HistoryExtra Long Reads

She was an Italian Catholic in a ferociously anti-papist English court. An aspiring nun in a hotbed of hedonism. In this Long Read written by historian Breeze Barrington, we follow the extraordinary trials and tribulations of James II & VII’s second wife, Maria of Modena. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the August 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the interwar era, artists and designers embraced a sleek modern style that embodied the optimism and elegance of the age. On the centenary of the Paris expo that launched Art Deco on the international stage, this Long Read written by historian Emma Bastin explores its origins and impacts. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the August 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1579, Queen Elizabeth I embarked on a romance with a French duke she affectionately dubbed her “frog”. The pair seemed destined for marriage. Yet, writes historian Elizabeth Tunstall in this Long Read, the people of England had other ideas… HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the July 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all have childhood memories of playgrounds. But what can the evolution of outdoor play in Britain tell us about the experience of being young over the past 200 years? This Long Read, written by historian Jon Winder, serves up a history of sandpits, bombsites and battles with cars. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the July 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC drove tensions sky-high in ancient Rome. As this Long Read written by historian Jessica Clarke reveals, plays staged at his funeral were carefully chosen to inflame anger and incite revenge on his killers. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the July 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Bob Geldof exhorted audiences to fill Wembley Stadium and empty their pockets for famine relief in Ethiopia, he changed the face of charity fundraising – and of live music. Forty years on, this Long Read written by David Hepworth – one of the BBC presenters on the day – explores the legacy of Live Aid. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the August 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the Battle of Britain erupted, many Luftwaffe pilots anticipated a swift victory. Yet soon that confidence had been replaced by chronic fatigue and a crippling fear of drowning in “dirty water”. This Long Read written by aviation historian Victoria Taylor charts the mental disintegration of Hitler’s flyers. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the July 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drugging, fraud, even murder – women couldn’t really commit such heinous crimes, could they? Written by historian Rosalind Crone, this Long Read explores five audacious female-led felonies from the 18th and 19th centuries which bust misconceptions about women's lives in the past. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hans Holbein’s masterwork The Ambassadors is an exquisite portrait of two 16th-century diplomats. But, as well as being artistically impressive, the painting is also crammed with symbols and hidden messages. This Long Read written by historian Tracy Borman deciphers the clues hidden in Holbein's work that betray the turbulence of a fateful year. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Malcolm X became one of the most influential leaders in the US civil rights movement – thanks largely, explains this Long Read written by historian Ashley D Farmer, to the women who shaped his life and ideas. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the Spartacus revolt erupted in 73 BC, it exposed a terrifying truth: that the cocksure Roman Republic was nowhere near as invincible as it liked to believe. This Long Read written by historian Guy de la Bédoyère takes up the story. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 16th and 17th-century Scotland, many hundreds of ‘witches’ were put to death – 10 times the proportion executed in England. This Long Read written by Martha McGill asks what drove the killings. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When blight began devastating potato crops across Ireland in 1845, British officials immediately recognised the dangers. And yet, within six years, the Great Famine had caused the deaths of at least 1 million people. This Long Read written by Padraic X Scanlan tells the story of how tangled Anglo-Irish relations and a profound devotion to market forces turned a crisis into a national catastrophe. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the ancient Egyptians, wine played a pivotal part in mythology, ritual and the natural processes that enabled their survival. This Long Read written by Islam Issa explores six key roles it fulfilled in their society over the millennia. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Men committed the majority of violent crimes in Tudor and Stuart England. But when women murdered, the press had a field day. This Long Read, written by author and historian Blessin Adams, asks what drove society’s gleeful fascination with its “angels of death”. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the remains of Richard III were rediscovered under a car park, Turi King led the verification team that worked on the skeleton – proving with 99.999% certainty that it was indeed that of the long-lost medieval king. As 2025 sees in the 10th anniversary of Richard’s reburial service, this Long Read written by King reflects on how science finally cracked this 500-year-old cold case. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today she’s widely remembered as a risqué entertainer – yet she was also involved in many of the earth-shaking events of her era. As 2025 sees the 50th anniversary of Josephine Baker’s death, this Long Read written by Anna Maria Barry tells the story of a 20th-century icon. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The reviled king was condemned to death as a “Tyrant, Traitor, Murderer and Public Enemy”. But, as 2025 marks the 400th anniversary of his accession, how fair does that judgment seem today? This Long Read, written by Jonathan Healey, offers his verdict... HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been 80 years since Britons heard the news that the war in Europe was over. But how did those who lived through VE Day remember the moment? With the help of the BBC WW2 People’s War archive, this Long Read written by John Willis reveals a day of partying, remembrance and continuing sacrifice. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 19th century, a magic new drug took the medical community by storm, riding a wave of scientific endeavour. But, as this Long Read written by historian Douglas Small reveals, it wasn’t long before the dark side of this miraculous substance began to emerge. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the March 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Battered by the Vikings, outshone by King Alfred, Mercia has long been painted as the also-ran of the Anglo-Saxon world. Yet, as this Long Read written by Max Adams considers, this mighty Midlands kingdom was at the very heart of the emergence of England. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the March 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year has seen Donald Trump retake the US presidency, repeating his vow to ‘make America great again’. But he’s not the first to wield such a slogan, as this Long Read written by Phil Tinline explores. Back in the 1980s, Ronald Reagan stood for election with the same promise. Did he deliver? HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the March 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fortune telling was all the rage in the 16th and 17th centuries, and practitioners would stop at nothing to tap in to the supernatural. This Long Read written by Martha McGill tells a story of Highland seers, tarot cards and encounters with the spirit world. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the February 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was a moment of possibilities, dislocation – and dread. This Long Read, written by Dan Todman, tells the story of the 1.5 million urban Britons evacuated to the countryside at the start of the Second World War. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the February 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Slavery, exploitation and racism. These tragedies have long dominated histories of Africa. But there’s another way to tell this story. And, as this Long Read written by Luke Pepera explains, it’s one that puts Africans right at the centre of their continent’s extraordinarily rich and vibrant past. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the February 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King John’s sealing of Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215 is one of the most feted moments of the Middle Ages. Yet, as this Long Read written by David Carpenter explains, it was in fact a charter issued by his son 10 years later that became fundamental to England’s history. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the February 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marco Polo’s adventures in Asia earned him lasting fame. But are his accounts of these travels essentially works of fiction? In this Long Read, historian Peter Jackson investigates whether we can trust this medieval travel-writing superstar. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the January 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The experiences that radicalised Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot co-conspirators into violent extremists sound all too familiar today. This Long Read, written by Lucy Worsley, tells a story of religious clashes, state-sanctioned torture and comrades-in-arms willing to die for the cause. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the January 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In early 1944, the Allied advance in Italy was brought to a halt at a rocky outcrop called Monte Cassino. This Long Read, written by historian James Holland, explores how flawed leadership was to blame for the bloodbath that followed. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the January 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Celibacy barely merits a mention in the Bible. Yet, by the early Middle Ages, it was being celebrated as a shortcut to a seat next to God. In this Long Read written by Diarmaid MacCulloch, we explore Christianity’s long love affair with sexual abstinence. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tragic fate of Cleopatra has long overshadowed her predecessor, Ptolemy XII. But, as this Long Read written by Diana T Nikolova explains, it’s impossible to understand the daughter’s downfall without exploring the father’s hapless reign. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What can history teach us about how to find joy? In this Long Read written by Katie Barclay, we share five lessons from the past about the pursuit of happiness – from the warmth family can provide to the pleasures of curling up with a good book. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Of all the figures in the pantheon of British history, Winston Churchill is consistently ranked amongst the greatest. But how far does this legendary legacy stretch? In this Long Read written by David Reynolds, we ponder whether the wartime leader continues to remain top dog. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women in the Middle Ages rarely wielded political or economic power – yet, a little like the most persuasive doyennes of social media today, their words could shape minds and lives far beyond their own circles. In this Long Read, written by Hetta Howes, we introduce four female literary and spiritual trailblazers. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thomas Cromwell’s final six months were a Greek tragedy of hubris and political venom – all presided over by a tyrannical king. This Long Read, written by Diarmaid MacCulloch, charts Cromwell’s rapid descent from the very pinnacle of power to the executioner’s block. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime-minister. Listen to HistoryExtra's new podcast History’s Greatest Scandals, delving into the murky underworld of The Victorians. Ellie Cawthorne and historian Professor Rosalind Crone take a journey through the backstreets of 19th-century Britain to explore the darker side of Victorian life. Sneaking into private parlours, descending into candlelit mines, frequenting grim workhouses and paying a visit to an unscrupulous confectioner, uncovering some of the biggest scandals of the day – and explore what they can reveal about Victorian age. Series 1 launches 7 Jan 2025. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/40kQYTz Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/33plhOIkO9rtli5btfziHE Listen everywhere else by searching: History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories You can listen ad-free, access episodes early and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://apple.co/4fgRA1d. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the most famous British painters of the first half of the 19th century was a woman born without arms or legs. This Long Read, written by Alice Loxton, explores the life and work of an ambitious artist who became a favourite of royalty and was immortalised by Charles Dickens. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fifty years ago, the notorious peer Lord Lucan vanished following the murder of his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett. This Long Read, written by Laura Thompson, reviews the case of the disappearing earl – and explores what it reveals about social attitudes of the time. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did gladiators supercharge the rise of Julius Caesar? And why were they seen as sex symbols? As the new film directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator II, arrives in cinemas, this Long Read written by Guy de la Bédoyère tells the story of this brutal form of mass entertainment through six of its most significant and surprising moments. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New BBC series Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley tells the stories of female criminals from the 18th to 20th centuries. Their chicanery often earned them great riches, yet, their schemes didn’t always go to plan… This Long Read, written by series consultant Rosalind Crone, examines six case studies that reveal a dark criminal underworld of drug-deals, sly-grog and a queen of thieves. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the November 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1499 execution of Edward of Warwick snuffed out the final embers of the Wars of the Roses. In this Long Read written by Sarah Norton, we introduce the last male heir to the House of York – and explain why he “had to perish” to secure the crown for Henry VII. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the November 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Booby-trapped tombs, eviscerated corpses and terrifying curses – countless ‘facts’ swirl around the burial practices of ancient Egyptians. But which are based in fact, and which are a tissue of lies? In this Long Read written by Campbell Price, we unwrap the truth about mummies. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the November 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan Jones reveals how Henry V's youth helped shape him into the pious warrior king we know today Held hostage at 12, deciding the fate of captives at 14, maimed in battle at 16 – by the time he reached adulthood, the future King Henry V had already learned a series of violent but valuable leadership lessons. In this Long Read, written by Dan Jones, we trace the evolution of ‘Prince Hal’ into a medieval warrior monarch. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dolly Jørgensen considers why the pig was so vital to urban life in the Middle Ages They killed children, exhumed dead bodies and caused an almighty stink. So why, asks this Long Read written by Dolly Jørgensen, were our medieval ancestors so dependent on the urban pig? HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jerry Brotton explores the origins of the four points of the compass Why did the ancient Chinese associate north with power? And what led early Muslims to pray to the south? This Long Read, written by Jerry Brotton, takes us on a journey through the history of the four points of the compass. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eleanor Barraclough reads the runes to find out more about day-to-day life during the age of the Vikings Mysterious characters inscribed on stone, wood and bone have revealed little-known details of everyday Viking life. This Long Read, written by historian Eleanor Barraclough, deciphers the runes to recount tales of love, lust, travel and tragedy from a millennium ago. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Musgrove takes a tour of the historic water closet to uncover how our toilets habits have changed over the centuries From Roman latrines and medieval communal privies to modern flushing cisterns, the toilet has been completely transformed over the past two millennia. In this Long Read, written by David Musgrove, we head down the u-bend in the company of leading historical experts to explore four different aspects of our changing toilet habits. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Magna Carta to Parliament, taxation to the law courts, the 13th and 14th centuries laid the foundations for the modern British state. In this Long Read, written by Caroline Burt and Richard Partington, we explore the political revolution that transformed a nation under medieval monarchs from King John to Richard II. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dummy tanks at El Alamein, bogus generals in Algiers, sham armies on D-Day – all were ruses masterminded by World War II's master of deception Dudley Clarke. This Long Read, written by Robert Hutton, tells the story of the British soldier who made an art form of duping the Nazis. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is Henry VII remembered as an intensely suspicious king, wracked by paranoia? According to Nathen Amin, the answer lies in his death-defying rise to power. In this Long Read, written by Nathen, we delve into the turbulent youth of the first Tudor monarch. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices