HistoryExtra podcast

Was Napoleon III the world's first populist leader?

Napoleon III's family was, in the words of historian Edward Shawcross, “the most cutthroat mafioso soap opera in the world”. Exiled to Switzerland as a boy and disowned b

The Bayeux Tapestry blockbuster at the British Museum

The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is set to be the biggest historical event in decades. In conversation with David Musgrove, its curator Michael Lewis

The secrets of our DNA

What can DNA tell us about who we are and where we came from? Professor Turi King – who previously appeared on the podcast to discuss her research into Adolf Hitler’s D

What's it like to live in a royal palace?

Did Lucy Worsley have 'the best job in history'? And what did she do when she worked in it? In this episode, Lucy reflects on her career so far, her time as Chief Curator

Roman kings: myth, memory and the making of power

Before Rome's republic and the age of emperors, there were kings… or so the story goes. Beginning with Romulus, and ending with Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, these rulers l

Philip Augustus: the Plantagenets’ greatest rival

King Philip Augustus of France was the Plantagenets’ ultimate enemy. A ruler with an iron fist and sharp political instincts, he consistently exploited the squabbles of t

Laura Ingalls Wilder: life of the week

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 'Little House' books have captivated generations with tales of family, hardship and survival on the American frontier. But how closely did Wilder’s

How bullies shaped 19th-century America

America's Gilded Age is often remembered for rapid expansion and opportunity, but beneath the surface lay a brutal society in which it paid to be a bully. In this episod

Is there a royal sex scandal hidden in plain sight in the Bayeux tapestry?

The Bayeux Tapestry is making headlines as it is loaned to the British Museum to be shown in England for the first time in almost a thousand years. It holds many mysterie

Did Britain really 'keep calm and carry on' in WW2?

'Keep calm and carry on' has long been held up as the defining spirit of wartime Britain. But was the nation really as united, stoic and unquestioning as popular memory s

Did the Catholic Church support Hitler?

How did the politically neutral Catholic church come to have dealings with the fascist regimes of Mussolini and Hitler? In this episode, Ambrogio Caiani tells Charlotte V

Frida Kahlo: life of the week

The arresting gaze, the stark monobrow, the intricate ribbons woven through the dark hair – Frida Kahlo's unmistakable image is recognised around the world today. Yet the

How the Americas transformed Tudor England

What did Tudor England really gain from its early encounters with the Americas? In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to historian Dr Lauren Working about her new book A G

Preview: Master the medieval art of knowing yourself

How can the past help us live better, happier, healthier and more productive lives today? That's the question at the heart of our series Life Lessons from History, which

Have we got ancient women's sexuality all wrong?

You might assume that women were prevented from pursuing sexual pleasure in the classical world. However, as Dr Jean Menzies discusses with Lauren Good, this is not the c

Adultery, assassination and Agatha Christie: the dark side of the hotel

Hotels, have perhaps surprisingly, played a large role in our history. They have found themselves in divorce papers, inspired a new genre of fiction – and even facilitate

Hedy Lamarr: life of the week

Hedy Lamarr starred in dozens of movies, but her life may have been more dramatic than any of them. She was the teenage actor who portrayed the first character to have an

How WW2 transformed Asia

For decades, the history of the Second World War has been told through predominately western eyes. That, writes historian Hans van de Ven, simply has to change. Hans's ne

Preview: Was Jack the Ripper Queen Victoria's grandson?

As recent years attest, royal scandals have a habit of coming to light. But what if the mother of all royal scandals is still waiting to be revealed? Could it be that an

How opium became a powerful global commodity

Opium has been a painkiller, a vice and the fuel for at least two wars. But what makes it such a powerful global commodity? Benjamin Robert Siegel takes Isabel King throu