carol Dyhouse talks about her new book, Love Lives: From Cinderella to Frozen, which explores how women's lives, dreams and loves have been transformed since 1950 –when Walt Disney's Cinderella was released, and teenage girls were told to dream of marriage, Mr Right, and happy endings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...

In the 19th century, devoted pet-owners established Britain’s first pet cemeteries. Dr Eric Tourigny explains what they tell us about Victorian attitudes to animals   In the 19th century, devoted pet-owners established Britain’s first pet cemeteries. Dr Eric Tourigny of Newcastle University, who has been analysing inscriptions on animal gravestones dating back to the 1880s, explains what they tell...

Padraic X Scanlan discusses his book Slave Empire: How Slavery Built modern Britain, which examines how slavery fuelled the British empire and explores the complicated, often contradictory, motivations of abolitionists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Margarette Lincoln talks about her latest book, London and the 17th Century, which describes how a period blighted by plague, fire, revolution and civil war helped transform London into one of the world’s great cities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. Levi Roach explains who counterfeited medieval manuscripts and why   Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. As historian Levi Roach explains, some of Europe’s leading holy men cooked up counterfeit documents to rewrite the past as they thought it should have happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley responds to listener questions about daily life in ancient Egypt, from governance, pharaohs and the Egyptian mindset, to makeup, dental care and the popularity of cat mummies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi...

Author Kate Mosse talks about her historical novel The City of Tears, which transports readers back to the Wars of Religion in 16th-century France    Author Kate Mosse talks about her historical novel The City of Tears, the latest instalment in the Burning Chambers series, which transports readers back to the Wars of Religion in 16th-century France. She speaks about the challenges of balancing his...

Max Adams discusses his book The First Kingdom, Britain in the Age of Arthur, which pieces together the evidence to uncover what happened after the fall of Roman Britain. He speaks about some of the current theories about the era 400-600 AD, and why Arthurian myths have proven so popular. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...

Author Juliet Nicolson talks about her latest book, Frostquake, which tells the story of the frozen winter of 1962. As Britain shivered under a blanket of ice and snow, new political and cultural forces were emerging that would shake up the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Kathleen Neal explains what we can learn about Edward I, the famously militaristic “Hammer of the Scots”, from his letters   Dr Kathleen Neal explains what we can learn about medieval king Edward I, the famously militaristic “Hammer of the Scots”, from the letters that he sent to his nobles and officers. What can these missives tell us about Edward as a man, and how his reign unfolded?    Hoste...

Author Mark Glancy tells us about his latest book, Cary Grant: The Making of a Hollywood Legend, which chronicles the remarkable story of how Archibald Leach, a working-class lad from Bristol, became the most celebrated actor in Hollywood and the epitome of debonair sophistication. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c...

Jeremy Crang investigates reports on British morale made during the Second World War and considers what they can tell us about the ‘Blitz spirit’   Historian Jeremy Crang discusses his book The Spirit of the Blitz (co-edited with Paul Addison), which investigates reports on British morale made during the early months of the Second World War and considers what they can tell us about the so-called ‘...

Professor John Hatcher answers listener questions about the medieval pandemic, and reflects on how the Covid-19 crisis might shape our understanding of the plague   Professor John Hatcher, author of The Black Death: A Personal History, responds to listener questions and internet search queries about the medieval pandemic that ravaged 14th-century Europe. He also reflects on how the current Covid-1...

Margaret MacMillan gives a lecture on her book War: How Conflict Shaped Us, which explores the recurring reasons for conflict throughout history and examines how warfare has impacted on the human story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Thor to Odin, Carolyne Larrington discusses the legendary figures of Viking mythology   Professor Carolyne Larrington discusses her book The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and Heroes, which explores the legendary stories and figures of Viking mythology, from one-eyed Odin to hammer-wielding Thor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices....

Author and journalist Sir Peter Stothard discusses his latest book, The Last Assassin, which chronicles the hunt for Julius Caesar’s murderers, a momentous episode in ancient Rome’s story that triggered a brutal civil war and the dawn of the imperial age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Daniel Ogden, author of new book The Werewolf in the Ancient World, explores the origins of the werewolf legend in stories from classical Greece and Rome. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Ian Mortimer discusses how a vast chasm between rich and poor marked society in the early 19th century Historian Ian Mortimer discusses the chasm between rich and poor that marked society in the early 19th century, and explores why many popular depictions of the era fail to show the realities of Regency inequality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more a...

Ahead of the release of the new film The Dig, Professor Martin Carver discusses the real story of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo Ahead of the release of Netflix’s new film The Dig, about the famous 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo, Professor Martin Carver explains the fascinating history of the iconic burial site. He speaks to David Musgrove about the team that worked on the excavation, and the re...

In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, an expert in ancient history, responds to listener questions and popular internet search queries on the Persian empire. Once the largest empire the world had ever seen, Persia was one of the dominant powers of the ancient world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...