Episodes

  • Queen Victoria's secret love affair

    Queen Victoria's secret love affair
    Jul 31 2025
    Ever since the 1870s, rumours have swirled around Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown. Were the pair in love? Could they have got married? And might they even have had a secret child? Historian Fern Riddell investigates these claims in her book Victoria's Secret, and has made some dramatic discoveries that she believes cast the story in a new light. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, she outlines her findings. (Ad) Fern Riddell is the author of Victoria's Secret: The Private Passion of a Queen/ (Ebury, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fvictorias-secret%2Ffern-riddell%2F9781529199314. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • The 300-year battle over free speech

    The 300-year battle over free speech
    Jul 29 2025
    From the French Revolution to the social media age, Fara Dabhoiwala charts the surprising history of the idea that people should be able to say what they like From America's founding fathers via John Stuart Mill to today's social media giants, humanity has long wrestled with the idea of free speech. What does it mean? Can it really apply to everyone? And is too much of it dangerous? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, historian and author Fara Dabhoiwala discusses a concept that has divided the world's great thinkers for 300 years. (Ad) Fara Dabhoiwala is the author of //What Is Free Speech?: The History of a Dangerous Idea// (Allen Lane, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Free-Speech-History-Dangerous/dp/0241347475/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • Erik the Red: life of the week

    Erik the Red: life of the week
    Jul 28 2025
    According to the Vinland Sagas of the early 13th century, Erik the Red was a violent and murderous outlaw. But he was also an explorer, a powerful leader and the father of a famous dynasty. Historian and Old Norse expert Eleanor Barraclough charts his fascinating life and legacy, in conversation with James Osborne. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • Power & terror: a history of the nuclear age

    Power & terror: a history of the nuclear age
    Jul 27 2025
    In the closing years of the 19th century, scientists began recording strange phenomena – mysterious glowing gas, smudges on photographic plates. Findings like these triggered a process of scientific discovery in the field of nuclear physics that would ultimately lead to unprecedented devastation at the end of the Second World War. Speaking to Matt Elton, Frank Close charts the story of the nuclear age. (Ad) Frank Close is the author of //Destroyer of Worlds: The Deep History of the Nuclear Age: 1895-1965// (Allen Lane, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Destroyer-Worlds-History-Nuclear-1895-1965/dp/0241700868/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • The Minoans: everything you wanted to know

    The Minoans: everything you wanted to know
    Jul 26 2025
    Centred on the island of Crete, the Bronze-Age Minoan civilisation stretched from roughly 3000 to 1200BC, and is probably most famous for its legend surrounding the mythical Minotaur and the fabulous palace of Knossos. But what else do we know about this ancient society? In conversation with David Musgrove, Ellen Adams answers all the key questions about the Minoans. (Ad) Ellen Adams is the author of The Minoans: Lost Civilizations (Reaktion Books, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-minoans%2Fellen-adams%2F9781836390473. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Fun, fear and flatbread: childhood in ancient Rome

    Fun, fear and flatbread: childhood in ancient Rome
    Jul 24 2025
    What was it like to be a child in ancient Rome? Historian, author and broadcaster Bettany Hughes delves into life for young people across the civilisation, unpicking everything from lice combs and goat-drawn chariots to toga ceremonies and terrifying teachers. Speaking to Emily Briffett, she draws upon extraordinary artefacts to uncover a world that was tough, but surprisingly relatable – if you could survive the first nine days. (Ad) Bettany Hughes is the author of //There Was a Roman in Your Garden: A History of the Romans in 20 Buried Treasures// (Penguin, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthere-was-a-roman-in-your-garden%2Fbettany-hughes%2F9780241662151. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    22 mins
  • Iron Mountain: the conspiracy that duped America

    Iron Mountain: the conspiracy that duped America
    Jul 22 2025
    As the war in Vietnam spiralled out of control, US president Lyndon B Johnson was confronted by a different type of threat: a fake report so convincing that it tricked Americans into believing dangerous disinformation. But that was never the intention. Revisiting The Report From Iron Mountain, journalist Phil Tinline speaks to James Osborne, to reveal how a satirical report evolved into something far more sinister than anyone could have predicted. (Ad) Phil Tinline is the author of Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax that Duped America and its Sinister Legacy (Apollo, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fghosts-of-iron-mountain%2Fphil-tinline%2F9781035903849. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • Bayeux Tapestry politics & natural disasters: history behind the headlines

    Bayeux Tapestry politics & natural disasters: history behind the headlines
    Jul 21 2025
    In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the historical background of current news events, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by Matt Elton and Dr David Musgrove to explore what the Bayeux Tapestry tells us about the history of Anglo-French relations – and how people in previous centuries coped with natural disasters. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins