How did British agents bug German PoWs during the Second World War? What qualities do you need to be a successful spy? And how are deepfakes changing the face of modern warfare? Amanda Mason introduces Spencer Mizen to some of the 150 objects starring in the new Imperial War Museums’ exhibition, Spies, Lies and Deception.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produce ... Show More
Today
Harriet Martineau: life of the week
Thinker, feminist, sociologist, campaigner: 19th-century writer Harriet Martineau was a pioneer and a radical across a huge range of areas, but it's very likely you've never heard of her. Stuart Hobday tells Matt Elton about a figure who played a key role in shaping the modern wo ... Show More
40m 4s
Yesterday
Sores, sweat and secretions: the pox in early modern London
With sinful associations and incredibly painful symptoms, the pox could be a damning diagnosis in the early modern period. In this episode, Olivia Weisser speaks to Charlotte Vosper about the pox-ridden world of London in the era. She takes us behind the doors of medical practiti ... Show More
39m 24s
Mar 22
Elizabeth’s enemies: plots, rivals and the Spanish Armada
Elizabeth I’s reign was defined by constant threat, both at home and abroad. In this third episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the Tudor monarch, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to examine the rivals and conspiracies that endangered the queen's security ... Show More
31m 57s
Jun 2023
Female Spies of World War Two
During World War Two, dozens of British-trained women were deployed as spies and saboteurs, to infiltrate behind enemy lines in Nazi-controlled France. Ranging from housewives to countesses, they were trained as secret agents, and played critical roles to aid the war effort. But ... Show More
52m 53s
Nov 2023
Love, Lust & Fighting in World War II
<p>It can be hard to comprehend the magnitude of historical events, with World War Two a prime example of this.</p><br><p>By 1945, some 3 million British people had served. As such, the rich diversity of masculinity and sexuality of those men is often reduced or hidden from the h ... Show More
42m 1s
Nov 2019
Britain's secret propaganda war
How sex, jazz and 'fake news' were used to undermine the Nazis in World War Two. In 1941, the UK created a top secret propaganda department, the Political Warfare Executive to wage psychological warfare on the German war machine. It was responsible for spreading rumours, generati ... Show More
13m 55s
Apr 2023
America's Top Secrets: Manhattan Project to Drone Warfare
<p>Much of American history has been redacted. Since the World War 2, the number of secrets the US government has kept has grown exponentially. There are some things they think are too dangerous for the public to know. Matthew Connelly, author of the Declassification Engine, take ... Show More
40m 1s