Episodes

  • "The streets will run with blood!": the uprising that shook Victorian Britain

    "The streets will run with blood!": the uprising that shook Victorian Britain
    Feb 18 2026
    In 1838, a 6ft Cornishman going by the name of Sir William Courtenay led an insurrection in rural Kent. Courtenay claimed he was Jesus Christ – and a lot of people believed him. And when those supporters clashed with troops at Bossenden Wood, the result was carnage. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Ian Breckon describes the last battle fought on English soil and considers what it tells us about Victorian Britain. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Don't miss the new HistoryExtra podcast series History's Greatest Battles, back for a new run exploring the Wars of the Roses. For more details, click here: https://play.megaphone.fm/nl_id4hhr2s5izmxcjam3g Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Pocahontas: life of the week

    Pocahontas: life of the week
    Feb 17 2026
    Pocahontas's life is shrouded in myth – but how much of that lore is true? Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Camilla Townsend brings us face to face with the real Pocahontas, revealing how she acted as a diplomatic bridge in a fragile encounter with English colonists – and considering the way in which her legacy still shapes our view of American history. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST The story of Native American societies decimated by European arrival is a familiar one. But, while undoubtedly important, that’s only one part of the story. In this podcast episode, Kathleen DuVal looks back at 1,000 years of Native American history to uncover a rich, complex picture of North America's Indigenous people: https://bit.ly/49UZg9M. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • The ruthless revolution that made Britain great

    The ruthless revolution that made Britain great
    Feb 16 2026
    The spinning jenny and steam power may be the textbook markers of the Industrial Revolution – but Edmond Smith argues the story starts earlier, and runs much deeper. In this conversation with Elinor Evans, he traces the threads of industrialisation from sheep pastures to global markets, revealing how British economic power was built on innovation – but also empire, slavery, and ruthless ambition. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Curious to go beyond what you learned in the school classroom? Find out more about the Industrial Revolution at https://bit.ly/49H4YMe2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • The Magna Carta myth

    The Magna Carta myth
    Feb 15 2026
    Magna Carta may be associated today with power, liberty and freedom – but those weren’t quite the concerns back in 1215. So what did the barons really demand of King John? And what can this document tell us about the lives of people in medieval England? In this second episode of HistoryExtra's Sunday Series on Magna Carta, Emily Briffett and historian Nicholas Vincent delve into the archive to uncover the real charter – and reveal why it’s not quite the liberty manifesto of legend. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you’re curious to learn more about Magna Carta and the world in which it originated, Emily Briffett has put together some essential reading, listening and viewing from the HistoryExtra archive to help deepen your understanding: https://bit.ly/3ZMTReR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Terrible puns and filthy limericks: the Victorian sense of humour

    Terrible puns and filthy limericks: the Victorian sense of humour
    Feb 13 2026
    Queen Victoria was – so legend has it – famously 'not amused'. But, as Dr Bob Nicholson reveals in this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, the long-lived queen did have a sense of humour – as did her subjects. Speaking with David Musgrove, Bob explores what made people laugh in the 19th century. Please note: this episode contains some very strong language and adult humour. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to delve further into the stranger side of Victorian life? Listen to our series on the life of 19th-century circus showman, animal wrangler, and long-distance wheelbarrow pedestrian Bob Carlisle in our podcast series, The Tiger Tamer who Went to Sea: https://bit.ly/4qBaCFH. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • What your hands say about you – according to history

    What your hands say about you – according to history
    Feb 11 2026
    What do your hands reveal about you? Historian Alison Bashford joins Elinor Evans to explore the extraordinary history of how people have interpreted the human hand. From ancient divination to cutting-edge medical diagnostics, her book Decoding the Hand reveals how palm reading once sat at the centre, not the fringes, of science. In this episode, she explains how hands were used to predict character, diagnose disease, and even identify criminals – and why they still hold such symbolic power today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Thomas More: life of the week

    Thomas More: life of the week
    Feb 10 2026
    Thomas More is best remembered as a martyr and a saint, but the circumstances of his death were just one facet of his controversial life. Historian and biographer Dr Joanne Paul speaks to Kev Lochun about More's many faces: the Lord Chancellor who refused to yield to Henry VIII; the writer who gave us Utopia, and the zealot who believed heretics deserved to be burned. Yet, she argues, he was none of these things of in isolation, but instead a complicated man whose life has lessons for us today. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Thomas More's Utopia is considered one of the most influential pieces of political philosophy today, but how did his contemporaries see it? Joanne Paul considers that thorny question for HistoryExtra: https://bit.ly/49IOYt6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • Going on strike in ancient Rome

    Going on strike in ancient Rome
    Feb 9 2026
    Strikes and unions may seem like modern inventions, but they’ve existed for much longer than many of us realise. Historian Sarah E Bond talks to Jon Bauckham about how people in ancient Rome challenged authority and withheld their labour – from disgruntled mint workers to rebellious charioteers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins