Historical films

The 30th Annual Academy Awards, Los Angeles, 1958. (Ralph Crane/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

13 remarkable moments in the history of the Oscars

Peter O’Toole (top) plays Henry II alongside Richard Burton

“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” The truth behind Henry II’s notorious lament

Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) in Francis Lee's new film 'Ammonite'. (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate UK / See-Saw Films)

The real history behind Ammonite

The British poster for 'Mary, Queen of Scots' (2018). Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I and Saoirse Ronan as Mary Stuart. (© Focus Features / courtesy Everett Collection)

The best historical TV shows and movies to stream right now

Tod Todeschini

Crafting historical weapons for Wolf Hall and The Witcher

Terracotta plaque which is believed to show the poet Sappho rejecting an amorous advance by her contemporary who is also from the island of Lesbos. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

From Sappho to It’s a Sin: 9 LGBT+ histories, chosen by experts

Mark Glancy reveals how Cary Grant made the journey from working-class Bristol lad to the most celebrated actor in Hollywood. (Image by Getty Images)

Cary Grant: from humble beginnings to Hollywood icon

The Sutton Hoo excavations are the focus of a new film, 'The Dig'. Carey Mulligan stars as Edith Pretty, and Ralph Fiennes portrays Basil Brown

Second World War

The Dig: the real history of the remarkable Sutton Hoo excavation

Ahead of the release of the new film The Dig, Professor Martin Carver discusses the real story of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo. (Image by Getty Images)

Spectacular discoveries at Sutton Hoo

Actress Lily James and actor Michael Huisman looking at each other in a still from the film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Second World War

Life under Nazi rule: the occupation of the Channel Islands

Ian Fleming, British author and creator of the James Bond character

James Bond in real life: where did Ian Fleming’s inspirations come from?

(Images by Getty Images/Alamy)

The time travelling Tudor: Anne Boleyn’s most surprising representations in film, TV and literature

Elena Woodacre on the HistoryExtra podcast

Tudor queens on screen

Eleanor Marx Aveling, the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

In profile: Eleanor Marx, daughter of Karl Marx

Enola Holmes (left to right): Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes, Sam Caflin as Mycroft Holmes. (Photo by Robert Viglaski/Legendary)

From Enola Holmes to Fanny Dickens: recognising 5 historical women ‘overshadowed’ by their more famous brothers