History Behind the Headlines

This week has seen reverberations continue from the latest release of files relating to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here in the UK, the government has been rocked by questions about the nature of his relationship with senior Labour figure Peter Mandelson, and suggestions that sensitive information may have changed hands.



In this episode, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter look back at the longer history of political scandal, assessing the ways in which corruption and chicanery were tackled in previous centuries.



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HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES: BRIEFING

It can sometimes feel like the world is changing faster than ever before – but help is at hand. HistoryExtra’s new podcast series History Behind the Headlines: Briefing tasks expert historians with bringing you the history you need to make sense of the headlines, in five minutes or less. Find out more and listen here: https://play.megaphone.fm/mlldhlcjqlul5o2orgzdkw

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If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Greenland and Venezuela to his speech at Davos, the past few weeks have seen US president Donald Trump make a series of big moves on the world stage. But how historically unprecedented have his actions been? And is it right to see his administration as weaponising history for political ends?

To assess whether we are witnessing what Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has called a “rupture” in the postwar world order, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by Sam Edwards from Loughborough University to discuss whether we really are backsliding to a previous historical era.

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HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES: BRIEFING

It can sometimes feel like the world is changing faster than ever before – but help is at hand. HistoryExtra’s new podcast series History Behind the Headlines: Briefing tasks expert historians with bringing you the history you need to make sense of the headlines, in five minutes or less. Find out more and listen here: https://play.megaphone.fm/mlldhlcjqlul5o2orgzdkw

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Read more about a 19th-century doctrine that may be the key to understanding today’s US foreign policy in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4qSz8lq

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If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast/⁠⁠⁠

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the start of January, the United States government launched a military operation in Venezuela, capturing its president Nicolás Maduro and announcing that the US would run the nation until it deems that there can be "a proper and judicious transition”. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and figures around him have also made repeated suggestions that the US needs to claim Greenland for reasons of national security.

Following those events, historians Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda explore the history of governance in South America – and whether President Trump and his administration are really making unprecedented moves on the world stage.

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GO BEYOND THE PODCAST

Read more about a 19th-century doctrine that may be the key to understanding today’s US foreign policy in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4qSz8lq

------

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special bonus episode of History Behind the Headlines, historians Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter – plus host Matt Elton – pick the historical insights that stood out for them from across the past 12 months. From war in the Middle East to a new pope and surprising revelations about Adolf Hitler, we reveal the ways in which the past helps us make sense of today’s news.

Clips taken from:

Papal elections and tariff troubles: history behind the headlines (HistoryExtra podcast, 29th April 2025)

Why is it so hard for Israelis and Palestinians to make peace? (16th October 2025)

BONUS: What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us? (22nd November 2025)

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we head into the Christmas season, regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda look back at the key historical parallels, books and anniversaries of the past 12 months – and the history that might shape the year to come.

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: [email protected]

For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠.

We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices