logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
28m 23s

16. Edith Thompson

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

In this episode of Lady Killers, we travel back to the Roaring 20s as Lucy Worsley and guest detective Sasha Wass KC investigate how Edith Thompson, a woman who merely witnessed the violent killing of her husband, found herself on trial for his murder.

Sasha Wass KC has taken on some of the legal system's most notable cases - involving Rosemary West, Rolf Harris and Johnny Depp. As a judge, prosecutor and defender, she has the benefit of understanding all dimensions of the criminal process, which is crucial when examining one of the most controversial cases of all time. It’s a trial that shook the nation.

Edith Thompson, with her choppy bobbed hair and jaunty dresses is the quintessential ‘Flapper’. A working woman living in the rapidly expanding London suburb of Ilford, she’s one of the new commuters, traveling to her job at Carlton and Pryor (a wholesale milliners in the City of London), producers of some very fashionable hats. She teaches herself French and goes on buying trips to Paris. She spends her own money, frequenting theatres and dancing the nights away.

But back in the suburbs, Lucy and Sasha discover how Edith Thompson lives another, less glamorous life with husband Percy. While Edith is embracing some of the new found freedoms of a 1920’s woman, Percy wants a more ‘traditional’ wife.

Then, on the night of 3rd October 1922, their life together takes a very dramatic turn when Percy is fatally stabbed by a mysterious stranger.

As Lucy and Sasha discuss the now infamous court hearing, historian Professor Rosalind Crone visits the Ilford streets where Edith lived and where our bloody murder took place, to discover what life was really like for our 1920’s ‘murderess’.

Producer: Nicola Humphries Readers: Clare Corbett and Jonathan Keeble Sound Design: Chris Maclean Series Producer Julia Hayball

A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4

Up next
Jul 8
48. Amelie Decuzpere - International Art Thief
Lucy Worsley is back with another episode of Lady Swindlers, where true crime meets history - with a twist. Lucy and her team of all female detectives travel back more than a hundred years to revisit the audacious and surprising crimes of swindlers, hustlers and women on the make ... Show More
28m 42s
Jul 1
47. Fox Sisters - Spirit Mediums
Lucy Worsley returns with her new series of Lady Swindlers, where true crime meets history, with a twist. Lucy and her team of all female detectives travel back more than a hundred years to meet women who stepped outside of their ordinary lives to do extraordinary things. Togethe ... Show More
29m 33s
Jun 24
46. Minnie Pheby - Lady Burglar
Lucy Worsley meets Minnie Pheby, a strong and agile young woman who defies all the gender stereotypes of Victorian society – not a homemaker, but a homebreaker. She’s the devil compared with the idealised ‘angel in the house’, sneaking into middle class homes in the dead of night ... Show More
28m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
S2 E2: The Death of a Quiet Druggist
Evelyn Hamilton has annoyed her bosses in the male-dominated world of pharmacy - they find her quiet and independent nature mystifying and odd. After an unhappy stint at a druggist shop outside London, she's landed a new job and a fresh start in a faraway town.  In February 1942, ... Show More
40 m
Feb 2024
9. Sir Grayson Perry
Kirsty Young talks to the artist Sir Grayson Perry about what he’s learned from his life so far. Once cross-dressing punk rebel, now ennobled member of the British establishment, Grayson Perry’s extraordinary life has given him plenty of material to inspire his art. He reflects o ... Show More
52m 34s
Mar 2022
S2 Ep70: Julie Dart and Stephanie Slater: Justice Served? (Part 3)
During the 1970’s, a brutal serial killer terrorized the women of Manchester and West Yorkshire England. By the time he was apprehended, Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, had claimed the lives of thirteen young women and girls, and had attempted to kill at least eig ... Show More
1h 33m
Mar 2022
S2 Ep68: Julie Dart and Stephanie Slater: Ransom with an "E" (Part 1)
During the 1970’s, a brutal serial killer terrorized the women of Manchester and West Yorkshire England. By the time he was apprehended, Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, had claimed the lives of thirteen young women and girls, and had attempted to kill at least eig ... Show More
1h 30m
Sep 2023
Trendsetters: Edith Head
Edith Head (1897-1981) was a prolific costume designer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. During her five-decade-long career, she was nominated for 35 Academy Awards and won eight. She helped transform stars like Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and ... Show More
4m 59s
Mar 2022
S2 Ep69: Julie Dart and Stephanie Slater: A Grubby Little Man (Part 2)
During the 1970’s, a brutal serial killer terrorized the women of Manchester and West Yorkshire England. By the time he was apprehended, Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, had claimed the lives of thirteen young women and girls, and had attempted to kill at least eig ... Show More
1h 42m
Oct 2018
Burton-on-Trent: The Headmistress
In 1951, headmistress of the Burton-On-Trent High School, Winifred Mulley had dismissed six hundred girls for the Summer. Winifred lived in a house on the grounds of the school. She was signing off on a new home she had just purchased in Burton and was preparing to leave for her ... Show More
24m 2s
Oct 2022
S2 E1: Murders in a City Without Light
London's West End - once a glittering Mecca of nightlife - is pitch black. The lights are off to hide the city from waves of Nazi bombers - but in the darkness a merciless killer is hunting down the women of this district. Join hosts Hallie Rubenhold and Alice Fiennes as they wal ... Show More
41m 52s
Nov 2022
S2 E6: "The Lady" of Gosfield Street
Around Piccadilly she's known as "The Lady" - a quiet, rather remote figure. Widow Margaret Lowe tries to keep herself to herself and stay out of trouble - but trouble is never far away. The other residents of her building on Gosfield Street are used to hearing crashes and cries ... Show More
47m 31s