Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchFalse rumps & rotten teeth: 400 years of bizarre beauty practices
Episode 2072
From false rumps and fake teeth to toxic skincare and insect-laden wigs, over the past 400 years, British women have resorted to extraordinary length…
1 year, 7 months ago
Emperor Vespasian: life of the week
Episode 2071
The year AD 69 found the Roman empire in a state of chaos. Three emperors had come and gone. Civil war reigned supreme. Rome's enemies smelled blood.…
1 year, 7 months ago
An audacious escape from slavery
Episode 2070
On 20 December 1848, Ellen Craft placed a top hat on her head, slipped her arm into a sling, and perched dark green glasses on her nose. Once her dis…
1 year, 7 months ago
The Abbasid caliphate: everything you wanted to know
Episode 2069
The Abbasid caliphs sat at the head of a vast Islamic empire that stretched from Tunisia to the frontiers of India, which they ruled over for several…
1 year, 7 months ago
Crusader criminals: how the Holy Land became a hotbed of lawlessness
Episode 2068
The medieval crusades are remembered for their sweeping military campaigns. But they also engendered a brutality that went beyond the battlefield – i…
1 year, 7 months ago
Ancient Egypt | 1. civilisation
Episode 2067
You’re probably familiar with the idea of godly pharaohs, menacing mummies and their deadly curses. But how much do you actually know about the funda…
1 year, 7 months ago
Ancient Egypt: the big questions | Trailer
From the secrets of the pyramids to the mysteries of mummification, ancient Egypt has captivated the popular imagination for centuries. In HistoryExt…
1 year, 7 months ago
Gulag doctors: saving lives in Stalin's prison camps
Episode 2066
The Soviet gulag was a place of brutality, exploitation and death. But it was also home to tens of thousands of medical personnel who had to overcome…
1 year, 7 months ago
Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the historical currents and tensions behind recent far right riots in the UK
Episode 2065
In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the past behind the present, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by historian Nigel Copsey t…
1 year, 7 months ago
Practical magic: curses, spells & cunning folk
Episode 2064
From love spells to enthral the object of your desires, to charms to influence the outcome of a trial, people turned to cunning folk for all kinds of…
1 year, 7 months ago