BBC History

History

The magazine was launched as BBC History in May 2000 by BBC Magazines, with Greg Neale, an experienced journalist and history graduate, as editor. In February 2004 its parent company BBC Worldwide acquired Origin Publishing, which had published the rival Living History Magazine since April 2003. Living History Magazine was then incorporated into BBC History and its former editor Dave Musgrove, a journalist with a doctorate in medieval archaeology, became editor of BBC History. Following the merger the magazine increased its sales and subscriptions.

In March 2010 BBC Historia was launched through a partnership with the Spanish publishers Ediciones Nobel. In March 2011 the Hungarian edition, retaining the English title, was launched by the Hungarian publisher Kossuth Kiadó; it features articles by Hungarian historians in addition to items translated from English. In August 2022, after a four-month hiatus, a different publisher, Kocsis Kiadó Zrt., managed by András Sándor Kocsis, formerly at Kossuth Kiadó, started to publish the magazine. A Greek edition was launched in December 2020.

From 2001 through 2012, the main BBC website also included tie-materials, in the form of historical articles and topic summaries, at BBC.co.uk/history (which was later redirected to an index of BBC's historically themed television offerings).

The magazine was renamed HistoryExtra in January 2026, ending its official relationship with the BBC.

In the news

In January 2006 the magazine's list of the "ten worst Britons" was widely reported, and in April 2006 its report of a poll in which the day Magna Carta was signed was chosen as a suitable day for a celebration of "Britishness" also attracted unusual attention, to the ire of some in Scotland.

In August 2006 a feature on the "best British Prime Minister" hit the headlines.

In 2008 some newspapers picked up on a piece by Dave Musgrove asking whether it might be time to have the Bayeux Tapestry brought over from France for an exhibition. In November 2009 the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 reported on a story in the magazine about when history ends and current affairs begin.

Advisory board

The magazine once had an advisory board of historians including

• Richard Evans
• Ian Kershaw
• Kenneth O Morgan
• Laurence Rees
• Simon Schama

Podcast

In June 2007 the magazine launched the first of its podcasts featuring interviews with leading historians.

References

References

1. (15 August 2013). "Mag ABCs: Full circulation round-up for the first half of 2013". [[Press Gazette]].
2. (26 March 2010). "BBC History Magazine launches Spanish edition".
3. (2022-05-27). "Megszűnik a BBC History magazin magyar kiadása".
4. (2022-08-25). "Visszatért a BBC History magazin".
5. (2001). "History". BBC History.
6. (2012). "History". BBC History.
7. Attar, Rob. (January 2026). "Welcome".
8. (29 October 2009). "BBC - Today: 29th October". [[BBC News]].
9. [http://www.historyextra.com/podcast-page BBC History Magazine podcast]