Lucy Worsley's new series explores the con-women of history
Those who love to listen to true crime podcasts on your commute will be a big fan of Lucy Worsley's latest show, which focuses on the stories of female swindlers, hustlers and con-women of the past.
Crossing true crime with a dash of history, Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley sees the TV historian joined by an all-female team of detectives to "travel back in time to revisit the audacious - and surprising - crimes of women who were trying to make it in a world made by men.'
Throughout the audio series, listeners will meet hoaxers, thieves and scammers from across history and around the world, such as Alice Diamond, who was head of the UK's most famous all-female crime syndicate in the early 20th century, and Madam Rachel who scammed Victorians by selling them beauty products that she promised would make them 'beautiful forever.'
"In Lady Swindlers we have identified various interesting female criminals from the last 200 years,' says Lucy. "We tell their stories, we work out how they got away with it (if they got away with it!) and we use that to ask ourselves, what were the circumstances? Were they breaking the rules because they lived in a world made by men?"
Lucy says that she hopes people will listen to Lady Swindlers for the fun of it. "We've got crime capers here, we've got some extraordinary stories about some extraordinary women. But I think that you will also, just by osmosis, learn loads of really interesting social history. You'll learn about the birth of modern feminism, you'll learn about how female consumerism was a thing in the early 20th century. You'll learn quite a lot about Victorian beauty techniques that you'll wish that you didn't know, because they sound absolutely horrific!"
Listen to all episodes of Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley now on BBC Sounds, or weekly on Radio 4.
Have you booked your tickets to join Lucy Worsley at Good Housekeeping Live on 13-16th November 2024 yet? Find out more here.
You Might Also Like
