History Extra podcast

In the first episode in our new series on the raid on Pearl Harbor, Chris Harding speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about Japan in the years running up to December 1941. They discuss the long-running historical factors that edged the country ever closer to war…

James Fox speaks about the myriad meanings of colour through human history.

George Makari examines the history of xenophobia, and the surprising ways in which the term has evolved since the 19th century.

Christine Kinealy answers listener questions on the devastating famine that struck Ireland in the mid-19th century

Islam Issa reveals how terrorists have twisted Shakespeare’s life and work to suit their own ends over the centuries

Roderick Beaton explores 4,000 years of Greek history, from the glories of Mycenae to the life of a modern European nation.

Peter Stanford charts the story of Christianity in Britain and Ireland through historic religious buildings.

From the courtesans of Edo Japan to the mollyhouses of Regency London, Kate Lister discusses the long and varied history of sex work.

Professor Marc David Baer discusses the Ottoman empire and its overlooked place in the “Age of Discovery”

Michael Brown responds to listener questions on the cross-border clashes that marred relations between England and Scotland in the late Middle Ages.