HistoryExtra podcast

The protestant missionaries that didn't change the world

Early Protestant missionaries struggled to convert the globe because their rigid cultural biases clashed with reality.

Strangers and aliens in Tudor England

Tudor England was not an insular kingdom but a globalized society built by the migration of strangers and aliens.

Alexander the Great: life of the week

Uncover how new discoveries and archaeology are reshaping our understanding of the life and death of Alexander the Great.

What myths do we tell about royal women?

From Cleopatra to Marie Antoinette, historians uncover how myths of madness and failure have silenced royal women.

Cleopatra’s death – and cultural afterlife

Unpack the final days of Cleopatra and the enduring myths surrounding her death, legacy, and cultural afterlife.

Masters of disinformation: how British spies played dirty in the Cold War

Explore the shadowy history of British Cold War spies who used forged documents and ghost voices to sow global chaos.

Churchill's toughest decision

Winston Churchill ordered a devastating 1940 naval strike against his own French allies to prevent their fleet’s capture.

Henry Paget: life of the week

The fifth Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget, defied Victorian norms through his flamboyant, stage-focused aristocratic life.

The hidden history of female sexual pleasure

Uncover the long history of female sexual desire, from ancient goddesses to the origins of modern taboos.

Why Cleopatra was more than a bewitching beauty

Cleopatra was a brilliant political strategist and economic leader who mastered diplomacy long before the Roman myths.

Better than Bridgerton: the real Georgian masquerade

Discover the real history of Georgian masquerades, where elite social play often masked deeper political agendas.

Weimar's descent from democracy to barbarism

Discover how the German city of Weimar transformed from a beacon of liberal democracy into a cradle of Nazi tyranny.

Alan Turing: life of the week

Discover the brilliant mind and tragic life of Alan Turing, the code-breaking pioneer and father of modern computing.

The self-made Marilyn Monroe

Lucy Bolton reveals the hard work and fierce ambition behind the carefully crafted screen persona of Marilyn Monroe.

Cleopatra’s bloody rise to power

Cleopatra navigates family betrayal, Roman interference, and civil war to secure her grip on the Egyptian throne.

Gullible Georgians: hoaxes in the Enlightenment period

Discover the bizarre history of 18th-century hoaxes, where scientific progress clashed with superstition and deceit.

Spies, radicals and deportees: one hotel in wartime Paris

From anti-Nazi exiles to German spies and returning camp survivors, the Hotel Lutetia mirrors Paris at its darkest.

Timur: life of the week

Timur the Lame carved out one of history's largest empires through a legacy of brutal conquest and cultural splendor.

How Orkney became the centre of Viking Age violence

Explore the bloody feuds and complex power struggles of the Norse earls who turned Orkney into a Viking powerhouse.

Young Cleopatra: the making of a queen

Explore the dynastic turmoil, power-grabbing, and cultural influences that defined the early life of Cleopatra.