BBC World Service Witness 3rd Sept. - Jack the Ripper

[Ozzy]

Witness is a short (10 minute) BBC World Service show. It's synopsis is 'The stories of our times told by the people who were there.'

Tomorrow's (3rd September) show is titled 'Jack The Ripper'.

In September 1883, one of the most infamous serial killers in history stalked the narrow streets of the East End of London. Jack the Ripper killed at least five prostitutes and was never caught by the police despite a massive manhunt. Using contemporary accounts, Simon Watts describes how the murderer cast a spell over late Victorian England.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01frmft

You can download Witness shows from the site's podcast page. I'm not sure how long it takes before the show appears as a podcast but today's (2nd Sept.) Witness (subject - Eritrea's Long War) is up already so I assume the BBC will offer it on the podcast page at some point tomorrow. Of course you can always tune in to the broadcast at the ungodly hour of 7.50 am if you're a morning person.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/witness

[Bailey]

Who can they talk to who was there?

[Phil Carter]

Who can they talk to who was there?

Hello Bailey,

Utter rubbish from the first introductory sentence from the announcer... "the "TRUE" story of...."

"a SERIAL killer"

"Leather Apron" was operating an extortion racket"...... well did he now!!


Oh well, Mr. Simon Watts and Mr. Jones and Co have made a penny or two out of it.

example

(of Mitre Square) PC Watkins blew his whistle...

Mr. Jones, if you are reading this... I humbly suggest you start getting the basic facts right whilst you are making a bit more money on the subject, as you do tours, radio shows, tv shows and documentaries...telling the story again and again and again to all and sundry.





Phil

[Jangling Jack]

I thought it was a decent enough primer considering it was only about 15 mins long. I don't think its aimed at (really pedantic) Ripperologists.

Now, if only the BBC would do a decent length podcast on JtR ..it would be brilliant if Melvyn Bragg's "In Our Time" series covered it.

[Ozzy]

I thought it was a decent enough primer considering it was only about 15 mins long. I don't think its aimed at (really pedantic) Ripperologists.

Now, if only the BBC would do a decent length podcast on JtR ..it would be brilliant if Melvyn Bragg's "In Our Time" series covered it.

I agree. I like Bragg's series myself.
The BBC still have the Ripper episode from 2007 for listening which is part of Michael Portillo's series Things We Forgot to Remember. Each episode is 30 mins.

"Michael Portillo investigates the fear Londoners felt in the late 1880s - not because of one man, but rather the catastrophic collapse of a whole way of life."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00771f6