History Extra podcast

Jennifer Higgie charts the story of women’s self-portraits over the last 500 years of western art – uncovering tales of transgressive self-expression and overcoming oppression

Professor Judith Herrin responds to listener questions about the Byzantine empire, which emerged in late antiquity and survived until the end of the Middle Ages.

Rebecca Wragg Sykes introduces us to 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, whose life has inspired the new film Ammonite

Turtle Bunbury shares notable stories of Irish emigrants and charts their influence on global history.

Emma Stonex talks about the strange story of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse keepers, who vanished in December 1900.

At around 70 metres long and handstitched with intricate detail, making the Bayeux Tapestry was no mean feat. In this episode, we delve into the details of how this mammoth embroidery was constructed

Shrabani Basu talks about a miscarriage of justice that exposed the racial tensions of Edwardian England and captured the imagination of the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

Nicola Tallis responds to listener questions about the Elizabethans, from the religious rifts of the era to the fate of Queen Elizabeth I’s royal jewels.

In 1845, the Franklin Expedition sailed into the Canadian arctic and never returned. Andrew Lambert explores the real history that inspired the BBC drama The Terror.

Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini – a story of murder, plague, imprisonment and even necromancy