Episodes

  • Sport's strangest tales

    Sport's strangest tales
    Nov 25 2024
    Humans have been infatuated with sport for thousands of years. But what drove this obsession in the first place? And how did ancient pursuits evolve into the games we know and love today? Jon Bauckham speaks to QI researchers and hosts of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish James Harkin and Anna Ptaszynski about their new book on sporting history, discussing everything from doping to David Attenborough’s impact on snooker. (Ad) James Harkin and Anna Ptaszynski are the authors of A Load of Old Balls: The QI History of Sport (Faber & Faber, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Load-Old-Balls-History-Sport/dp/0571372546/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Listen to David Horspool discuss how sport has embedded itself in the fabric of British life: https://link.chtbl.com/RQsMQw5V. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Ancient Egyptian warfare: everything you wanted to know

    Ancient Egyptian warfare: everything you wanted to know
    Nov 24 2024
    Ancient Egypt conjures up images of pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphics – but what about soldiers, generals and military campaigns? In today's episode, Jon Bauckham talks to Egyptologist Nicky Nielsen about the evolution of ancient Egyptian warfare – from the conquests of Thutmosis III to the pros and cons of the chariot. Listen to Nicky Nielsen discuss the battle the Megiddo, and how it supercharged the rise of one of Egypt's most formidable pharaohs: https://link.chtbl.com/4hV5FfY_. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • The bloody road to Rome: liberating Italy from the Nazis in WWII

    The bloody road to Rome: liberating Italy from the Nazis in WWII
    Nov 22 2024
    When the Allies invaded Italy in the summer of 1943 they hoped to be in Rome by Christmas. Instead, it wasn't until June 1944 that the Italian capital was liberated, following a gruelling march up the peninsula that ended with what James Holland describes as "five months of hell". In his new book, the historian, author and podcaster zones in on these months and in particular the brutal battle of Monte Cassino. Rob Attar caught up with James to find out more. (Ad) James Holland is the author of Cassino '44: Five Months of Hell in Italy (Transworld Publishers, 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%2Fcassino-44%2Fjames-holland%2F9780857505538. Hear more from James Holland on the bloody Italian campaign of WW2: https://link.chtbl.com/UQm9agKC. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • The invisible tracks that have shaped the world

    The invisible tracks that have shaped the world
    Nov 21 2024
    Each ocean voyage through history has laid down a track that tells a story. These invisible pathways across the seas can reveal how the world has been shaped by power, conquest and exploration. Dr Sara Caputo tells Elinor Evans more about how lines on a map can have real-world consequences. (Ad) Sara Caputo is the author of Tracks on the Ocean: A History of Trailblazing, Maps and Maritime Travel (Profile Books, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paths-Ocean-Journeys-Became-Lines/dp/1788168828/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Here, Jonn Elledge considers how the lines we draw on maps have determined the course of history: https://link.chtbl.com/5bDP91Ns. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Should we stop talking about the crusades?

    Should we stop talking about the crusades?
    Nov 20 2024
    When you think about 'the crusades', you probably think of a series of military campaigns in the Holy Land, representing a great battle between the forces of Islam and Christianity. But is this actually a helpful way to view the subject? Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian William Purkis opens the lid on historical scholarship to reveal the wide and complex reality of crusading fervour in the Middle Ages – and considers how, if we look at it from a different perspective, we might gain a truer insight into the medieval mindset. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • Æthelred the Unready: life of the week

    Æthelred the Unready: life of the week
    Nov 19 2024
    King Æthelred II ruled England from 978 to 1016 – with a little gap in 1014. Known to history as 'the Unready', he faced many challenges in his reign, not least the attentions of several Viking invasion forces. It was Æthelred's failure to deal with such threats that landed him with his rather unfortunate nickname. However, as Levi Roach explains to David Musgrove, the story of his reign is a far more complicated one, with long-term consequences. (Ad) Levi Roach is the author of Æthelred: The Unready (Yale University Press, 2016). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/AEthelred-Unready-Monarchs-Levi-Roach/dp/0300196296/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. If your enjoyed this medieval episode, be sure to listen to this episode where Joanna Story answers listener questions about the Anglo-Saxon kings and kingdoms: https://link.chtbl.com/dwG7ZNcl. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • The golden age of the country house

    The golden age of the country house
    Nov 18 2024
    In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain’s country houses enjoyed something of a renaissance. No longer were stately homes only seen as the preserve of stuffy landed gentry. Instead, the aristocracy was joined by an entirely new class of industrialists and foreign elites, each keen to showcase their wealth and be the kings of their own castles. Jon Bauckham chats to Adrian Tinniswood about the rise of the country house lifestyle during this period, covering everything from gaudy interior design and Victorian burglar alarms to resident ghosts. (Ad) Adrian Tinniswood is the author of The Power and the Glory: The Country House Before the Great War (Vintage, 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%2Fthe-power-and-the-glory%2Fadrian-tinniswood%2F9781787334168. Stephanie Barczewski reveals how many English country houses have a more turbulent and violent history than we might expect: https://link.chtbl.com/dJovycgn. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Victorian schools: everything you wanted to know

    Victorian schools: everything you wanted to know
    Nov 17 2024
    The 19th century witnessed a revolution in Britain's schools, as compulsory mass education was rolled out, and thousands more children learnt how to read and write. But what was it like to study in a Victorian school? How tough was the discipline? How widespread was truancy? And did teachers get any formal training? These are among the questions that Spencer Mizen put to historian Rosalind Crone for our latest 'everything you wanted to know' episode on Victorian schools. Rosalind Crone answers your questions on the history of British prisons, here: https://link.chtbl.com/wP5obFg1. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins