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Social historian and author Virginia Nicholson talks about her new book How Was It For You? , which explores how some of the radical changes of the decade, from the pill to feminism, shaped the lives of women from many different backgrounds How to download the History Extra podcast Download as MP3 Don’t miss our latest episode of the History Extra podcast Sign me up! Sign up to our newsletter to get more from History Extra – podcasts, features and news from History Extra http://bit.ly/2HzQosW http://bit.ly/2YRMIZp

Why do you think historical fiction has become such a popular genre in recent years? I think what’s happened is that it’s been lifted out of genre. Historical fiction used to be conflated with ‘historical romance’ and looked down on as cheap escapism, even though some of the greatest novelists have set their fictions firmly in the past. War and Peace is a historical novel, and no one ever suggested it was trivial. In recent years, the form has been incorporated into the literary mainstream. And why not? It employs all the techniques of other types of fiction and exists at all levels of ambition. You can judge any individual example as good or bad; what you can’t do, legitimately, is to place it in a separate category, or generalise about the type of reader it attracts. It’s become an enticingly unpredictable way of describing human experience. Wolf Hall: author Hilary Mantel talks Tudors, historical accuracy and winning the Man Booker Prize Does historical accuracy really matte...

Biographer Angela Steidele explores the life of 19th-century gay pioneer Anne Lister, whose story is the inspiration behind the major BBC/HBO drama Gentleman Jack . How to download the History Extra podcast Download as MP3 Don’t miss our latest episode of the History Extra podcast Sign me up! Sign up to our newsletter to get more from History Extra – podcasts, features and news from History Extra http://bit.ly/2YBTouo http://bit.ly/2ED64Kb

At 2am one night in the 1890s, amateur code-breakers John Lister and Arthur Burrell were hard at work. The pair had been up for hours poring over mysterious documents John had inherited, among swathes of ageing ledgers and paperwork, when he had become master of Shibden Hall near Halifax. Entitled the ‘Diaries and Journals of Mrs Lister’, the 24 volumes documented the business affairs, social life and travels of one of Shibden Hall’s previous owners, Anne Lister (1791–1840), who had inherited the house in 1826. While John, a distant relation of Anne, found the diaries diverting enough, what really intrigued him were large sections tantalisingly concealed in code. He enlisted the help of Burrell, an antiquarian, and the pair set to work deciphering Anne’s code of numerical figures, Greek letters and invented symbols. Sign up to our free newsletter to receive the latest articles, podcasts and more Sign me up! By entering your details, you are agreeing ...

The Yorkshire Dales BBC Two Saturday 18 May, 7pm In a three-part travel series that features plenty of history, Paul Rose rambles through the Dales. He begins in the area around Wensleydale, where he learns about the origins of thoroughbred horses and sees a castle where Mary, Queen of Scots once took up residence. Find out more here Britain’s Most Historic Towns Channel 4 Saturday 18 May, 8pm Alice Roberts hosts a second series of the show looking back at key periods in British history through the stories of individual towns. First up, Roberts heads Dover in Kent, where she focuses on its role in the struggle against the Nazis, notably during the Battle of Britain. Find out more here Archive On 4: The University Of The Air BBC Radio 4 Saturday 18 May, 8pm The Open University is celebrating its 50th year. Marking the anniversary, one of its former tutors, Gordon Brown, looks back at the history of the institution and considers what challenges may lie ahead for it. Contr...