HistoryExtra Long Reads

At the turn of the 12th century, two men from a Staffordshire village died suddenly. Their lifeless bodies were taken to the local graveyard and solemnly laid to rest – but a few days later, they were apparently spotted walking around the village, with their coffins on their backs. This Long Read written by John Blair investigates the medieval terror of the living dead.

Today's feature originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain’s War Office thanked the SAS for its remarkable efforts in WW2 by abolishing it – yet soon realised the error of its ways. This Long Read written by Gavin Mortimer tells the story of how the elite unit reinvented itself to confront the challenges of the postwar world.

Today's feature originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Killing, burning, pillaging, enslaving. Even when heading to sunnier climes, Viking raiders deployed the same tactics that they had used along the shores of northern and western Europe, as this Long Read written by Thomas Williams reveals.

Today's feature originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Women accused of violent murders have often faced assumptions about their motives and disbelief that the ‘gentle sex’ could commit such bloody crimes. This Long Read written by Rosalind Crone investigates four such cases from the 19th century.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from HistoryExtra Magazine, the new name for BBC History Magazine. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boxing and football? In a Winter Olympics? In October? Held in 1908, the first ever Winter Games was an experimental affair – but, according to this Long Read written by Martin Polley, it was one that sowed the seeds for future and snowier competitions. 

Today's feature originally appeared in the February 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the conflict with Nazi Germany raged on, British tram drivers tuned in to Tchaikovsky and waitresses revelled in Wagner. But why? This Long Read written by Alexandra Wilson explores the surprising Second World War obsession with opera.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from HistoryExtra Magazine, the new name for BBC History Magazine. Today’s feature originally appeared in the Christmas 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Musgrove investigates whether the iconic embroidery was simply one of many

A new theory, put forward by Professor John Blair, questions whether the world-famous embroidery was unique. In this Long Read, David Musgrove asks the experts whether there could have more than one ‘Bayeux Tapestry’.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ancient accounts of Julius Caesar’s early life depict an all-action hero who outwitted tyrants and terrorised bandits. But can they be trusted? This Long Read written by David S Potter investigates...

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, is often characterised as a domineering woman who plotted her son’s rise to the throne. But how true is that depiction? This Long Read, written by Lauren Johnson, explores the life of the founding matriarch of the Tudor dynasty.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy in the late 1970s surely counts as one of modern Europe’s most remarkable stories. On the 50th anniversary of General Franco’s death, this Long Read written by Paul Preston explores how pluralism arose from the ashes of tyranny.

Today’s feature originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices