Historian Bob Nicholson explains how newspapers offer up a vital record of Victorian society, and reveals the types of stories that hit the headlines in 19th-century Britain

By Dr David Musgrove

Published: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 09:35 AM


Today’s burgeoning true crime genre is nothing new; to the Victorians, it was a staple of the news cycle.

In this bonus episode accompanying the HistoryExtra podcast series The Tiger Tamer Who Went to Sea, David Musgrove speaks to Dr Bob Nicholson of Edge Hill University about newspapers in the 19th century, finding out how fast news could spread, about the Victorians who forged careers as journalists, and how a single newspaper could have a significant afterlife.