Lady Killers – one of the top ten most popular BBC Podcast series of 2022 – is back for a third time and integral to the show is The Open University’s Rosalind Crone working alongside popular history presenter Lucy Worsley.
The half hour OU/BBC co production is due to air on 10 January on BBC Radio 4 at 11.30am and features the work of Rosalind, a professor of history specialising in criminal justice, society and culture in 19th century Britain.
In this ten-part series, as in the preceding two, Rosalind not only helps choose the case studies of these 19th century crimes, but coordinates and carries out the painstaking research, assisted by OU PhD student Sophie Michell, into the murderous behaviour of the women featured and explores why they might have killed.
Joining them on this historical journey are a team of 10 guest ‘detectives’, contemporary experts, who shed further light on the behaviours of the women featured and their backstories.
These ‘detectives’ come from a medley of backgrounds and professions, and include a barrister, a Northern Ireland High Court judge, a human rights activist and… a stand-up comic.
Among them is author of historical fiction, Kate Mosse, who, in the first episode of the series, gives her view on the so-called ‘Lady MacBeth of Bermondsey’, Maria Manning, who conspired with her husband to kill her lover before stealing the dead man’s money.
Rosalind said:
“Once again, we have curated a collection of cases representative of female killing and living in the past, all of which have continued relevance to the present. We explore same-sex love, the abuse of domestic servants or employees in the home, child custody, cruelty to children in residential institutions, and political assassination.
“The themes are all new – there is no overlap with the previous two series – but there are some valuable connections. For example, across the three series we explore the unpalatable, indeed horrific, options available to women with unwanted pregnancies at a time when financial support was extremely limited and illegitimacy was stigmatised: babyfarming (Amelia Dyer, series 1), backstreet abortion (Elizabeth Taylor, series 2), and infanticide (Jane Boyd, series 3).”
Other members of the team include Dr Gwen Adshead, a former Broadmoor Hospital consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who offers her opinion on the case of a stepmother accused of murdering her stepdaughter.
And, joining this all-female team, is Evy Poumpouras, a former US Secret Service Special Agent, who has protected five American presidents as part of the Presidential Protective Division.
She brings her knowledge to the case of Mary Surratt, 42, a widow, mother and pious Catholic who was arrested in April 1865 for conspiring to murder President Abraham Lincoln.
This historical series spans not only the UK but Australia and North America and it is available on BBC Sounds after it airs.
This programme was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, with particular relevance to Q01 BA (Hons) History, R14 BA (Hons) Arts and Humanities, MA in History, R21 BA (Hons) Criminology and A225 The British Isles 1789-1914.
- Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast & Partnerships
- Academic Consultants – Professor Rosalind Crone
- Media Fellows – Dr Jo Paul
- Broadcast Project Manager – Jo Weeks
- Digital Content Producer – Patrick Kearney and Steff Easom
Supporting Online content:
Visit our Broadcast & Partnerships site OU Connect where you can find extensive resources and information on topics related to this programme. Want to know how we bring so many fascinating stories to life? Join Lucy Worsley and Prof. Rosalind Crone for an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation about what it takes to make Lady Killers.
Main image: Story Hunter/BBC
