Jeremy Beadle suspects???

[pauldonnelley]

I don't get this. Is the implication that Beadle suspected Joseph Barnett? Or John Barlas, J.H Batchelor, Joseph Bayley, J. Best, James Blenkinsop, James Brown, or some other J.B.?

Originally, Jeremy meant Joseph Barnett before later advocating James Maybrick.

[The Grave Maurice]

I don't get this. Is the implication that Beadle suspected Joseph Barnett? Or John Barlas, J.H Batchelor, Joseph Bayley, J. Best, James Blenkinsop, James Brown, or some other J.B.?

[MinstrelBoy]

Look no further than my initials...

... is what Mr. Beadle said in his introduction to "Who Was Jack The Ripper?" concerning the identity of the Whitechapel fiend. He also said that he wasn't sure he wanted to know, as the hunt is more interesting than the capture.

[caz]

Hi TomTom,

I tend to agree with you, but that's because I personally have found the diary both harmless and entertaining. Some have let the diary into their lives and come to regret it very bitterly indeed. Others resent it so bitterly that they push it away for fear they will catch something. A few would dearly love to see it burn in hell along with its creator.

But at the end of the day it's just a scrapbook and if people want to enjoy it or beat themselves over the head with it, it's entirely their choice.

What we don't know is the reaction its author was going for. We can guess the evil intent behind the Hitler Diaries and Yorkshire Ripper hoaxes. But in the case of this one, who knows? The way to diary heaven or hell could have been paved with good intentions.

Love,

Caz
X

[TomTomKent]

Hi Caz,
Well...Genius in the term that unlike many hoaxes ( The Hitler Diarys come to mind ) this one has been kept going for over fifteen years now and still leaves questions.

I certainly would not bet any money on Barratt being the author either.

The Hitler Diaries suffered from being dull. You can forgive a good hoax for being entertaining if it is harmless and clever in its own way. You can decry a bad hoax for being hurtful and stupid (Yorkshire Ripper tapes). The Ripper diaries falls mostly into the first box, but the Hitler diary is just pointless and dull.

My two cents, sure others will disagree.

[spyglass]

Hi Caz,
Well...Genius in the term that unlike many hoaxes ( The Hitler Diarys come to mind ) this one has been kept going for over fifteen years now and still leaves questions.

I certainly would not bet any money on Barratt being the author either.

[caz]

Thanks for explaining, spyglass.

No, I don't think Jeremy would have laughed 'in outrage' or been secretly offended. But he might have given Warren the benefit of the doubt and assumed he was the one having a laugh. If he'd thought Warren was serious he'd have secretly considered him a fool, but was probably too much of a gentleman to say so.

I'm no gentleman, however.

Jeremy was a very bright man and could probably have constructed a hoax along these lines if he had had the inclination. But many people would not agree with your 'genius' comment. Some not so bright people have even convinced themselves that Mike Barrett could have composed and penned it over a wet weekend with three books (and clearly without the aid of a dictionary).

Love,

Caz
X

[spyglass]

Hi caz,
I was trying say that I felt that Mr Beadle would have secretly enjoyed being linked to such a great hoax, and would'nt have taken any offence to it.

I feel you were saying he would have laughed in outrage and would have been secretly offended.

As a footnote, We must all agree that if the Diary is a fake, then whoever constructed it was in mind eye a genius.

love back.

[caz]

And I feel sure that Mr Beadle wouldnt of taken any offence to being linked to the Maybrick Diary, in fact I feel sure he would have a smile about it.

So, spyglass, what part of:

It's a pity that Warren didn't put his suggestion directly to Beadle... Beadle would have been too busy laughing for Warren to lose any teeth.

...did you not grasp?

Love,

Caz
X

[TomTomKent]

So has "Trial" ever been released on DVD? If not maybe we should start a petition for the Podcast to do a "Trial of..." Special, where guests have a set time to do their "Case", and we all vote for a straw poll on here after the 'cast. No prizes (and probably little worth) but might be fun to get an idea of where the buffs are leaning these days.

Or maybe it is a bad idea I shouldn't have mentioned as I have no idea of the logistics of podcasting and am a completely casual buff. Sorry about that...

[Casebook Wiki Editor]

I did notice some years back his name appear in the acknowledgement section at the beggining of JTR The Final Chapter, it would seem he had made suggestions to the author about the book, and so had some intrest in the Maybrick angle of the case.

Absolutely. Jeremy believed Maybrick to be the Ripper.

[spyglass]

Hi,
It would seem that a few people have a beef with Nick Warren, what exactly has he done for people to turn on him?
I have over the years enjoyed some of his work on the subject of JTR.
And I feel sure that Mr Beadle wouldnt of taken any offence to being linked to the Maybrick Diary, in fact I feel sure he would have a smile about it.
I did notice some years back his name appear in the acknowledgement section at the beggining of JTR The Final Chapter, it would seem he had made suggestions to the author about the book, and so had some intrest in the Maybrick angle of the case.

[caz]

Jeremy Beadle appeared on an entertaining TV show some years ago called something like The Trial of Jack the Ripper. Several suspects were looked at and Beadle was in charge of the case against Maybrick. The studio audience found his argument the most convincing and voted for Maybrick as the Ripper at the end of the show. Interestingly, Ripperana magazine suggested that Beadle himself might have written the Maybrick diary although this accusation was not made until after the celebrity's death.

Best wishes,
Steve.

It's a pity that Warren didn't put his suggestion directly to Beadle when they were in the green room together for the recording of The Trial.

Now that would have been good value, win-win entertainment. Beadle would have been too busy laughing for Warren to lose any teeth.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

Hi TomTom,

One former Woolworths near me is now a bargain store calling itself Smallworths. A bit like Warren's diary theories, except they are of no worth at all.

Crime related mysteries were just one of Jeremy Beadle's many and varied interests. As far as I know he didn't have a 'vested' interest (as in financial or personal) in Jack the Ripper. And of course he did raise a hundred million pounds for charity during his long showbiz career.

Beadle was always great value, while Warren cuts a very small figure indeed.

Love,

Caz
X

[TomTomKent]

Unlikely I would have thought but if true it would be Jeremy's ultimate practical joke.

Not quite, surely the ultimate episode of Beadle's About would feature him time travelling back to be JTR himself, in the style of the Not the Nine O Clock News pastiche of his works. Well, I say "ultimate", it would be tied with the time he made that car vanish on a cross channel ferry...

I appologise if that pun was in bad taste, it was not intended to be. Being fairly new to Ripperology outside of Mr Fidos audio lecture on the subject scaring me witless on a paper round a few decades ago (it was on a cassette tape from Woolworths, both of which are now obsolete it seems) I had no idea Mr Beadle had such a vested interest in the mystery.