History Extra podcast

Lucy Lethbridge discusses the emergence of British mass tourism, from the first package holidays and hedonistic health spas, to vomit-inducing stagecoach journeys

Nicholas Morton explores the legendary clash between two major empires in the 12th and 13th centuries

From the world’s oldest beer to Britain’s deadly “gin craze”, Phil Withington answers listener questions on the long and impactful history of alcohol

Hilary French follows the history of ballroom dancing – from its early popularity among the leisured elites to its demise in the face of disco, and recent Strictly revival

In the third episode of our series on the Cuban Missile Crisis, we chart the first phase of the Cold War standoff – from panicked secret meetings to risky naval manoeuvres

Saul David describes the horrors of the long campaign to defeat Japan in the Second World War, through the eyes of a company of US Marines

Sarah Colvin shares stories of prisoners who were incarcerated in West and East Germany in the turbulent years following the Second War

Peter Stanford considers the different meanings of pilgrimage across world history

From ingenious gadgets to audacious plots, historian Helen Fry answers listener questions on British espionage in the Second World War

From political agitators and artist’s muses to composers, sailors and the goddaughter of the queen herself, John Woolf shares the stories of black people in Victorian Britain