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Is East of Eden based on a true story? Inside the new Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel
We asked Hugh Jackman what it was like to play Robin Hood – and his answer was surprisingly dark
Who killed Robin Hood? The dark legends that inspired the new Hugh Jackman blockbuster
20th CenturyaudioChristianity, conflict and catastrophe: the life of CS Lewis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
MembershipaudioLaura Ingalls Wilder: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
"He plugged into the electric current of history": why Rudyard Kipling still matters in 2026. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare lived through one of the most turbulent yet thrilling eras of English history – a period of plague, riots and political and religious tensions – and went on to become one of history's most famous playwrights. He has been portrayed numerous times on stage and on screen – but how much do you know about England's bard?
"Let the sky rain potatoes!": the hidden meanings behind Shakespeare's food obsession. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Shakespeare and his peers served up hearty helpings of diverse dishes and ingredients – many of them spiced with forgotten meanings. Sam Bilton reveals how food allusions illustrate key themes of everyday life
Shakespeare didn't love his wife and he abandoned his family to move to London: are these 13 rumours about the playwright true?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
With the help of Dr Paul Edmondson, we explore the historical evidence and plausibility behind 13 common statements about William Shakespeare – from his flight from Stratford to pursue his career, to the idea that his marriage to Anne Hathaway was loveless…
Why did Maggie O'Farrell write about Shakespeare's son?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The life of young Hamnet and the effect that his premature death had on his parents is reimagined by Maggie O’Farrell in her 2020 historical fiction Hamnet, which has since been made into a major film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. What inspired the writer to focus on such a moment?
What happened to Shakespeare's daughters? A guide to the playwright's family life and descendants
The story of the Shakespeares was one of social advancement, says Stanley Wells, reflected in dwellings that rose from rural farmstead to manorial splendour. Along the way were some family upsets: pregnant brides, lawsuits and excommunication. As a film adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel Hamnet arrives on cinema screens, find out more about when William married Anne (Agnes) Hathaway, when their children were born, and what became of the Shakespeare family after the playwright's death…
Jane Austen
Jane Austen is one of the most recognised names in English literature. Her six major novels – Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility; Persuasion; Mansfield Park; Northanger Abbey and Emma – are considered classics today, renowned for their portrayal of English middle-class life in the early 19th century. Learn more about the author and her work
MembershipvideoPompeii wasn’t destroyed when you think it was. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
For centuries, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried Pompeii has most regularly been dated to 24 August AD 79. But a growing collection of archaeological clues suggests the disaster may actually have struck months later. HistoryExtra's Kev Lochun investigates the evidence
MembershipvideoI tried on THE dress from Pride and Prejudice. Here's how it felt
HistoryExtra's Lauren Good visits the costume house Cosprop in London, one of the world’s leading costumiers for the film, television and theatre industries, to try on some very special garments
MembershipvideoEpisode 4Jane Austen: The final years of a literary genius. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Dr Lizzie Rogers chronicles the final chapters of Austen’s life and story, and examines her enormous continuing influence
MembershipvideoEpisode 3How Jane Austen's Hampshire cottage sparked her greatest novels. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Dr Lizzie Rogers explores Jane Austen's life at Chawton House, a cottage in rural Hampshire, where the author experienced one of the most fruitful episodes of her writing career
Oscar Wilde
The Anglo-Irish Victorian playwright Oscar Wilde was the toast of 1890s London, famous for his society plays and flamboyant wit, as well as his support of aestheticism. He later became known for his affairs with men and, after two hugely public and damaging trials, Wilde was in 1895 convicted of 'gross indecency' – a charge which criminalised homosexual people that no longer exists in the UK – and sentenced to two years' imprisonment
Famous last words: what did Winston Churchill, Walt Disney and Marie Antoinette say on their deathbeds?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The parting comments of some of history’s most famous figures have been recorded for posterity. Here, Jonny Wilkes reveals a selection of the most noteworthy examples – from dying presidents to condemned prisoners
"It wasn't very open about its queer connections": the hidden history of the National Trust. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Michael Hall speaks to Charlotte Vosper about the long-hidden stories of LGBTQ people whose lives were connected to the properties owned by the National Trust
Challenging gender in the Victorian Age: the 'masculine' New Woman and 'effeminate' New Man. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
As the Victorian age neared its end, a vibrant cultural movement emerged that flipped conventional notions of femininity and masculinity on their head. Jad Adams reveals how a new generation challenged stereotypical gender identities
From Oscar Wilde to David Irving: 9 landmark libel & defamation cases through history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Following the verdict in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial in the UK’s High Court, historian Sean Lang explains how the law of libel and defamation has developed in England and looks at nine landmark cases…
Book recommendations
Love literature and looking for something to read next? We've got you covered with our book reviews and guides – from historical fiction to the best history books and classics
Historical fiction recommendations for children: the best history books for kids
22 of the best historical fiction novels to help you escape to the past
What to read nextThe latest history books reviewed
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is widely regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. He wrote a string of bestselling novels and short stories including The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations and invented some of literature’s best-known characters
Who is the most overrated person in history? 9 experts reveal their choices. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Swings and roundabouts: a history of Britain's playgrounds. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Historical anniversariesJune
MembershipvideoVideo podcastThe dark side of Dickens. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Great poets from history
From Geoffrey Chaucer to the poets of the First World War, discover more about great poets from history
Poetry and protestWW1 poet Siegfried Sassoon
He is remembered as one of the greatest poets of his generation. But what drove Siegfried Sassoon to decry the horrors of World War I so publicly, even when he risked facing the wrath of his own side?
WW1 poets5 famous figures you should know about
From scathing verses on the horrors of life in the trenches to laments on the tragedy of a lost generation, the First World War inspired some of British poetry's most poignant and affecting work. Here, Ellie Cawthorne highlights five influential British writers whose lives and work were shaped by the conflict…
Cosmopolitan Chaucer: the 14th-century poet’s inventive, international life. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Geoffrey Chaucer is often hailed as the ‘father of English literature’. Yet, argues Marion Turner, who has written an acclaimed biography of the poet, this epithet fails to capture the radical nature of his work
The Brontës
Against a backdrop of incredible personal tragedy, three modest, Victorian women from Yorkshire would forever change the face of English literature. Learn more about the world’s greatest literary sisters: Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë
10 facts about Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë
The Brontës: the unfortunate and unlikely tale of the world’s "greatest literary sisters"
The Brontës at war: how Charlotte and Branwell brought Waterloo into their drawing room. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
My history hero: Charlotte Brontë (1816-55). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
LITERATURE | HistoryExtra podcast episodes
Is the Odyssey the first historical novel? How Homer recreated a world of gods and monsters
How the Odyssey's Cyclops became the ancient Greeks' worst nightmare
MembershipaudioAn A-Z history of the English alphabet. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
A brief history of language and literature
From the origins of the printing press to the history behind the Bible and the dictionary, learn more about the history of the written word...
MembershipaudioLibraries: a book lover’s history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
The murderous history of Bible translations
My history hero: Samuel Johnson (1709-84). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Why did Stalin commit a robbery? The bloody heist that made the dictator’s name
A history of left-handed writing. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Cuneiform: 6 things you (probably) didn’t know about the world’s oldest writing system
MembershipaudioOld English: a quick guide. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
National English: the language that would save England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Children's literature
From the real history that inspired Harry Potter to the story of popular children's authors Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter – learn more about these literary favourites
Roald Dahl11 things you might not know about the children's author
He is one of Britain's most beloved writers, the creator of more than 20 children's books including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG. But how much do you know about the author? Here we explore his life and works, as well as his controversial views which clouded celebrations of his centenary in 2016…
The real magic of Harry Potter: 15 details the wizarding world borrows from history
To mark the 20-year anniversary of the release of the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Dr Hetta Howes investigates the real history that inspired JK Rowling’s magical world…
Why the real Beatrix Potter was more than her children’s tales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
As a new exhibition at the V&A Museum in London celebrates the life and inspirations of the beloved children’s author, Sarah Gristwood considers how the much-forgotten elements of Beatrix’s Potter’s work make her so extraordinary…
Historical fiction recommendations for children: the best history books for kids
What are some of the best historical fiction books for children? The team behind BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and HistoryExtra reveal some of their top picks...
Great women writers
Virginia Woolf: a brief guide to the writer's life. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
