History Extra podcast

Historical novelist Robert Harris discusses his new book, which follows Charles II’s hunt for the men who killed his father

Mae Ngai explore how gold rushes helped shape racist attitudes that targeted Chinese people in the west, culminating in exclusionary immigration laws

Giles Whittell tells the story of the 1942 St Nazaire Raid, an audacious attack by British commandos on German-occupied France

Margaret MacMillan profiles the life and legacy of the 15th-century leader Babur, who founded the Mughal empire – and kept a renowned diary

Helen Nicholson answers listener questions on the crusading medieval military order made famous by its mysterious connections to the Holy Grail and Masonic order

Henrietta Harrison discusses her Cundill Prize-shortlisted book on the interpreters who took on the dangerous task of communicating between the British empire and Qing China

Miri Rubin, Dean Irwin and Toni Griffiths examine what the extraordinary life story of Licoricia of Winchester can reveal about the experiences of Jews in medieval England

Andrew Roberts discusses Lord Northcliffe, the early 20th-century press baron with the power to bring down prime ministers

Is it strange that we go to museums to look at dead bodies? Angela Stienne delves into the ethical debates around displaying ancient human remains

Hannah Greig reveals why she believes printseller Hannah Humphrey deserves to be better remembered today