About this episode
Lucy Worsley examines the fascination with true crime and its historical context in the final episode of the series.
In the final episode of the series, Lucy Worsley puts true crime itself on trial. Why are we so fascinated by stories of murder, violence, and scandal and was it ever thus? Is true crime guilty of sensationalism and stereotyping, or can it reveal something more profound about society, culture, and ourselves? Lucy is joined by her all-female team of detectives, in-house historian Professor Rosalind Crone and guest detective Hannah Maguire, co-host of the hit podcast RedHanded. Together they examine the long history of true crime as entertainment, asking whether today’s podcasts, documentaries, and social media sleuthing are really so different from the pamphlets, broadsides, waxworks, and tabloid stories of the past. The episode revisits three notorious cases. Martha Brown, executed in 1856 for killing her abusive husband, whose fate drew public sympathy and inspired Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Mary Pearcy, convicted in 1890 of the brutal murder of her lover’s wife and baby, whose trial and execution became a Victorian media sensation. And Elvira Barney, the glamorous socialite who in 1932 shot her lover and walked free, the tabloids feasting on every detail of her…
People in this episode
Host: Lucy Worsley
Guests: Professor Rosalind Crone, Hannah Maguire
Topics covered
- true crime
- gender representation
- historical cases
- media sensationalism
- cultural fascination
- violence and morality
Keywords
- true crime
- Martha Brown
- Mary Pearcy
- Elvira Barney
- media
- gender
- violence
- history
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Tess of the d'Urbervilles
More episodes of Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley
- Introducing Lady on Trial · June 9, 2026 · 5 min
- 59. Kitty Newton - Killer Daughter · February 17, 2026 · 28 min
- 58. Mary Pearcey - Murderous Lover · February 10, 2026 · 29 min
- 57. Jessie McLachlan - Silenced Servant · February 3, 2026 · 29 min
- 56. Elvira Barney - Accidental Killer · January 27, 2026 · 28 min
- 55. Cloe - Forced Resistance · January 20, 2026 · 29 min
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