This week, Laura tracks the rise and (spectacularly dramatic) fall of a famous 18th-century courtesan. Sally Salisbury’s client list runs the gamut of London’s rich and famous (think secretaries of state, future kings, and so on). In other words, she’s living the high life. That is until one fateful night in December 1721 when she flies into a jealous rage over one of her lovers – and stabs him in the chest.

Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling is available weekly on BBC Sounds. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Email us at [email protected].