About this episode

The episode explores the impact of Wilkie Collins' 'The Woman In White' on Victorian society and its significance in the detective fiction genre.

How did Wilkie Collins craft one of the earliest examples of detective fiction? What does The Woman In White reveal about the Victorian society? And, why did the novel cause such a sensation? Join Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett as they delve into the fascinating story behind the writing of The Woman In White, the world it was born of, and the novel itself. Email us: ⁠⁠thebookclub@goalhanger.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@bookclubpodhq⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@thebookclubpodhq⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠@bookclubpodhq⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠@TheBookClubPodHQ⁠⁠ Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Social Producer: Harry Balden Video Editor: Joe Pettit Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Hosts: Dominic Sandbrook, Tabitha Syrett

Topics covered

• Victorian society
• detective fiction
• Wilkie Collins
• sensation
• scandal
• literature

Keywords

• Victorian
• detective fiction
• Wilkie Collins
• The Woman In White
• sensation
• scandal
• literature

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Woman In White

More episodes of The Book Club

• 16. The Hunger Games: Rebellion and Violence In Dystopian America · June 1, 2026 · 1h 16m
• 15. Mrs Dalloway: Woolf, Sexuality, and Change · May 25, 2026 · 1h 24m
• 14. Beloved: Memory, Morrison, and Modern American Fiction · May 18, 2026 · 1h 20m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Book Club podcast page.