In 1854, the twenty-five year old aristocrat Roger Tichborne, heir to an impressive fortune, died in a shipwreck ....Or did he? His mother, certain of her son’s survival, advertised extensively with a tantalising reward for her son’s return. Twenty years later a rough, corpulent butcher from Australia named Arthur Orton arrived in Europe and declared himsel ... Show More
Sep 2
702. Roman Civil War: The Barbarian Invasion (Part 2)
What was the ancient city of Rome actually like in the first century BC? Who was Lucius Cornelius Sulla, another great, but aristocratic, Roman general who would clash with Gaius Marius in a totemic struggle termed the Social War? And, who were the terrifying Germanic tribes amas ... Show More
1h 18m
Aug 30
701. Roman Civil War: Rise of the General (Part 1)
Who was Gaius Marius, one of the two men who would shape the fate of Rome in the first century BC? Why was his road to fame, fortune, and political greatness, from total obscurity, so dangerous? And, would Marius be the man to face down the existential threat facing the empire du ... Show More
1h 13m
May 2016
A Victorian murder and a ship that made history
Kate Summerscale, author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, tells us about her new book, which investigates another shocking 19th-century crime. Meanwhile, Andrew Lambert guides us around the famous clipper Cutty Sark, a ship that raced around the world as part of the lucrative Vic ... Show More
59m 51s
Dec 2024
The Case of the Missing Aristocrat | Mother Knows Best | 1
It’s 1865, and butcher Arthur Orton is living in poverty in Australia. Then he hears about a reward for information on England’s ninth richest nobleman, Sir Roger Tichborne, who's been missing for several years. So Arthur comes up with an audacious plan. All he has to do is fool ... Show More
51m 59s
Jul 2022
Haunting Tales of a Victorian Crime- The Ghost of Fanny Adams
<p>Alton in Hampshire, England, is home to a particular tragic and haunting story. A story that captured newspapers and imaginations at the time and would go on to create macabre words and phrases that are still used today but for whom few know the dark, etymological root. < ... Show More
14m 22s
Nov 2024
Lord Lucan: the vanishing earl
On 7 November, 1974, nanny Sandra Rivett was found murdered in the affluent London neighbourhood of Belgravia. The prime suspect? The father of her young charges, Lord Lucan. But before the aristocrat could be questioned, he vanished, sparking one of the greatest cause célèbres o ... Show More
34m 35s
Nov 2019
E172: “The 4 Euston Square Mystery” Pt. 1
On May 9, 1879, a body is found in the coal cellar of a boarding house at 4 Euston Square in London. The investigation into the body's identity takes detectives on a long, twisted journey into the dark underbelly of the victim’s former life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi ... Show More
38m 53s
Sep 2020
E214: Edward & Richard, The Two Princes in the Tower Pt. 1
In 1483, two princes got caught in the center of a bloody war for the throne of England—and became one of the biggest murder mysteries in British history. After the princes' uncle realized they were the only thing standing between him and his life-long quest for the crown, he loc ... Show More
42m 55s