Ancient Mesopotamia: everything you wanted to know
Do you know your Sumerians from your Babylonians and your Akkadians? All these civilisations formed part of the story of ancient Mesopotamia, where city states were formed, writing flourished, the whe...
19 Jan 202547min
Who moulded Winston Churchill?
Later this week marks 60 years since the death of Winston Churchill, on 24 January 1965. So we thought it would be interesting to bring back this episode with Professor David Reynolds from 2023. In it...
18 Jan 202551min
Elizabethan London: a multicultural melting pot
London today is a bustling, multicultural city. But what about in the past? Emily Briffett spoke to Dr John Gallagher to find out more about the vibrant and exciting melting pot of languages and cultu...
17 Jan 202541min
Strange stories of medieval saints
What can Saint Augustine tell us about attitudes to grief in the Middle Ages? What made women steer clear of the shrine of Saint Cuthbert? And why did pilgrims bring gifts of wax to the dead saint Wil...
16 Jan 202537min
What is the greatest historical movie of all time?
What makes a great historical movie? An accurate portrayal of a period, a nostalgic look back at the past, or simply a ripping yarn? Well, on our website HistoryExtra.com, we've been running a poll to...
15 Jan 202537min
Nell Gwyn: life of the week
Nell Gwyn epitomised the wild spirit of the Restoration era. An orange-seller turned actress, turned royal mistress of King Charles II, she hustled her way to the very top with charm, wisecracks and w...
14 Jan 202535min
How pigs caused a stink in medieval England
They attacked children. They exhumed dead bodies. They were even thought to be in league with the devil. And yet, despite this long list of misdemeanours, pigs were an indispensable part of urban life...
13 Jan 202533min
The Hanseatic League: everything you wanted to know
The Hanseatic League was often compared to a crocodile, because it was a shadowy, somewhat sinister entity that kept its true intentions concealed. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Professor ...
12 Jan 202544min
