Épisodes

  • Make Mercia Great Again

    Make Mercia Great Again
    Jun 22 2025
    The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia played an important role in the development of England. Although it was sandwiched between the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria and Wessex, unlike those two places, it lacks a great historical chronicle. And, according to Max Adams, this means it's been somewhat overlooked in the story of the birth of the Anglo-Saxon state. Talking to David Musgrove, Max explains why we ought to know more about Mercia. (Ad) Max Adams is the author of The Mercian Chronicles: King Offa and the Birth of the Anglo-Saxon State, AD 630–918 (Bloomsbury, 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-mercian-chronicles%2Fmax-adams%2F9781838933258. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 min
  • The Merovingians: everything you wanted to know

    The Merovingians: everything you wanted to know
    Jun 21 2025
    Professor James Palmer guides us through the 300-year reign of the Merovingians, the Frankish dynasty whose legacy helped birth the very idea of France. Speaking to Kev Lochun, he explores how they used violence, myth, and immaculate hair to maintain power – until the pope brought the dynasty to its knees. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    40 min
  • How the Allies won WW2

    How the Allies won WW2
    Jun 19 2025
    This summer it's 80 years since the greatest conflict in human history came to an end. To mark the anniversary, the military historian, author and broadcaster James Holland has co-written a book that tells the story of the final moments of The Second World War through the Axis surrenders that brought the conflict to a close. In this episode James revisits these dramatic episodes in the company of Rob Attar. (Ad) James Holland is the author of Victory '45: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders (Bantam, 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%2Fvictory-45%2Fjames-holland%2Fal-murray%2F2928377317966. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 min
  • Ancient tips for health and happiness

    Ancient tips for health and happiness
    Jun 17 2025
    The science of health and wellbeing is a hot topic of modern life, and it was no different for the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome. From what you should eat, to how you should exercise, and when you should (and shouldn't) have sex, these cultures developed their own highly specific set of rules to live by to maximise health and happiness. In this episode, Claire Bubb examines the logic behind these health tips alongside James Osborne, and reveals what insights they give us into the Greco-Roman mindset. (Ad) Claire Bubb is the author of How to Eat: An Ancient Guide for Healthy Living (Princeton University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Eat-Ancient-Healthy-Readers-ebook/dp/B0DNGXR1VQ/?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
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    40 min
  • Thomas Aquinas: life of the week

    Thomas Aquinas: life of the week
    Jun 16 2025
    Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Dominican theologian whose groundbreaking ideas set medieval Europe aflame – and continue to resonate today. As 2025 marks the 800th anniversary of Aquinas's birth, Emily Briffett speaks to Professor Robert Pasnau to find out more about the man behind some of medieval Europe's most significant philosophical and theological works. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 min
  • Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades

    Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades
    Jun 15 2025
    Bogus sex parties, fake corpses, exploding tin cans and belligerent pigs. If you thought that James Bond's fictional escapades were outrageous, then the real-life experiences of his creator, Ian Fleming, are arguably even more extraordinary. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Edward Abel Smith reveals how Fleming's work as a wartime intelligence officer inspired the plotlines in his world-famous spy novels. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 min
  • Fatherhood: a short history

    Fatherhood: a short history
    Jun 14 2025
    What does it mean to be a father? When did people first start talking about men as 'father figures'? And how has the concept of fatherhood changed over the millennia? In conversation with David Musgrove, Augustine Sedgwick charts the story from the ancient near east right through to the modern father figure today. (Ad) Augustine Sedgwick is the author of Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power (Picador, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fatherhood-History-Power-Augustine-Sedgewick/dp/103503574X/?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
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    40 min
  • CIA book smugglers of the Cold War

    CIA book smugglers of the Cold War
    Jun 12 2025
    During the Cold War, the CIA book programme was a covert campaign to smuggle books into the Eastern Bloc using everything from balloon drops to baked bean tins. But why was literature such a significant weapon in the culture wars between east and west? Lauren Good speaks to author Charlie English about his book The CIA Book Club: The Gripping New History of the Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War. (Ad) Charlie English is the author of The CIA Book Club: The Gripping New History of the Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War ( William Collins, 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-cia-book-club%2Fcharlie-english%2F9780008495121. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 min