History Extra podcast

Edmund Richardson tells the astonishing story of a 19th-century quest to find a lost city of Alexander the Great.

Alison Weir discusses the varied and dramatic life of Henry VIII’s final wife, Katharine Parr.

Ayanna Thompson discusses the history of blackface – a story spanning William Shakespeare, US race relations and Dartmoor Prison

In the latest episode in our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Charlotte Lydia Riley nominates Harold Wilson.

Leo Hollis untangles the bizarre 18th-century court case surrounding Mary Davies: a wealthy heiress married in mysterious circumstances

Mark Atwood Lawrence responds to readers’ questions about the United States’ failure to stem the advance of communism in Vietnam.

Verena Krebs reveals what diplomatic missions sent by the Christian leaders of Ethiopia can tell us about the kingdom’s place in the medieval world.

Jane Rogoyska explains how more than 20,000 Polish prisoners-of-war were murdered on Stalin’s orders in 1940, and explores the decades-long coverup that followed

Dr Katrina Moseley explores the surprising story of slimming clubs, touching on female friendship, entrepreneurialism and feminist fury.

In the latest episode in our new series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most during their tenure, Charlotte Lydia Riley profiles Clement Attlee.