History Extra podcast

For most of the latter half of the 20th century, the world was frozen in a standoff. The Cold War era was defined by the ideological fissure between capitalism, led by the United States, and communism, espoused by the Soviet Union. But in a new book, Vladislav Zubok challenges much of the accepted wisdom that has shaped popular perspectives about this standoff since 1991. Speaking to Danny Bird, Zubok discusses why Americans were far more ideological than their Soviet contemporaries; why decolonisation and the Global South became the ‘nuclear fuel' that sustained the Cold War; and how the conflict's conclusion in the 1990s continues to reverberate in global affairs to this day. (Ad) Vladislav Zubok is the author of The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991 (Pelican). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cold-War-New-History/dp/0241696143/?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

Climbing to the top of Gilded Age society in 19th-century America, socialite Alva Vanderbilt made headlines for being one of the first elite women to divorce on her terms, and she later turned her ambition – and considerable fortune – to the fight for women's rights. In today's episode, Nancy Unger tells Elinor Evans about a woman who upended the highest echelons of society, caused scandal and heartache, but ultimately blazed a path from strategic social climber to outspoken suffragist. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Across 12,000 years of history, prosperity has flourished in societies where women could fully participate – and faltered when they were pushed to the margins. That's what Dr Victoria Bateman argues in her new book Economica. From Stone Age big-game hunters to Roman traders, Renaissance brewers and pirate queens, she explores how women's economic power has shaped civilisations, but also how bias, law and culture have erased these contributions. Speaking to Danny Bird, Victoria challenges myths about the rise of capitalism – and warns that ignoring women's crucial role in humanity's prosperity risks repeating one of history's most common mistakes. (Ad) Victoria Bateman is the author of Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power (Headline Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECONOMICA-global-history-women-wealth/dp/1035415771/?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

They gave us the alphabet, charted the seas by the Pole Star, and built Carthage – once Rome's greatest rival. So why have the Phoenicians been forgotten? Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Josephine Quinn explores the story of these ancient seafarers, traders and city-builders who connected the cities surrounding the Mediterranean – and left an extraordinary legacy – long before Greece and Rome rose to power. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite facing significant obstacles in their own lives, black women in the United States were at the forefront of campaigns for human rights at home and abroad. Historian Keisha N Blain tells the stories of some of these women who, in the 19th and 20th centuries, worked outside the corridors of power to fight for freedom across the globe. She was joined in conversation by Rob Attar. (Ad) Keisha N Blain is the author of Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FWithout-Fear-Black-Making-Rights%2Fdp%2F0393882292. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the years following Stalin's death in 1953, a new phenomenon emerged within the Soviet Union: so-called 'dissidents'. Preferring to think of themselves as 'rights defenders', these individuals advocated a form of 'civil obedience' – a demand that the state abide by its own constitution and the basic rights and freedoms it promised on paper. Historian Benjamin Nathans speaks to Danny Bird about his Cundill Prize-nominated book To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause, which examines this extraordinary movement. To find out more about the Cundill History Prize, go to https://www.cundillprize.com/ (Ad) Benjamin Nathans is the author of To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement (Princeton University Press, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Success-Our-Hopeless-Cause-Dissident-ebook/dp/B0CW1FHMSQ/?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

The life of El Cid, the famed 11th-century Castilian warrior otherwise known as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, is steeped in legend. Historian Nora Berend joins Danny Bird to examine his real-life exploits during the centuries-long series of campaigns by Christian kingdoms to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule, known as the Reconquista. She unpacks his complex loyalties to both Christian and Muslim rulers, and explores how his story has been continually reshaped to serve politics, culture and Spanish national identity. (Ad) Nora Berend is the author of El Cid: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Mercenary (Sceptre, 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%2Fel-cid%2Fnora-berend%2F9781399709620. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Britain and Germany, both world wars saw hundreds of thousands of casualties – but what happened to the bodies of those who died on enemy territory? And what impact did this have upon their bereaved relatives, and their nation's memory of the war? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Tim Grady explores how both nations cared for their fallen foe during and after the First and Second World Wars. (Ad) Tim Grady is the author of Burying the Enemy: The Story of Those who Cared for the Dead in Two World Wars (Yale University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Burying-Enemy-Story-Those-Cared/dp/0300273975/?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

The Mughal empire was one of the most powerful and influential dynasties in South Asian history, blending together a mix of cultural traditions to create a legacy of dazzling architecture, innovative governance, and turbulent politics. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Nandini Chatterjee journeys through the empire's rich history – and considers why it continues to spark debate today. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you know anything about the Amazons of ancient legend, it's probably that they were fearsome female fighters, who bravely battled against male heroes of Greek legend. But, according to Professor David Braund, the Amazons were far more than just formidable warrior women – he explains why to David Musgrove. (Ad) David Braund is the author of Amazons: The History Behind the Legend (Cambridge University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazons-History-Behind-David-Braund/dp/1108834493/?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

The story of the Vikings who travelled to eastern Europe is just as thrilling as the story of those who headed west. It's also just as important – still being relevant today through deep rooted connections to the ongoing war in Ukraine. But what are those long-lasting links, exactly? Historian and author Martyn Whittock examines this complicated history in conversation with James Osborne. (Ad) Martyn Whittock is the author of Vikings in the East: From Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Putin – The Origins of a Contested Legacy in Russia and Ukraine (Biteback, 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%2Fvikings-in-the-east%2Fmartyn-whittock%2F9781785909054. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, crossed the Channel and changed English history forever. Known to some as a ruthless and ambitious conqueror and to others as a astute and innovative state-builder, his legacy is still debated today, almost a thousand years later. But how much do we know about the man behind this formidable reputation? As new BBC Drama King and Conqueror hits the screens, Emily Briffett speaks to Professor David Bates to chart William's dramatic rise to power and the brutal realities of Norman rule. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the threat of war began to loom in the 1930s, an elaborate system of fortifications sprung up in northeastern France. Known as the Maginot line, this string of defences was designed to protect the nation in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. So, when Hitler's forces did invade, how much blame should the Maginot Line shoulder for the fall of France in double-quick time? That's a question that's troubled historians ever since the traumatic events of 1940. In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Kevin Passmore explores why the line has become a symbol of a nation's collective failure to face the challenges of the modern world (Ad) Kevin Passmore is the author of The Maginot Line: A New History (Yale). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maginot-Line-New-History/dp/0300277040/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aVgiucnHhsw8GtAN2IzrEswaM0EX3Dy8QpYSeLwhTOy7Z6m9IAKx54zspipA7_H7bCgN_FQUJr_zpW6dysMfypNtq01K4XLgkRG5-oZ8lqxJoeQmvIW_BgycqfLfg1ElWJm_NSVviLxLMW9BcfqGHRT8r0y_2BRCo4y-9WYWcaCRwpna3Ug5BAHAF-WV-t4FhpkfSmn3JsV8yZ6UXNUxBU4o0-mYIcgtNirSGF4pM5s.EMrngOGJ3WE8YDMfngnbIDj3xMLcHYdUUBhmLYgf-g4&dib_tag=se&qid=1752843122&refinements=p_27%3AKevin+Passmore&s=books&sr=1-3&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

From Hercule Poirot to Sherlock Holmes, crime fiction has long been a popular genre. But what was the first crime novel? How has crime writing affected real-life cases? And what was the 'Detection Club'? In this 'everything you wanted to know' episode, Isabel King is joined by crime fiction author and researcher Martin Edwards to discuss the history of the influential genre. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the 'fall' of Rome wasn't a collapse, but a rebrand? In this episode, Alice Roberts delves into the dramatic transformation of the Roman world and the rise of Christianity, from cliffside burials in Wales to imperial politics in Constantinople. Speaking to Danny Bird, she reveals how early Christianity wasn't a grassroots movement of the poor, but a strategic shift embraced by elites, bishops and emperors. (Ad) Alice Roberts is the author of Domination: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity (Simon & Schuster, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Domination-Alice-Roberts/dp/1398510084/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0/?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 2010, the world was stunned when the United States exposed a covert Russian spy network operating on its soil. Seemingly all-American families living in white-picket-fenced suburbia were in fact deep undercover Russian agents. Many had been living under assumed identities for decades, lying even to their own children. In this episode, journalist Shaun Walker speaks to Danny Bird about Moscow's longlasting ‘illegals' programme – perhaps the most audacious chapter in the history of espionage. He reveals how the roots of the operation reached back more than a century to before the Bolshevik Revolution; how the Soviet Union deployed it against supposedly ‘friendly' states; and how today's Russia reveres these spies as patriotic heroes. (Ad) Shaun Walker is the author of The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West (Profile 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-illegals%2Fshaun-walker%2F9781788167772. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edward the Confessor, England's penultimate Anglo-Saxon king, has long been remembered as a saintly, pious monarch – but was he really the weak ruler whose indecision paved the way for the Norman Conquest that some historical sources would have us think? And if not, how should we understand him? Emily Briffett spoke to historian Tom Licence to explore the life of this medieval monarch – from his early years in exile and his ambitions for the crown to the subsequent political challenges he faced that ultimately shaped the fate of England. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Histories of British involvement in the Caribbean tend to focus mainly on the period of plantation slavery but, in her new book Empire Without End, Imaobong Umoren argues that we need to take a broader view. It's only by taking the story back to the 16th century and forward until the present, she contends, that we can fully understand the intertwining themes of colonialism and racism in the region – and see how they connect to events in Britain. In this episode, Imaobong explores these ideas in conversation with Rob Attar. (Ad) Imaobong Umoren is the author of Empire Without End: A New History of Britain and the Caribbean (Fern Press, 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%2Fempire-without-end%2Fimaobong-umoren%2F%2F9781911717034%23%3A~%3Atext%3DEmpire%20Without%20End%20offers%20a%2Cthe%20longevity%20of%20systemic%20racism. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Human beings tend to identify with being in a group, and, historically, few groupings have been more potent than the idea of the nation. But when did people first embrace the idea of the nation state? Is nationalism predominantly a right-wing creed? And does it thrive during periods of crisis and uncertainty? In this Everything You Wanted To Know episode, Danny Bird puts these questions and others submitted by our listeners to John Hutchinson. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1775, a respectable lady, a mild-mannered apothecary and his fast-living identical twin stood accused of pulling off a scam that had earnt them a fortune. But as their trial unfolded, the defendants turned on one another, and the plot thickened – who was the real orchestrator of the scheme, and who would hang for it? In this preview of episode one of History's Greatest Scandals Season 2, Professor Hannah Greig and Ellie Cawthorne revisit this sensational courtroom drama, and consider what it can tell us about the Georgian age. Find the full episode and listen to the whole series by heading to History's Greatest Scandals or following this link: pod.link/1783538769 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After causing the extinction of the dodo, humans soon realised that we had the power to destroy entire species – and we continue to reckon with that power. Speaking to James Osborne, Sadiah Qureshi discusses her new book Vanished, which looks at the connections between extinction and imperialism, and explores how changing ideas about extinction have reshaped the face of the planet. (Ad) Sadiah Qureshi is the author of Vanished: An Unnatural History of Extinction (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%2Fvanished%2Fsadiah-qureshi%2F%2F9780241352106. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christianity came to dominate Europe in the Middle Ages. However, some parts of Europe remained pagan until very recently. So how did non-Christian peoples survive, and prosper, in parts of Europe for centuries after most of the continent had adopted the Church? Francis Young, folklorist and historian of religion and belief, explains all to David Musgrove. (Ad) Francis Young is the author of Silence of the Gods: The Untold History of Europe's Last Pagan Peoples (Cambridge University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silence-Gods-History-Europes-Peoples/dp/1009586572/?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 latest episode of our monthly series charting the historical background of current news events, historians Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss how VJ Day is remembered 80 years on – and explore the rise, fall and rise of women's football. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For centuries, North and Latin America have been locked in a relationship of rivalry and reciprocity. From revolutionary dreams to imperial ambitions, their fates have never been separate. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Greg Grandin explores how Latin America has long shaped – and resisted – US influence, from critiques of the Spanish conquest in South America, to the Latin American leaders who influenced ideas of freedom and human rights in the centuries since. (Ad) Greg Grandin is the author of America, América: A New History of the New World (Penguin, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/America-Am%C3%A9rica-New-History-World/dp/1911709909/?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 spring of 1871, the citizens of Europe's second largest city rose up and proclaimed the Paris Commune. For eight extraordinary weeks, the French capital defied the national government that had been forced to decamp to Versailles – and adopted a series of progressive policies ranging from the abolition of nightwork in bakeries to the toppling of contested monuments. But what exactly was the Commune? How did this revolutionary government function? And why was it crushed with such vigour? Speaking to Danny Bird, historian David A Shafer answers listener questions on this extraordinary moment in French history. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, broadcaster Kavita Puri – presenter of a new BBC Radio 4 series on the Second World War in Asia – tells Matt Elton why stories of the Allied conflict with Japan remain overlooked and under-told. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From zoot suiters and mods, to mashers and Congolese sapeurs, since the early 19th century, fashionable male subcultures have popped up across the globe. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Peter Andersson examines how the idea of the 'dandy' has evolved over time, and argues that the idea of dressing well was not limited to the elites. (Ad) Peter Andersson is the author of The Dandy: A People's History of Sartorial Splendour (Oxford University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dandy-Peoples-History-Sartorial-Splendour/dp/0198882432/?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

Cultural historian and author Breeze Barrington brings to life the fascinating – and often misunderstood – story of Maria, or Mary, of Modena. Born into Italian nobility and raised with quiet ambitions of becoming a nun, Mary was thrust onto the European political stage as a teenage bride to James, Duke of York (later crowned as James VII of Scotland and II of England). Talking to Elinor Evans, Breeze shares how Maria navigated a foreign court, vicious anti-Catholic sentiment, and personal loss, to emerge as a resilient and principled queen. (Ad) Breeze Barrington is the author of The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court (Bloomsbury, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Graces-Extraordinary-Untold-Lives-Restoration/dp/1526663783/?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 would it have been like to have witness one of the most spectacular sights of the ancient world first-hand? Speaking to Rachel Dinning, Bettany Hughes explores the extraordinary Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. From its awe-inspiring grandeur to its dramatic tales of arson, murder, and sanctuary, she reveals the secrets and significance of this remarkable ancient site. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was life like on the frontier in 19th-century America? Forget Hollywood's high-noon shootouts and lawless swaggering cowboys – historian Karen Jones paints a far more complex picture of the American frontier. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she helps us look past the myths to find more diversity and humanity in the stories of those who travelled westward in the 19th century to forge new lives. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

South Asian history is currently in the spotlight, with 2025's South Asian Heritage Month focusing particularly on themes of movement and migration. But what's the value of such dedicated history months? And are there stories that are still being overlooked? Matt Elton spoke to three expert historians – Shrabani Basu, Sumita Mukherjee and Shalina Patel – to find out. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The decision by the United States to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 remains one of the most controversial moments in modern history. Did the atomic bombs force Japan's surrender in the Second World War? Or is this far too simple a narrative? Speaking to Elinor Evans, historian Richard Overy reconsiders the role of Oppenheimer's bombs, and the US firebombing that paved their way, in the final weeks of the war. (Ad) Richard Overy is the author of Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Surrender of Japan (Allen Lane, 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%2Frain-of-ruin%2Frichard-overy%2F9780241700693. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2015, the Bank of England asked the British public to nominate a deceased cultural figure they felt deserved the honour of appearing on a banknote. The figure they chose was JMW Turner. So what made Turner such an extraordinary artist? And why do his landscape paintings still resonate today, 250 years on from his birth? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Nicola Moorby explores the man behind the breathtaking works of art. (Ad) Nicola Moorby is the author of //Turner and Constable: Art, Life, Landscape// (Yale University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turner-Constable-Art-Life-Landscape/dp/0300266480/?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

At 8.15am on 6 August 1945, an atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima. It was an event that changed the course of history, but it was also one driven by individuals. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Iain MacGregor tells this story through the eyes of people whose lives were forever shaped by the quest to build the bomb – and those affected by its devastating consequences. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine being torn from your home and sent to live with strangers... well that was exactly what happened for many in the Second World War. To escape the threat of bombing in British cities, thousands of people were transported to the countryside – and they weren't just children. In this everything you wanted to know episode, historian Joshua Levine joins Lauren Good to revisit the experiences of evacuees – including his own father. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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

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