In the 12th century, a sect of killers spread fear across the Middle East, executing a series of high-profile political murders. This Long Read, written by Steve Tibble, introduces the original Assassins.
HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October ... Show More
Nov 17
1066: who was the rightful king?
Which of four main contenders for the English throne in 1066 had the strongest claim? Was it the Anglo-Saxon strongman, the Norman duke, the ‘Thunderbolt of the North’ or a callow teenager? This Long Read, written by Caitlin Ellis, sizes up the rivals...
HistoryExtra Long Read ... Show More
22m 41s
Nov 10
Carthage: the making of Rome's monster
In the second century BC, Roman troops razed the city of Carthage and obliterated its civilisation. So why, asks this Long Read written by Eve MacDonald, did the victors remain obsessed by their conquered foes for the next 200 years? HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best ar ... Show More
20m 39s
Nov 3
Treachery, deceit and the death of the Tudor dynasty
Did James I 'steal' Elizabeth I's crown? This Long Read, written by Tracy Borman, considers evidence that the transition from Tudor to Stuart dynasties may not have been quite as seamless as we've been led to believe. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC ... Show More
20m 13s
Jun 2023
519 Shakespeare's First Folio (with Emma Smith) | My Last Book with Luke Parker
The compilation of Shakespeare's plays known as the First Folio is one of the most important books in the history of literature. In this episode, Jacke talks to Shakespeare scholar and First Folio expert Emma Smith about the origins, importance, status, and legacy of this essenti ... Show More
1h 3m
Jun 2025
712 Shakespeare's Greatest Love (with David Medina) | New Play About Shakespeare's Collaboration with Marlowe
He might be the greatest writer about love that the world has ever known. But as is so often the case with Shakespeare, the biographical record raises as many questions as it answers. How often did Shakespeare fall in love, and with whom, and what happened? Who was Shakespeare's ... Show More
56m 46s
Aug 2024
Episode 178: Much Ado About Hamlet
In the first couple of years of the 1600s, several new Shakespeare plays appeared. Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It were recorded in the Stationer's Register, and a third play called The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark was likely performed on the stage for the first ... Show More
1h 17m
Jan 2025
671 Shakespeare's Tragic Art (with Rhodri Lewis) | My Last Book with Joel Warner
It is a truth universally acknowledged that tragedy is one of the world's highest art forms, and that Shakespeare was one of the form's greatest practitioners. But how did he do it? What models did he have to draw upon, and where did he innovate? In this episode, Jacke talks to S ... Show More
56m 6s