Our First-Ever Q&A Special | Arsenic, Pirates & Victorian Mayhem
News of the Times | Episode 521s | 2025

You had questions. We had… tea, notes, and an unwise amount of confidence.

In this special episode, Robin fearlessly tackles viewer queries on everything from Victorian habits to pirate ethics, frying pan sorcery, and why so many 19th-century murderers owned top hats.

💬 Expect mildly factual answers, unapologetic hat-wearing, and a few too many thoughts about dairy-related crime. One answer involves a pirate cannon. We’re still not sure why.

This is News of the Times as you’ve never seen it before: unscripted, unrehearsed, and still clinging to proper punctuation.

📚 For daily uploads, deeper dives, and access to our complete archive of over 500 true historical crime documentaries (plus a few eccentric extras), join us on Patreon:
👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/newsofthetimeshistoricalcrime
👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

▶️ Related episodes from the vault:
No, there are no related episodes from the vault. This is a pure one-off!

❤️ Support the Channel
Enjoying these tales of historic mayhem and murky mischief? Help keep the archive candle burning:

👉 Patreon — Early access, no ads, full archive, bonus content:
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We tip our top hats:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

🎩 Explore our full Ko-fi collection — from digital oddities to illustrated curiosities:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

📖 New! Slightly Unreliable Memoirs – Volumes 1 & 2 with more to come
Whimsically illustrated 24-page PDF packed with eccentric tales, mysterious cacti, and at least one scandalous goat in the mode of PG Wodehouse and "Saki":
https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

And if donations aren’t your thing, a like, comment, or share is just as precious — and rumour has it, Colin the Cactus blushes green when you hit thumbs up. 🌵

🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past — no corporate sponsors, no boardroom edits. Just a genuine love of forgotten and wonderful crime.

Expect forgotten headlines, dusty trial transcripts, and the occasional scandal involving pie theft or a rogue vicar.

If you like your true crime with a splash of dry wit and no ads in sight — you’ve found your people.

🎩 RC & Team
🗓️ New episodes: Mon, Wed, Fri + a long-form finale every month
💬 Weekly Community Page updates (yes, we read every comment!)

#NewsoftheTimes #HistoricalCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #TrueCrimeDoc

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

The Goatfell Murder | Victorian Sociopath or Calculated Climber?
News of the Times | Episode 521 1889
In this gripping true crime tale from 1889, we follow mild-mannered London clerk Edwin Rose on what should have been a peaceful summer holiday to the Isle of Arran. Instead, he crosses paths with a charismatic stranger calling himself “Mr. Annandale” — a man who dresses well, speaks smoothly, and lies with alarming ease.

When Rose’s battered body is discovered hidden on the slopes of Goatfell, the hunt begins — not only for a killer, but for the truth behind a man with no past, multiple identities, and an eerie lack of conscience.

Was this a calculated murder?
A robbery gone wrong?
Or the work of a Victorian sociopath, who killed simply because he could?

🔍 Featuring:
A mountain climb with deadly consequences
A false name and a real murder
A thrilling manhunt across Scotland
And a courtroom drama soaked in suspicion

✨ Plus: In today’s “Further Particulars,” someone steals horse-plumes during a funeral. Because of course they do.
👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

▶️ Related episodes from the vault:
1900: The Sinister Mr Salmon | EP484
https://youtu.be/dbLJw0a7v4A
1927: Murder at Plummers Plain House | EP488
https://youtu.be/2PhVhjpe7Xw
1810 - 1903: History's Serial Killers - Compilation | EP512
https://youtu.be/EzqCnPf9YLc

❤️ Support the Channel
Enjoying these tales of historic mayhem and murky mischief? Help keep the archive candle burning:

👉 Patreon — Early access, no ads, full archive, bonus content:
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We tip our top hats:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

🎩 Explore our full Ko-fi collection — from digital oddities to illustrated curiosities:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

And if donations aren’t your thing, a like, comment, or share is just as precious — and rumour has it, Colin the Cactus blushes green when you hit thumbs up. 🌵

🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past — no corporate sponsors, no boardroom edits. Just a genuine love of forgotten and wonderful crime.

Expect forgott

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

A Respectable Gentleman. A Sudden Shot. A Suspect in the Privy
News of the Times | Episode 520 | 1806

When a beloved dockyard figure is murdered in his own parlour, the streets of Rotherhithe whisper of robbery. But what unfolds is far murkier — involving fake drafts, vanishing money, and trousers hoisted just a little too late.

Was Richard Patch simply in the wrong privy at the wrong time… or was he orchestrating a murderous cover-up worthy of the gallows?

💼 Featuring:
Pistols, privies, and peculiar trousers
A maid with nerves of steel
One very dodgy draft
And the most suspicious bout of stomach trouble in legal history

⚖️ Follow the full case, from the first gunshot to the final drop of the gallows — with scandalous testimony, courtroom drama, and a twist you won’t want to miss.

🎩 PLUS: Stay to the end for Further Particulars — a Georgian scandal involving cross-dressing, bigamy, and an impressively vengeful crowd with good aim and a lot of fruit.
👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New uploads every Monday, Wednesday & Friday

▶️ Related episodes from the vault:
1807: Terrible Thomas Simmons | Ep249
https://youtu.be/So5pZH7EIlw
1802 - 1837: Crimes of the Many William Hills | EP325
https://youtu.be/oRahZEDTRpM
1809-1811: The German Brinvillier - Anna Margaretha Zwanziger | EP352
https://youtu.be/BxOsIxpNCrs

❤️ Support the Channel
Enjoying these tales of historic mayhem and murky mischief? Help keep the archive candle burning:

👉 Patreon — Early access, no ads, full archive, bonus content:
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We tip our top hats:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

🎩 Explore our full Ko-fi collection — from digital oddities to illustrated curiosities:
https://ko-fi.com/robinandco

And if donations aren’t your thing, a like, comment, or share is just as precious — and rumour has it, Colin the Cactus blushes green when you hit thumbs up. 🌵

🕯 About News of the Times
We are a small (and mildly chaotic) band of history enthusiasts uncovering the darker corners of Britain’s past — no corporate sponsors, no boardroom edits. Just a genuine love of forgotten and wonderful crime.

Expect forgotten headlines, dusty trial transcripts, and the occasional scandal invo

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at newsofthetimespodcast@gmail.com
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd