Ancient Roman theatre: everything you wanted to know
HistoryExtra podcast
09/20/25
•40m
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Who went to the theatre in ancient Rome – and what kind of spectacle would they have expected to see? And did the drama performed on stage reflect the politics, society and culture of the day? Emily Briffett and historian Jessica Clarke peer behind the metaphorical curtain of ancient Rome’s theatres, to explore the plays, playwrights, and performances that entertained the empire.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Haiti's first and only king
September 18, 2025
•52m
Born to an enslaved mother in the British Caribbean in the tumultuous, brutal world of the late 18th century, Henry Christoph's role in the Haitian Revolution saw him rise to prominence – and was just one chapter in a remarkable trajectory that eventually led to him becoming the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Speaking to Matt Elton, Marlene L Daut discusses her Cundill Prize-nominated book, The First and Last King of Haiti, which tells this story.
To find out more about the Cundill History Prize, go to https://www.cundillprize.com/
(Ad) Marlene L Daut is the author of The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christoph (Yale University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Last-King-Haiti-Christophe/dp/0300283857/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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Wages for housework: the daring 1970s campaign that challenged women's roles
September 21, 2025
•28m
In the 1970s, a global group of feminist activists banded together with one demand: 'wages for housework'. Emily Callaci explores this campaign in her Cundill Prize-nominated book Wages for Housework and, in this episode, she speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about why the idea of women being compensated for unpaid household labour caused such a stir at the time – and continues to resonate today.
To find out more about the Cundill History Prize, go to www.cundillprize.com.
(Ad) Emily Callaci is the author of Wages for Housework: The Story of a Movement, an Idea, a Promise (Allen Lane, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wages-Housework-Story-Movement-Promise/dp/024150290X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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