Kindness & hostility: refugees in wartime Britain

How many slaves were there in the Roman empire? Were they cruelly treated, or could they sometimes go on to win fame, fortune and freedom? And how often did they – like Spartacus –rebel? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Guy de la Bédoyère explores the remarkable, and often brutal, history of slavery in the ancient world's most powerful empire. (Ad) Guy de la Bédoyère is the author of Populus: Living and Dying in the Wealth, Smoke and Din of Ancient Rome (Abacus, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Populus-Living-Dying-Wealth-Ancient/dp/1408715155/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Hannah Platts takes listeners on a multi-sensory tour of the ancient Roman home, here: https://link.chtbl.com/c63G6iV4. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

William of Normandy’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066 was far from the end of the Norman Conquest of England. It took many years, and putting down no small amount of rebellion, for William to fully establish control. In the final episode of our new series on 1066, Marc Morris discusses the long story of the Norman Conquest with David Musgrove. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A century ago, in 1924, the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley opened its doors, receiving as many as 27 million visits over two years. It was a grand declaration of an empire at its territorial height. But behind the spectacle was a superpower grappling with its position on the world stage, seeking to recalibrate its own sense of influence and importance. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Matthew Parker takes listeners inside the exhibition, which featured huge sporting events and battle reenactments, glamorous pavilions showcasing new technology and science – and even a replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb. To listen to Matthew Parker discussing events that occurred across the British empire on one specific day in 1923, click here: https://link.chtbl.com/lsjrz1z8 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Across the 65 years of his life, writer John Milton packed a lot in: poet, polemicist, political operator – engaging with ideas that often challenged the status quo. In today's Life of the Week episode, Professor Islam Issa speaks to Matt Elton about the life and legacy of this 17th-century polymath. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why were so many Germans prepared to participate in the crimes of the Third Reich? It's a question that has exercised historians and the wider public for decades, and now, in his new book, Hitler's People, Professor Richard J Evans seeks to provide an answer. In this episode, he speaks to Rob Attar about what drove people – from lowly functionaries to Hitler himself – to engage in acts of mass murder. (Ad) Richard J Evans is the author of Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich (Allen Lane, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fhitlers-people%2Frichard-j-evans%2F9780241471500. Listen to Mary Fulbrook explore why so many people went along with the Nazi regime here: https://link.chtbl.com/T3TDEbo8. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Denounced as heretics by the Catholic church, the Cathars were a offshoot Christian movement which emerged in southern Europe during the 12th century. But what was it about their beliefs that was so outrageous to the orthodox medieval church? And why was their existence quickly snuffed out? Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Claire Taylor reveals more about the Cathars' way of life and the efforts made to suppress them. Hear Giles Tremlett answer listener questions on the Spanish Inquisition here: https://link.chtbl.com/lwH4DDc7 The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October is Black History Month here in the UK. But how far back does the story of black people in Britain stretch - and what evidence do we have about their experiences? Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman in this episode from 2022, historian Hannah Cusworth answers your top questions about black British history. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daring department store stunts. Warming cups of cocoa. Argumentative bartering with butchers. What can revisiting high streets gone by reveal about British social history? Historian Annie Gray takes listeners on a shopping trip through the centuries, telling Ellie Cawthorne more about the goods, refreshments and entertainment on offer. (Ad) Annie Gray is the author of The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street (Profile Books, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bookshop-Draper-Candlestick-Maker-History/dp/1800812248/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. Annie Gray revisits the life of Churchill's cook during the Second World War here: https://link.chtbl.com/kzJZF5Gk. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The year 1066 is the most famous in English history. It was marked by not just one, but three major battles, and saw three different men ruling as king of England. Marc Morris, in conversation with David Musgrove, outlines how the tumultuous year played out and charts the fates of the key contenders in the fight for England's throne. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 18th century, two men – Carl Linnaeus and Georges-Louis de Buffon – both independently took on a mammoth task. They set out to identify, describe and categorise all life on Earth. Speaking to Matt Elton, Jason Roberts charts the two naturalists' hugely different views and approaches – and how they shaped our view of the natural world for centuries. (Ad) Jason Roberts is the author of Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life (Quercus, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fevery-living-thing%2Fjason-roberts%2F9781529400465. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices