So this week, I’m going to take you back to 1827 and to the Suffolk village of Polstead. And this story has all the trappings of a soap opera; young lovers meeting in secret, illegitimate children, lies and cover ups, a bit of a police procedural, dreamed premonitions, ghosts and, of course, murder.

A magistrate assigned to the case stated “I never knew or heard of a case in my life which abounded with so many extraordinary incidents as the present… It really appears more like a romance than a tale of common life.”

For today, I’ll be telling you the story of Maria Marten, who was murdered in the red barn, by her lover William Corder.

This murder would become one of the most notorious of the time, the story receiving widespread illustrated reports in the press. One broadside in particular, that detailed the crimes old more than a million copies. It went onto inspire ballads, songs and plays, numerous penny dreadful’s and various puppet shows. It would even turn the quaint village into (arguably) one of the first ‘dark tourism’ hot spots that would go on to attract thousands of visitors, hoping to catch a glimpse of the infamous Red Barn and even pick up a souvenir or two.

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