That Time When

Amelia is back in the hosting seat this week and brings us a story that may have inspired a very well known character from gothic literature. William 'Deacon' Brodie was a very well-to-do locksmith from Edinburgh who had a sneaky little side business to help fund his double-life. Also this week we hear the story of the enemy that defeated Napoleon more soundly than anyone else. Not Wellington, we are talking about rabbits.

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Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China and accomplished a great many things, but he was a bit preoccupied with the possibility of his death. This might be because of the increasingly bizarre assassination attempts against him. So of course the only course of action was to build an enormous mausoleum and also search for the secret of immortality, just to make the first part redundant. We try and get pronunciation of names right, but being British they're likely to be a bit off, just to let you know.

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Isn't it always the way that you can come up with an amazing plan and almost immediately it falls apart? This week on That Time When, Barnaby talks about the case of the HMS Carmania and the SMS Cap Trafalgar, which resulted in a surreal moment on the high seas during the First World War. Also featuring a TTW Episodette, where Barnaby tells us about Hieronymous Bosch and the Butt Music... you'll just have to listen.

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The news might try and say that strikes and industrial action are the absolute end of civilization as we know it, but they would do well to hear about the Coal Wars of 1930s Kentucky. This week on That Time When, Barnaby tells us about the bloody history of the Coal Wars which led to gunfights, car bombs, and a pretty banging song written on the back of a calendar page.

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Have you had your fill of Morbius but not of other vampires? That Time When has you covered as Barnaby goes through some of the different types of vampire folklore from around the world. Which is the most scary, and why is it an owl from the Romans that has a very odd kink?

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This week on That Time When, we continue with our story of Ned Kelly. Moving on from dealing in dodgy horses, the Kelly gang decide to set themselves a new goal: create a really big fan club, a fan club big enough that people will be begging you to rob their bank so they can get your autograph. Unfortunately, we also see the downfall of the Kelly gang and how their famous armour fared in a police shoot-out.

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Ned Kelly was one of the most famous bushrangers/outlaws of 19th century Australia, but was he a folk hero or a menace? It's hard to say, especially when some of his crimes have four different accounts of them, and we still don't know which one is true! This week on That Time When, Amelia takes us back to the early years of Ned Kelly, the trials of his young life, his many interviews with his outlaw line-manager, and the crimes that would lead to the formation of the Kelly Gang. Also, Barnaby takes some time to moan about a film he doesn't like.

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Sometimes when you hear about people overcoming adversity, it really makes you feel bad about your own achievements. There are very few however, who could compare to King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Despite leprosy and a surprising amount of malaria, he managed to fight against the might of Saladin during the crusades, even leading soldiers into battle, and mostly won... and here's me thinking that editing the podcast on time is an achievement...

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Last week we looked at Jack Sheppard, the wild and roguish folk-hero of 18th Century London. This week we'll be looking at his antagonist, the Thief-Taker General Jonathan Wild. Wild's career was... wild. It's unbelievable quite how much of a stranglehold he had over the criminal underworld of London, while also appearing to be the city's greatest policeman. Here you can find out about his rise and fall, and the lessons in criminal empire management that we can all take home.

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You may have seen films or TV where people break out of prison using bedsheets as a rope. Did you ever think that was a bit far-fetched? Well, this week on That Time When, Barnaby tells us the story of Jack Sheppard, a young man who repeatedly managed to break free from London prisons in the 18th Century. The real question is: Was Jack Sheppard some kind of specific Marvel mutant whose power was to create files and lockpicks? That's as good an explanation as any for some of Jack's feats.

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