That Time When

We finish off Black History Month with the amazing tale of Dr Rebecca Lee Crumpler, who was such a dedicated doctor that she didn't have time for people's racism, she was just going to help people and no one was going to get in her way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well we might have beaten our record for longest episode title, but it's necessary when you're talking about someone as awesome as the Chevalier de Saint Georges. He continues with his displays of swordsmanship (with special appearance from a previous subject of the podcast), but now brings his attention to the plight of Haitian slaves, but always returns to his passion of music. Also, should we b...

We start off Black History Month here on that time when with a man so cool we end up declaring him the Elvis of pre-revolutionary France. I mean, when you win a swordfight that ends slavery (sort of), you've got to be up there with the coolest people, even if your dad was a bit dodgy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barnaby gets a bit frustrated at how little we know about one of the most important figures in European, and possibly world, history. You may know already of Johannes Gutenberg, but did you know that he had a side hustle before he made his printing press? Or how a lawsuit possibly stopped him from being well known in his lifetime? Or why for many years we could call him Mr Gooseflesh? Find out her...

I think we all know the stories of sailors in history getting shipwrecked or stuck at sea and having to make the horrible choice to resort to cannibalism. In the 19th century this was such a problem that it caused decades of legal headaches until the courts finally decided to settle the matter with the case of Dudley and Stephens. There was Brooks too, but everyone seems to just forgive him the ca...

Is it possible that Robinson Crusoe was inspired by a goat-man? This week on That Time When, Amelia tells us about Alexander Selkirk, a real life Robinson Crusoe who managed to survive for years on a deserted island thanks to the timely intercession of some sea-lions, a pack of friendly cats, and some cabbages that had no rightful business being there. No, I'm not making any of that up. Hosted on...

This week on That Time When we continue with the story of Joseph Grimaldi, the Father of Modern Clowning. Last week we looked at his early life and ascent to the part of The Clown, this week we look at his prolific career and how he came to become the icon of the clown for years to come. We also have Amelia explaining a pun to Barnaby that he completely missed... he is still a little annoyed about...

Joseph Grimaldi can be remembered as the Father of the Modern Clown. But before you have traumatic memories of Pennywise and turn off, you should listen to his story, because Grimaldi's life is a fascinating study of a struggling artist who transformed theatres of the day. You'll also find out why clowns of the 18th century were more like silent movie performers, and why you shouldn't swing your y...

This Week on That Time When we listen to the most dramatic and powerful music to accompany the Entry of the Gladiators. After that, Amelia tells us about a Dutch hero who is famous for pirate murder, delivering quips, and causing one very large explosion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on That Time When we continue the story of the lost Roanoke Colony, and actually get to the point where the colonists have gone missing! Now the mission becomes finding these poor people. Will the weather let up and actually allow someone to complete their mission? Will people back in England care? Will Sir Walter Raleigh actually look for them, or is he too busy thinking of gold? We'll...

The mystery of the Missing Roanoke Colony is a pretty good story by itself, but it turns out that everything that led up to it was a mad comedy of errors. This week on That Time When, Barnaby tells us about the two expeditions that set the stage for the attempt at a first permanent colony in North America. Expect ridiculous storms, a lack of basic diplomacy, and the utter failure to keep a hold of...

Amelia has managed to find a very obscure French story that may well have... *ahem* inspired Alexandre Dumas to write The Count of Monte Cristo. This has everything: romance, betrayal, false imprisonment, vengeance, elaborate murder, and parrot slaying. You'd think it was all made up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine getting a knock at the door only to discover hoards of people who tell you that they've come to deliver various goods and services that you never asked for, and they probably want paying for it too. That was the experience Mrs Tottingham of 54 Berners Street had in 1810. In this episode of That Time When, we look at the Berners Street Hoax, the man behind it and why he was just the worst,...

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...

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...

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 j...

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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...

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 outl...

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 e...

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 an...

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 t...

What do you do when you need to get rid of a 'commoner' who is proving troublesome for the future of the monarchy? Accuse her of the greatest name of a crime ever: Treasonable Necromancy! Hell, that sounds cool. The aftermath... not so much. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now you may think that this podcast is in danger of becoming a French Legal History podcast, so now we're veering into conspiracy theories! This week on That Time When, Barnaby tells us about a few of the occasions when governments have conducted dodgy bio-weapons research on their own civilians. Don't worry, it's not as bleak as it sounds, but does provide new opportunities for dodgy lightbulb sa...