Extraordinary Stories of Britain
 - A British History Podcast - 

During the 1700s London was a lawless capital plagued by theft, violence and corruption. This British history podcast tells the story of the creation of the Bow Street runners, Britain's first police force. In 18th century London with crime out of control – and city run by the criminal cartel boss Jonathan Wild. Magistrate Henry Fielding introduced a radical solution: a small, paid group of investigators tasked with detecting crime, pursuing offenders and bringing them

From the first Valentine’s letter to postal highway robbery, from spies to street wars and the invention of the first postage stamp, this British history podcast tells the story of how the postal system evolved into a network that connected a nation. Penny Black Stamp In medieval Britain, post riders crossed lonely moorlands on horseback, battling harsh weather and the constant threat of robbery. Deliveries could take weeks, and even vital correspondence—like the famous love

In this history of money podcast, hear how kings once used wooden tally sticks as money, how the gold Guinea turned Britain into a nation of gamblers, and how Sir Isaac Newton hunted coin forgers through London’s underworld. During the 1660s, Britain faced a bizarre economic crisis — a shortage of small change. In response, businesses began minting their own coins. One London gin seller even created his own currency. Private tokens briefly kept trade alive… until fraud and

In part one of our History of Money podcast, we hear how England’s currency was shaped by violence, corruption and power. In 1124, England’s silver pennies had been so badly clipped and debased that everyday trade was collapsing. King Henry I responded with an act of calculated terror: every licensed moneyer in the realm was summoned to Winchester to be brutally punished. We trace the origins of British money. Celtic gold coins gave way to Roman pounds, shillings, and pennie