Episodes

  • What happens when popes and politics collide?

    What happens when popes and politics collide?
    Apr 22 2026
    A high-profile spat between Pope Leo and leading figures in the US administration has made headlines in recent weeks, after United States president Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance disagreed with comments the pope made about US-Israeli actions in the war with Iran. But it's far from the first time that the papacy and other powerful figures have butted heads. In this episode, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter look back at other points of tension between politics and religion. But first: following Viktor Orbán's seismic election defeat in this month's elections in Hungary, what parallels can we meaningfully draw from this moment in the nation's political history? And what's the unsung contribution that Hungarians have made to culture here in the UK? ------ If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: podcast@historyextra.com For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Is the Bayeux Tapestry coming to Britain or not?

    Is the Bayeux Tapestry coming to Britain or not?
    Apr 15 2026
    The loan of the Bayeux Tapestry from France to the UK has caused great excitement, but also some concerns. Lord Peter Ricketts is the UK government's Bayeux Tapestry Envoy, and here in conversation with David Musgrove, he gives the lowdown on how the loan is progressing. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCASTThere is a wealth of Bayeux Tapestry content on the HistoryExtra site, including a comprehensive five-part podcast series with a panel of experts: https://bit.ly/4c7ivhv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Chess, space and medieval monks: this spring’s overlooked historical headlines

    Chess, space and medieval monks: this spring’s overlooked historical headlines
    Apr 8 2026
    The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has dominated news coverage, and episodes of this podcast, in recent weeks – and because we chose to focus on those pressing events, some other stories have taken a back seat.So, in this special episode, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter catch up with some of the headlines we’ve missed over the past few months, from new theories about the ninth-century Book of Kells to a fresh take on how chess was regarded in the Middle Ages. ------ If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: podcast@historyextra.com For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠ We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Peter Ricketts on diplomacy, Trump and Iran

    Peter Ricketts on diplomacy, Trump and Iran
    Mar 31 2026
    Recent US actions in the Middle East have challenged the established world order, and called into question existing diplomatic and political norms. But how different is today’s diplomacy from that of the Second World War or the Cold War? And what does history tell us about the best way to deal with convention-busting figures such as President Trump? In this bonus episode of History Behind the Headlines, Lord Peter Ricketts – former chair of the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee and author of books including the upcoming Peace Makers: Shaping the Modern World – talks to David Musgrove about the changing nature of international relations, and whether the post-WW2 consensus is now a thing of the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    24 mins
  • What happens when war puts oil supplies at risk?

    What happens when war puts oil supplies at risk?
    Mar 26 2026
    Almost a month in, the Iran conflict has begun to have an impact on the world’s supplies of oil and gas – particularly as a result of Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels. But what’s the longer story of our reliance on particular resources? And what have the historical consequences been when they’re jeopardised? In this episode, regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda discuss the ways in which energy has shaped the human story – and reveal how the Strait of Hormuz was a contested region centuries before the current war. ------ If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: podcast@historyextra.com For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠ We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • Is this the US’s least popular war?

    Is this the US’s least popular war?
    Mar 12 2026
    The conflict in the Middle East continues into a second week, with fighting between the United States, Israel, Iran and US-allied states in the region continuing to escalate. Senior US officials have given a range of reasons for launching the war, and disquiet about its causes and consequences has led to a lack of popular support in the US and reports of a fraying of its ‘special relationship’ with the United Kingdom. In this episode, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter discuss the historical dimensions of the past fortnight with Sam Edwards, an expert in international relations and war at Loughborough University. What does history tell us about the war’s unpopularity in the US? Is this really a low in UK-US relations? And what do we need to know about the Middle East to make sense of recent events? ------ If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: podcast@historyextra.com For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠ We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • How can the past help us understand the UK monarchy's current crisis?

    How can the past help us understand the UK monarchy's current crisis?
    Feb 26 2026
    One story has dominated headlines in recent days: the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The younger brother of King Charles has been released under investigation following his arrest on 19 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The news followed an announcement by Thames Valley Police that they were assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by the former prince with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing. In this episode, regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda are joined by Craig Prescott,  a specialist in UK constitutional law and the role of the monarchy based at Royal Holloway University of London, to discuss previous moments of jeopardy for the royal family – and the evolution of the relationship between crown and parliament. ----- HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES: BRIEFING It can sometimes feel like the world is changing faster than ever before – but help is at hand. HistoryExtra’s new podcast series History Behind the Headlines: Briefing tasks expert historians with bringing you the history you need to make sense of the headlines, in five minutes or less. Find out more and listen here: https://play.megaphone.fm/mlldhlcjqlul5o2orgzdkw ------ If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: podcast@historyextra.com For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠ We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch. You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    43 mins