HistoryExtra podcast

From etchings scratched into the earliest monuments, to the spray can designs that appear on structures today, the urge to leave our mark is universal. But in 18th-century Britain, the nature of graffiti changed; both exploding in popularity and becoming much more radical in nature. Speaking to Elinor Evans about her new book, Writing on the Wall, Madeleine Pelling explores this shift. She investigates the stories behind scraps of graffiti, from chalk markings made by soldiers and sex workers, to glyphs scratched onto windows by famed poets, and reveals what they can tell us about life in 18th-century Britain. (AD) Madeleine Pelling is the author of Writing on the Wall: Graffiti, Rebellion and the Making of 18th-century Britain (Profile). 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%2Fwriting-on-the-wall%2Fmadeleine-pelling%2F%2F9781800811997. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Were highwaymen really as dashing and gentlemanly as the stories would have us believe? How did these bandits pick the best locations to rob from the rich? And how much of the legend surrounding Dick Turpin is actually true? Speaking to Lauren Good, Bob Shoemaker answers listener questions on highwaymen – and reveals the truth behind their glamorous reputations. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Africa's story has long been presented in western narratives as one that only 'began' with the arrival of non-Africans – yet modern science has revealed that the African continent was, in fact, the cradle of humanity itself. Zeinab Badawi speaks to Danny Bird about her new book that puts Africans firmly in charge of the telling of their continent's rich history – one that spans millennia of great civilisations, long-overlooked deeds of great men and women, and the African instinct to thrive in adversity. (Ad) Zeinab Badawi is the author of An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence (WH Allen, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/African-History-Africa-Humanity-Independence/dp/0753560127/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.URp_LAKHkzuEJR64At4TXjVGAbKt5Qodjj-n3C0sjpiwi7X6VuFyx4DXO3-3AygZ.eiBWV_si59ZvHOJy8XNzCx0ordvmcgBBG5e3_rMxkck&dib_tag=se&qid=1711628678&refinements=p_27%3AZeinab+Badawi&s=books&sr=1-1&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

In the summer of 1940, the skies over Britain filled with the sounds as of engines and gunfire, as the battle of Britain saw the RAF and Luftwaffe go head-to-head in a fight for air dominance. For the British pilots, the objective could not have been more critical – protect their nation from the threat of Nazi invasion. But were the British pilots really the plucky underdogs in this fight? And could Germany have launched an invasion if they had won the air battle over Britain? In the first episode of this five-part series on the greatest battles of WW2, Rachel Dinning explores those questions and more with military historian James Holland. James Holland is a military historian and the author of several books on the Second World War including The Battle of Britain: Five Months that Changed History. He's the co-founder of the Chalke History Festival - which runs from 24-30 June this year. Find out more about the festival's extensive programme of history talks and events at chalkefestival.com. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Allied victory in the Second World War really hinge on the battle of the Atlantic? What made Stalingrad such a pivotal victory for the Soviet Union? And how did forces adapt to desert warfare at El Alamein? In our new five-part series, WW2's Greatest Battles, we're charting five of the pivotal moments that shaped the course of the conflict, with author and military historian, James Holland. New episodes will drop every Thursday, on the HistoryExtra podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry Kissinger, who died in November 2023 at the age of 100, was one of the most significant, and controversial, figures of the 20th century. Matt Elton spoke to historian Rana Mitter about the American diplomat’s life and legacy. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Famously branded "mad, bad and dangerous to know", Lord Byron captured the imagination – and attention – of early 19th-century Britain with his soul-bearing poetry, decadent lifestyle and torrid love affairs. In this Life of the Week episode, Corin Throsby speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about how the Romantic poet became the era's most scandalous celebrity. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since it first hit TV screens back in 2009, Horrible Histories has brought Terry Deary and Martin Brown’s hugely successful series of books to an entire generation of children. As it marks its 15th anniversary, Matt Elton speaks to three members of the team behind the show that mixes comedy songs, gruesome deaths and a talking rat. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would a medieval first aid kit have contained? What were the era's strangest cures? And is it true that it was better to steer clear of the doctor altogether in the Middle Ages? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Elma Brenner answers listener questions about medieval medical theory and practice – from how gruesome surgery really was, to whether leeches were actually that useful. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 19th century, two different British expeditions headed into the interior of West Africa – and both ended in disaster. But what was driving the expeditions, and why were they so ill-prepared? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Dane Kennedy, author of Mungo Park's Ghost shares the tale of the ill-fated missions, and explores the wider story of British exploration of the continent. (Ad) Dane Kennedy is the author of Mungo Park's Ghost: The Haunted Hubris of British Explorers in Nineteenth-Century Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mungo-Parks-Ghost-Explorers-Nineteenth-Century/dp/1009392980/?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

In part 2 of a special bonus episode of our Conspiracy series, Rob Attar and Gerald Posner delve deeper into the questions surrounding the assassination of JFK. Who did Lyndon Johnson think was behind the murder? Why do so many people believe in a conspiracy theory? And why is Lee Harvey Oswald’s other killing rarely discussed? The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The transatlantic slave trade was formally abolished in both Britain and the US in 1807 and 1808 – yet slave ships were still forcibly bringing enslaved African people to the Americas right up to the 1860s. David Musgrove speaks to historian Hannah Durkin about the long history of this horrific trade, through the eyes of the survivors of Clotilda, the last ship to transport slaves to America. (Ad) Hannah Durkin is the author of Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade (HarperCollins, 2024). 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%2Fsurvivors%2Fhannah-durkin%2F9780008446512 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest episode of History Behind the Headlines, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by award-winning journalist and producer Kavita Puri to discuss the history of famine, and the challenges of tackling the contentious legacies of events such as the 1943 Bengal Famine – the subject of her new series Three Million, available now on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service English The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Troubles in Northern Ireland was a difficult, bloody period, which lasted for almost 30 years. During that time, the British secret services ran an extensive intelligence operation to infiltrate the IRA, the details of which are only now coming to light. Speaking to David Musgrove, Henry Hemming discusses what he uncovered about this secret web of spies, agents and double agents for his new book Four Shots in the Night. (Ad) Henry Hemming is the author of Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland (Quercus, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Shots-Night-Henry-Hemming/dp/1529426758/?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

What do white horses symbolise in Welsh mythology? What is the Mabinogion? Was King Arthur from Wales? And why do fairy folk hold a particularly sinister place in Welsh folklore? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Mark Rees takes listeners on a tour of the remarkable creatures and stories of Welsh mythology and legend. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last 500 years, countless people in England and Wales have decided to tie the knot. But what motivated people in the past to get married? What inspired the traditional wedding vows? And when was the first divorce in Britain? Legal historian Rebecca Probert explores how ideas about marriage – and the laws around it – have changed in England and Wales over the last five centuries. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The killing of President John F Kennedy in Dallas in November 1963 is one of the defining events of the 20th century and the subject of multiple conspiracy theories. In part one of a special bonus episode of our Conspiracy series, Rob Attar rejoins the investigative journalist Gerald Posner to tackle your questions about the assassination and the web of intrigue that surrounds it. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sathnam Sanghera’s bestselling 2021 book Empireland catapulted the author into the eye of a media storm. Following the release of its follow-up, Empireworld, he spoke to Matt Elton about how it felt to be at the centre of a heated national debate on empire – and how we can have constructive conversations about Britain’s imperial past. (Ad) Sathnam Sanghera is the author of Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe: Signed Edition (Penguin, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=380&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fempireworld%2Fsathnam-sanghera%2F2928377238056&clickref=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

The name of medieval leader and military commander Saladin has gone down in history for unifying the Muslim Near East, capturing the holy city of Jerusalem and an iconic rivalry with Richard the Lionheart. But, is this extraordinary reputation just the product of his savvy PR team? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Jonathan Phillips charts the extraordinary rise of the Muslim leader, who usurped his patron before reaching dizzying heights – and questions how his legacy has changed across the centuries. (Ad) Jonathan Phillips is the author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin (Bodley Head, 2019). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Legend-Sultan-Saladin/dp/1847922147/?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

Within just a few years of Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet Union had sent the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit. An era of renewal and excitement beckoned. Speaking to Danny Bird, Robert Hornsby tells the story of how Soviet society embraced the 1960s – from new prospects for women, to faith in the energy of the young – before the era's promise was snuffed out by the Prague Spring of 1968. (Ad) Robert Hornsby is the author of The Soviet Sixties (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soviet-Sixties-Robert-Hornsby/dp/0300250525/?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

Were the Anglo-Saxons always called the Anglo-Saxons? What did it take to make or break an early medieval king? And how did Christianity revolutionise the governance of their kingdoms? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Joanna Story answers your top questions about the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through the 19th century, people began to find strange and spectacular bones of "impossible monsters" in the earth. But what creatures could these bones belong to – and what did that mean both for religious beliefs and new evolutionary theories? Michael Taylor joins Rebecca Franks to discuss how the discovery of dinosaurs shook up Victorian Britain. (Ad) Michael Taylor is the author of Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin and the War Between Science and Religion (Bodley Head, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.waterstones.com/book/impossible-monsters/michael-taylor/9781847926784 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the turn of the 20th century, bicycles and motor cars became fixtures on Britain’s roads. Bob Carlisle, the original ‘wheelbarrow pedestrian’, found himself overtaken in this transport revolution. In the final episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove considers how Carlisle’s pedestrian career helps us understand major changes in society, from athleticism and transport to the boom in advertising and consumer goods. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth I is probably best remembered as an aging monarch, with a powdered white face and elaborate red wig. But she was just 25 when she became queen, and had by then had already lived a dramatic and tumultuous life. As author and historian Nicola Tallis tells Lauren Good, the queen's childhood and early years had a lasting impact on her as a ruler – and a woman. (Ad) Nicolas Tallis is the author of Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen. (Michael O'Mara, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Elizabeth-Princess-Prisoner-Queen/dp/178929519X/?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

Joan of Arc has gone down in history as the virgin saviour of France – a patriotic martyr who was unjustly burnt at the stake at the hands of her Anglo-Burgundian opponents. But there's more to the story than that. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Anne Curry charts the extraordinary rise and fall of the young peasant girl from Domrémy, whose visions and prophecies brought her face to face with King Charles VII and led to her spiritual leadership over the armies of France before ending in her unfortunate demise. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Tudor slop buckets to WW2 potato peel recipes, Eleanor Barnett tells Ellie Cawthorne about how our ancestors used up food leftovers. She reveals some ingenious and appetising tactics for tackling food waste in the past and questions whether we might look back to history to help deal with the issue today. (Ad) Eleanor Barnett is the author of Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation (Apollo, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leftovers-History-Food-Waste-Preservation/dp/180328157X/?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

How did the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand lead events in Europe to spiral out of control so rapidly? Why was Germany and Austria-Hungary's bloody clash with the Russian empire during the First World War so brutal? And why has the fighting on the eastern front between 1914 and 1918 been overshadowed by its counterpart in the west? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, historian Nick Lloyd answers your questions on one of the most brutal theatres of conflict both in the First World War, and modern warfare as a whole. (Ad) Nick Lloyd is the author of The Eastern Front: A History of the First World War (Viking, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eastern-Front-History-First-World/dp/0241506859#:~:text=Book%20overview&text=In%20the%20second%20volume%20of,the%20collapse%20of%20three%20empires./?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

It would be fair to say that Second World War pilot Eric 'Winkle' Brown led an extraordinary life. He narrowly escaped death when his ship was torpedoed, smashed the world record for flying the most types of aircraft and had several unlikely encounters with the movers and shakers of his time. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian and biographer Paul Beaver charts some of Brown's remarkable adventures and escapades. (Ad) Paul Beaver is the author of Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot (Michael Joseph, 2023). 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%2Fwinkle%2Fpaul-beaver%2F9780718186708 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The great wheelbarrow craze of 1886-7 was a short-lived media sensation, witnessing a flood of people charging from Scotland to London with barrows. One man had kicked off this bizarre trend – Bob Carlisle. In the fifth episode of our series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove talks to Bob Nicholson to explore the genesis of 19th-century Britain’s strangest crazes, and reveal what happened to Bob Carlisle while the wheelbarrow craze was in full swing. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the modern world we have a relatively narrow idea of who Jesus was, but things were quite different in the early years of Christianity. Many alternative versions of his life and personality proliferated, while at the same time, several other saviours also competed for attention. These stories are at the centre of a new book Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God by the classicist and author Catherine Nixey, who is joined in conversation for this episode by Rob Attar. (Ad) Catherine Nixey is the author of Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God (Picador, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heretic-Lives-Christ-Saviours-Ancient/dp/1529040353/?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

Mary Wollstonecraft was a firebrand thinker of the Enlightenment – proposing radical ideas about the fundamental rights of women. And her life was just as groundbreaking as her work, from having a front row seat at the French Revolution and embarking on a treasure hunt for stolen silver along the Norwegian coast, to courting scandal by giving birth outside of wedlock. In today's Life of the Week episode, author Bee Rowlatt tells Ellie Cawthorne more about Wollstonecraft's life and legacy. (Ad) Bee Rowlatt is the author of In Search of Mary: The Mother of All Journeys (Alma Books, 2015). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Search-Mary-Mother-All-Journeys/dp/1846883784/?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

In 1877, Annie Besant took the stand. She was on trial for selling an "obscene publication" – a pamphlet designed to educate the masses on birth control. Author Michael Meyer tells Ellie Cawthorne about how this sensational legal case lit a fire under Victorian society, and why the woman at the centre of it decided to represent herself in the courtroom. (Ad) Michael Meyer is the author of A Dirty, Filthy Book: Sex, Scandal, and One Woman’s Fight in the Victorian Trial of the Century WH Allen, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirty-Filthy-Book-Victorians-1877-1888/dp/0753559927/?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

How did the Capetian dynasty hold on to the French throne for such a long time during the Middle Ages? How did deep-seated religious beliefs shape their rule? And what was the ‘Capetian miracle’? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Justine Firnhaber-Baker answers listener questions on the influential French dynasty – from how they popularised the name 'Phillip' and the iconic fleur-de-lis, to their religiously-inspired 'royal touch'. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Henry VIII famously ran into a world of problems trying to get out of his numerous marriages. And interestingly, we can find a similar story of royal marital strife all the way back in the ninth-century - during the reign of Lothar II. When this Carolingian ruler tried to divorce his wife, Theutberga, he ran headlong into a clash with the pope. Professor Charles West explains the story to David Musgrove and reveals what it can tell us about how power, politics and passions were intertwined in the ninth century. (Ad) Charles West is the author of The Fall of a Carolingian Kingdom: Lotharingia 855-869 (University of Toronto Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Carolingian-Kingdom-Lotharingia-855-869/dp/1487545169/?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

Tickling tigers one day, and cracking jokes to expectant crowds the next, Bob Carlisle was a circus showman, agent, clown and big cat tamer. In the third episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove speaks to historian John Woolf to consider Carlisle’s hair-raising life in the travelling circus, and how it helps us to understand the world of Victorian show business. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In January 1924 Ramsay MacDonald, the son of a farm labourer, strode into 10 Downing Street as prime minister - and changed the nation's political landscape for good. David Torrance tells Spencer Mizen about Britain's first Labour government, revisiting successes, failures and a complex relationship with the establishment. (Ad) David Torrance is the author of The Wild Men: The Remarkable Story of Britain's First Labour Government (Bloomsbury, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Men-Remarkable-Britains-Government/dp/1399411438/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&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

James Stuart became king of Scotland at just 13 months old, and has since been known as 'the cradle king'. So, what was his childhood like? How did he come to the throne of England? And how much is known about his relationships with his famed favourites, as portrayed in new historical drama Mary and George? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Joe Ellis explores the life and dual reign of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the turn of the 20th century, millions of European Jews were seeking an escape from antisemitic persecution. While many dreamed of Palestine, a few thousand made their way, instead, to Galveston in Texas. In conversation with Rob Attar, the author Rachel Cockerell tells the story of the little-known Galveston movement, explaining how it connects to the histories of America, Zionism and European Jewry. (Ad) Rachel Cockerell is the author of Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for a Promised Land (Wildfire, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melting-Point-Promised-groundbreaking-Philippe/dp/1035408910/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&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

Was the Duke of Marlborough Britain's greatest ever military commander? How did Britain face down the challenge of an expansionist France? And did soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars feel that they were living in the shadow of the Royal Navy? Military historian Saul David talks to Spencer Mizen about the evolution of the British Army between the 17th and 19th centuries. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following the October Revolution of 1917, Russia's nascent Bolshevik regime acted on its word to take the country out of the First World War by brokering peace with Germany. Speaking to Danny Bird, Anna Reid explains how this prompted Britain, France, America and Japan to launch a joint 'intervention', by invading the vast terrain of the crumbling Russian empire in support of anti-Bolshevik forces. (Ad) Anna Reid is the author of A Nasty Little War: The West's Fight to Reverse the Russian Revolution (John Murray Press, 2023). 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%2Fa-nasty-little-war%2Fanna-reid%2F9781529326765 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tickling tigers one day, and cracking jokes to expectant crowds the next, Bob Carlisle was a circus showman, agent, clown and big cat tamer. In the third episode of our new series on this larger-than-life character of the Victorian age, David Musgrove speaks to historian John Woolf to consider Carlisle’s hair-raising life in the travelling circus, and how it helps us to understand the world of Victorian show business. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New drama Mary and George has just arrived on Sky Atlantic and HBO, transporting us back to the intrigues and scandals of the court of King James VI and I. Author and historical advisor Benjamin Woolley introduces Mary and George Villiers, the mother-and-son duo who changed the face of this early 17th-century royal court. Speaking to Elinor Evans, he explores what we really know about George's relationship with King James, and the lingering question over the Villiers' hand in the monarch's death. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The latest instalment of our monthly series sees Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter talk to Matt Elton about the extent to which age has historically been a factor in who gets elected. Plus: telling working-class stories, and the history behind the new names for London Overground lines. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Oscar-nominated film The Zone of Interest is one of the most acclaimed and talked about films of 2024. Directed by Jonathan Glazer and loosely based on a novel of the same name by Martin Amis, The Zone of Interest focuses on the life of Rudolf Höss and his family during the Second World War, when he was commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In today’s episode, Professor Richard J Evans, one of the world’s leading experts on Nazi Germany, speaks to Rob Attar about the real story of Rudolf Höss. He also offers his thoughts on the film and recounts his experience of working with Martin Amis on the original book. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alcatraz is remembered as one of history's most hardline prisons, known for its ingenious escape attempts, gruelling regime, barren location and dangerous inmates. Speaking to Rebecca Franks, historian Ashley Rubin answers listener questions on 'The Rock', from how it withstood the corruption of the gangster era to its famous 'birdman'. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What secrets can medieval human remains unlock? With exciting new developments in the science of palaeopathology, researchers are able to glean much more from human bones than ever before. Speaking to David Musgrove, Professor Alice Roberts explores what the study of these bones can tell us about disease and violence in medieval Britain – considering how learning about historical diseases, like the Black Death and leprosy, can help us to understand and tackle modern diseases too. (Ad) Alice Roberts is the author of Crypt: Life, death and disease in the Middle Ages (Simon & Schuster, 2024). 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%2Fcrypt%2Falice-roberts%2F9781398519237 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it like to sail the high seas in the Victorian age? In the second episode in our new series on Bob Carlisle, a widely forgotten but larger-than-life character of the 19th century, David Musgrove transports listeners back to the dangers and daring exploits of life in the Victorian Royal Navy. With the help of maritime historian Martin Wilcox, David explores Carlisle’s years spent as a sailor in the navy and the merchant fleet, including on opulent transatlantic liners – revealing what his experiences can tell us about shipping in the era. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Maastricht to Brexit, the European Union's first three decades have entailed plenty of political and economic drama. Danny Bird speaks to Dermot Hodson about his new book, Circle of Stars, which focuses on some of the key individuals that helped shape the history of the EU, from advocates of European integration to dyed-in-the-wool Eurosceptics. (Ad) Dermot Hodson is the author of Circle of Stars: A History of the EU and the People Who Made It (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Circle-Stars-History-People-Made/dp/030026769X/?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

Rudyard Kipling is beloved by many for his children's books and inspirational poems. But he was also called the "Bard of Empire", known for writing The White Man's Burden. For today's Life of the Week episode, Professor Janet Montefiore tells Rebecca Franks more about the life and contested legacy of the writer of The Jungle Book, If, the Just So Stories and Kim. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his public life, Dr Winthrop Bell was a Harvard professor and wealthy businessman. But as a secret agent, reporting from Germany in the aftermath of the First World War, he was one of the first to warn of the Nazi plot for racial supremacy that would lead to the Second World War. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Jason Bell discusses this Canadian professor turned spy. (Ad) Jason Bell is the author of Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Canada's Greatest Spy (HarperCollins, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cracking-Nazi-Code-Canadas-Greatest/dp/1443466743/?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