World History Podcast

Melvyn Bragg speaks to the History Extra podcast about the 12th-century love story of Heloise and Abelard. (Photo by Awakening/Getty Images)

Melvyn Bragg on Heloise and Abelard

On the latest History Extra podcast, Christopher Somerville discusses his experiences of visiting some of Britain’s historic cathedrals, including Wells Cathedral, pictured. (Photo by Roger Utting | Dreamstime.com)

Exploring Britain’s cathedrals

Old Crofters Cottage, near Broadford, looking North, Isle of Skye, Scotland. (Photo by Getty Images)

The Scottish Clearances

Professor Nicholas Vincent discusses the life and reign of King John. (Photograph by Mr Christopher Guy, Worcester Cathedral Archaeologist, reproduced by permission of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral)

King John: medieval monster

British Indian soldiers stand at attention prior to inspection at Singapore, December 1941. (Photo by Alamy)

Second World War

World War Two’s ‘ordinary’ soldiers

Third Crusade: The city of Ptolemais (Acre) given to Philip Augustus and Richard the Lionheart. Painting by Merry Joseph Blondel, 1840. (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

Rethinking the crusades

Hallie Rubenhold. (Photo by Fran Monks)

The women killed by Jack the Ripper

Viking ships sailing towards unknown land. (Photo by Getty Images)

The global Vikings

Portrait of King Henry VI, the subject of this episode of the History Extra podcast. (Photo by Bridgeman)

Henry VI: terrible king

Winston Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty in WWI. (Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images)

First World War

Churchill’s navy

Jack Sheppard and his accomplice Blueskin rob a home without waking the owner, circa 1720. (Photo by Alamy)

Victorian murder scandal

Rutger Bregman. (Photo by Maartje ter Horst)

Rutger Bregman: historian in the news

George V meeting a hospital matron on the western front during the First World War. (Photo by Getty Images)

First World War

King George V at war

Alan Johnson talks to the History Extra podcast about schools through history. (Photo by Roberto Ricciuti)

Schools through time

Bart van Es, winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2019 prize. (Photo by Alamy)

Second World War

Bart van Es on The Cut Out Girl