
News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime
Welcome to News of the Times!
Step into the shadowed alleyways and gaslit parlours of the 18th and 19th centuries with News of the Times — a meticulously curated journey through historical crime. Each episode draws from authentic reports and court records, bringing you the darkly fascinating tales that gripped Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian Britain.
With over 500 episodes and counting, we explore true accounts of mischief, murder, and mayhem from days gone by — all delivered with a wry nod and a love for the curious corners of the past.
🕵️ For those with a taste for the peculiar, you may also enjoy our new side project: Volume 1: Slightly Unreliable Memoirs — a whimsical collection inspired by the lives (and occasional misadventures) of our research team. Think cravats, crumpets, and the occasional cactus on the lam. Intrigued? Find it here:
👉 https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e
News of the Times - Unlocking the vaults of historical crime
Scotland Yard Casebook: The Hotel Murder That Baffled London (1922)
Scotland Yard Casebook: The Hotel Murder That Baffled London (1922)
News of the Times | Episode 542 | 1922
London, 1922. A respected widow is found in her bed at the Spencer Hotel near Oxford Street — her skull fractured, her life slipping away. No fingerprints. No weapon. No forced entry. No known enemies.
With the city in shock, Scotland Yard’s finest — including one of the legendary “Big Four” — scrambled to untangle a crime that seemed to have no clues at all. Was Lady White killed for revenge? For money? Or was she the tragic victim of a mistake that left detectives chasing shadows through the corridors of a quiet hotel?
What followed was a sensational investigation: whispering voices in the basement, a watchful stranger outside the hotel, and finally a shocking confession from the least expected suspect.
✨ In our Further Particulars — a lighter (and rather scandalous) postscript — we turn from murder to matrimony. Meet the teenage daughter of an MP who eloped with a baronet’s heir at 17… only to discover he was less Prince Charming and more “headstrong, obstinate, stupid and dictatorial” (to quote the judge, not us). Chauffeurs were dispatched like ultimatums, pocket money was scandalously withheld, and court proceedings made the gossip columns buzz.
🎧 If you’re drawn to mysteries that leave even Scotland Yard grasping for answers — with a side of history’s most ill-advised romance — this is one casebook you won’t want to miss.
👤 Narrated by Robin Coles
📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month
📚 Related cases from the archive:
1927: Case of the McKay Mother Murder | EP460
https://youtu.be/T_IZB0cou-k
1920: A Case of Family Obsession and Murder | EP476 https://youtu.be/EIPHlzVerd4
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🕯 About the Channel
We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on
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