James Osborne

I’m James, a senior content producer at HistoryExtra. Working with leading historians, I research, write and edit features that answer the questions readers are genuinely curious about, and I’m always looking for engaging ways to help readers keep pace with the latest expert insights and discoveries from the history they’re interested in. As well as writing, I’m a host on the HistoryExtra podcast, where you’ll find me speaking with historians about some of my favourite historical topics; namely ancient history and the Viking Age! I also work behind the scenes on our videos, curate our medieval-focused newsletter for 15,000 subscribers, and write a monthly historical game review for our print magazine. I’m a qualified archaeologist with a BSc in Bioarchaeology from the University of York, specialising in archaeological science. I’ve worked in digital journalism for more than five years, covering culture and entertainment for a wide range of publications — and at one point I even ran my own website dedicated to prehistoric animals and extinction. Before joining HistoryExtra, I was a staff writer at Network N Media, reporting on film, TV and gaming, writing reviews and interviewing industry figures. As a freelance culture journalist, I’ve also contributed to outlets including Vulture, The AV Club, Radio Times, Digital Spy and GamesRadar.

Tom Holland as Telemachus sits in a dimly lit hall in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Wearing bronze armour and a cloak, the prince stares pensively into the distance, surrounded by blurred figures in the background.

Ancient Greece

Was Telemachus a real person? The history behind The Odyssey character explained

Anne Hathaway as Penelope in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The queen looks ahead with a calm, resolute expression, wearing a dark blue gown and an intricate gold necklace.

Ancient Greece

Was Penelope a real person? The history behind The Odyssey character explained

Matt Damon portrays Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The battle-worn king stares anxiously into the distance, his face lit by firelight as cloaked figures stand behind him in the mist.

Ancient Greece

Was Odysseus a real person? The hero of the The Odyssey explained

Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), the Scottish-American industrialist who built a steel empire in the late 19th century, speaks with colleagues in this photograph. Renowned for both his business success and later philanthropy, Carnegie championed education, libraries, and scientific advancement as part of his belief in the philanthropy. (Photo by Getty Images)

Victorian

Meet the tiny titan who was (briefly) the richest man alive

Membership

How Orkney became the centre of Viking Age violence. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval illustration showing two seated musicians performing with wind instruments beside musical notation.

Medieval

Filth, dirt and stench: why this is “one of the most unfair stereotypes about the Middle Ages”

A collage combining a suited person holding a briefcase and hat with a painted scene of a large hall filled with seated figures in white garments, and a smaller black‑and‑white photograph of two people inside a car layered below.

Membership

The ultimate Cold War sex scandal – and 11 other political outrages from British history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This engraving depicts the battle of Zama in 202 BC, the decisive clash of the Second Punic War. Led by Scipio Africanus, Roman forces defeated Hannibal’s Carthaginian army, ending Carthage’s challenge to Roman power and marking Rome’s emergence as the dominant force in the western Mediterranean.

General ancient history

2,200 years ago Rome got caught in the Thucydides Trap. The result transformed the ancient world

An illuminated miniature from the 12th century Codex Calixtinus depicts Pope Callixtus II writing within an ornate initial letter.

Medieval

When medieval popes were engulfed in scandal, how did the world react?

Membership

Olaf Tryggvason: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Colour portrait of Princess Elizabeth standing in an ornate room at Buckingham Palace, wearing a light dress and pearl necklace, hands clasped.

Second World War

After two world wars, monarchies across the world collapsed. Why did Britain's survive?

Black-and-white portrait of a young John F Kennedy in US Navy uniform, facing forward.

Second World War

JFK’s brother was destined for the presidency. Then a tragedy struck that changed American history

Portrait of Henry VII wearing a black hat and richly decorated robes, holding a red rose.

Tudor

Margaret Beaufort catapulted the Tudors to the throne. But that wasn’t her original plan

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What was it like to be a Viking in the Great Heathen Army?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

George Orwell's final chapter. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Black-and-white studio portrait of Winston Churchill seated in an armchair, wearing a suit and bow tie, looking directly at the camera.

Second World War

Churchill's ‘finest hour’ helped defeat the Nazis. But was it a double-edged sword?

Membership

When did Roman Britain really end?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

Episode 4How the Vikings reshaped Anglo-Saxon England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Norse women loading and assisting in the maintenance of a Viking longship.

Viking

What were Viking women doing while their men were on violent raids?

Relief sculpture showing a Roman triumphal procession with figures, horses, and a chariot carrying a central leader.

Roman

2,000 years ago, ancient Roman forces annihilated Jerusalem. Was its destruction inevitable?

Composite image of two early medieval helmets: the ornate Sutton Hoo helmet on the left and a simpler Viking helmet on the right.

Medieval

The Anglo-Saxons were terrified of Vikings. But were they really so different?

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Episode 3How Alfred the Great saved the Anglo-Saxons from the Vikings. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A black-and-white photo of a bearded man in military attire speaking with armed soldiers, overlaid with the flags of the United States and Cuba

Cold War

The Bay of Pigs Invasion: was this CIA fiasco JFK's worst embarrassment?

Medieval anatomical illustration of a human figure with labeled internal organs, set against a modern pink background.

Medieval

This surprising medieval medical belief still shapes how we think about wellness

Membership

Aud the Deep-Minded: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman kneels with arms raised as mounted warriors approach on horseback outside a city.

Roman

The Huns terrorised Rome's frontiers – but wanted to keep the ancient empire alive

Viking

Season 7Alfred vs the Vikings

Carved stone runestone showing a Viking longship with figures and decorative patterns.

Viking

Meet the mysterious leaders of the Vikings’ most fearsome army

Anglo-Saxon

Beyond the podcastAlfred vs the Vikings

An early modern-era woman sat slumped asleep at a table cluttered with food and drink in a domestic interior.

Tudor

Could Tudor sleep tips fix your insomnia? Here’s what they got right (and wrong)

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