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History's Greatest Scandals: secrets of the Georgian era

History's Greatest Scandals: secrets of the Georgian era

Join us for series two of History’s Greatest Scandals, where Ellie Cawthorne and Professor Hannah Greig are uncovering the secrets of the Georgian era

History's Greatest Scandals: The Georgians

Ellie Cawthorne

Published: January 28, 2026 at 10:53 AM

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In this podcast series, Ellie Cawthorne and Professor Hannah Greig follow on the trail of forgers, expose illicit liaisons, meet cross-dressing celebrity spies and get involved in some high-stakes gambling, as they search out some of the most salacious stories of the day, and explore what they can reveal about this fascinating period of history.

Showing 1 to 5 of 5 results

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Episode 1The MILLION pound forgery | Mrs Rudd vs the Perreaus. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In 1775, a respectable lady, a mild-mannered apothecary and his fast-living identical twin stood accused of pulling off a scam that had earned them a grand fortune of £7,500 – roughly £1.5m in today's money
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Episode 2High society’s most DANGEROUS liaison | Henrietta Grosvenor and the king's brother. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In a tavern in 1769, aristocrat Henrietta Grosvenor was discovered in a comprising position with a man who was not her husband
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Episode 3The CRASH that bankrupted Britain | Everything you wanted to know about the South Sea Bubble. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In 1720, would-be speculators were in a frenzy over an irresistible new investment opportunity
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Episode 4The Zong massacre | A murderous insurance scam that exposed slavery’s horrors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In the 1780s, an extraordinary insurance claim made its way through Britain’s courts – against the lives of more than 130 enslaved people who had been intentionally thrown overboard a slaving ship in the Caribbean
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Episode 5Chevalier D’Eon | A cross-dressing 18th-century CELEBRITY spy?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

As a celebrity, spy, diplomat and fencing champion, the Chevalier D’Eon had many extraordinary adventures and took on many identities over the course of their long life

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Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra