Dick Whittington: from medieval merchant to panto hero
Michael McCarthy tells the story of the real-life Lord Mayor of London who inspired the famous pantomime character
If you grew up watching pantomimes, then you’ll likely be familiar with the story of Richard “Dick” Whittington – the poor country boy who ends up becoming three-times Lord Mayor of London. But did you know that Dick Whittington was a real person? Michael McCarthy tells Jon Bauckham about the wealthy merchant who inspired the tale, and explains why – on the 600th anniversary of his death – he deserves to be remembered today.
Michael McCarthy is the author of Citizen of London: Richard Whittington – The Boy Who Would Be Mayor (Hurst, 2022)
Authors
Jon Bauckham is the Production Editor of BBC History Magazine and previously held the same role on BBC History Revealed. He is responsible for writing, editing and proofreading content, and ensuring that the magazine goes to press smoothly each month. When he’s not poring over pages with a red pen, he can be found recording episodes of the award-winning HistoryExtra podcast, chatting to authors about subjects ranging from Lord Kitchener to Russian pianos
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