History Extra podcast - May 2011

You may be familiar with the name of Marco Polo – the 13th-century Venetian merchant who travelled along the Silk Road, journeyed through Asia and spent time at the court of Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. Famously, he documented his experiences in a detailed account that has inspire ... Show More

For much of the 20th century, six sisters from Britain’s minor aristocracy had a knack for making headline after scandalous headline. They were Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah Mitford. Now, the sisters' incredible shared story has been adapted into a TV drama cal ... Show More

When you think of the First World War, what springs to mind? Is it trench warfare? The myth that troops would be home by Christmas? Or perhaps the idea that the whole thing began because of the assassination of an Austro-Hungarian archduke? In this episode, we’re going beyond the ... Show More

Power, greed, religion and sex: historian Dan Jones brings the drama of mediaeval history alivethrough compelling stories, larger-than-life characters and vivid scenes. The third season tells the incredible story of England’s most diabolical ruler. King John makes enemies whereve ... Show More

Andrew calls bunk on screenplay-mythology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

Andrew's hundredth show is full of suspense, danger and excitement... and an 800 cultural history of the west. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

Power, greed, religion and sex: historian Dan Jones brings the drama of mediaeval history alive through compelling stories, larger-than-life characters and vivid scenes. The saga of history’s most dysfunctional dynasty continues. Richard the Lionheart is on the throne and has one ... Show More

We have EVEN MORE ways of making you talk. In this bonus episode James gets to explore the inner workings of a World War 2 tank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

Britain’s war time intelligence operations are the subject of discussion as Al Murray and James Holland exchange notes on their latest reading matter, Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ. The boys also explore the escape attempts of British and Allied POWs in Italy. ... Show More

Al Murray and James Holland take to the stage at the Edinburgh fringe to debate the great last stands of World War Two. Plus who was Wojtek the bear? And can we justify the bombing of Dresden? The boys answer some challenging audience questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri ... Show More

Tracy and Holly talk about the travel thoughts that the show's recent Unearthed! episode brings up. Talk also turns to the various biases that people have had when looking at history, and how that can obscure the ways we interpret information. Learn more about your ad-choices at ... Show More

This year, Al and James are inviting famous fans onto the podcast to chew the cud about the Second World War. Today, TV presenter and broadcaster Dermot O'Leary discusses writing about the war for children, SAS Rogue Heroes and the best Second World War film to watch on Christmas ... Show More