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Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets

Written by: Stephen Fry, John Woolf, Nick Baker
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  • Summary

  • On the surface, the Victorian age is one of propriety, industry, prudishness and piety. But scratch the surface and you'll find scandal, sadism, sex, madness, malice and murder.

    Presented by Stephen Fry, this series delves deep into a period of time we think we know, to discover an altogether darker reality. The stories we're told offer a different perspective on an era which underwent massive social change. As education, trade, technology and culture blossomed, why was there an undercurrent of the "˜forbidden' festering beneath Victorian society?

    Across 12 episodes, Stephen presents a series of true accounts of the dangerous low life and debauched high life of Victorian Britain.

    This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 12 episodes to your Library now.
    ©2018 Audible, Ltd. (P)2018 Audible, Ltd.
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: Family Secrets

    Ep. 1: Family Secrets
    Oct 18 2018

    Of course, all families, high born and low have secrets. Confidential conditions of mind or body. Black sheep. Skeletons in cupboards. Unmentionable uncles. Naughty nephews... aunties who aren't... conventional. More often than not it boils down to something - sexual.

    This episode is about the keeping and uncovering of family secrets. In a way it unlocks all the secrets in all our episodes.

    Many Victorians, especially the more successful ones, feared shame. In a way this fear was something quite new. A new and growing newspaper industry was keen to amplify that shame. And a new middle class, desperate to cling to its new-found monied status, felt threatened. And, new theories about heredity, coming later in the century, meant that (perish the thought!) shamefulness could be passed on – like red hair or big feet - from generation to generation.
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    44 mins
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  • Ep. 2: The Buckingham Palace Freak Show

    Ep. 2: The Buckingham Palace Freak Show
    Oct 18 2018

    Step right up, step right up and don’t be shy - welcome to Victorian Secrets, and the secrets of... The Freak Show. The secrets of enormously fat men and bearded ladies, the secrets of exotic women with enticingly large buttocks, the secrets of Siamese Twins and dwarf families and, in particular, the secrets of our own, our very own Aztec Children, seen by half a million people on the European continent before they publicly revealed their own, personal, extraordinary secret.

    We’ll go backstage to hear the terrible secrets of the freaks themselves, we’ll lift the lace curtains of Buckingham Palace, where our own Queen, god bless her, took tea with the tiny, the towering and the terribly formed.
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    37 mins
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  • Ep. 3: Pornography, Pleasure and the Press

    Ep. 3: Pornography, Pleasure and the Press
    Oct 18 2018

    This episode will penetrate some of the secrets of Victorian sexuality, public and private and will challenge some deeply held misconceptions.

    We tend to think of the Victorians as dyed in the wool prudes, and we have latched onto the idea that the Victorians felt their values of self-discipline, temperance and hard work were threatened by the temptations of the flesh. This episode will show in enjoyable detail that ordinary Victorians’ attitudes to sex was for the most part enthusiastic, unembarrassed and surprisingly well informed. Apart, that is, from one secret sexual practice that was loathed, feared and tragically misunderstood.
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    34 mins
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Great Britain
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Featured Article: 14 of the Best History Podcasts For Every History Fan

Everybody loves historical yarn. We can watch the trials of humanity from a safe distance, then judge how well we did as a species or, more likely, how badly. And when you think things are getting better, along comes a figure or an act of nature that pushes us back to the brink again. Whatever your taste in bygone times, we've got some compelling history podcasts here, some light and humorous, some stuff you missed in history class in high school, but all ripe for learning more about the backstory on how we got where we are today.

Featured Article: 14 of the Best History Podcasts For Every History Fan

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Profile Image for Erika Augustynski

Fantastic!

I thoroughly enjoy British history. This gives you great stories that you may not have heard before. The performers and music take this audiobook to the next level. Very well done!

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Profile Image for Dave

very interesting historic work.

it exposes Victorian England with it's hypocritical standard of social discourse and ridiculous starched public visage and mores.

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Profile Image for Lb1kenobie

Exceptional

What an excellent listen. Victorian culture exposed and explained with titillating intrigue. Stephen Fry's performance just ices the cake and makes this series binge-worthy.

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Profile Image for Crazyhound999

wonderful

this is amazingly well done! must love Stephan Fry. Also listen to Edwarian Secrets the next podcast in this series.

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Profile Image for Michael

Fascinating Episodic History of Victorian England

Fry delivers a fascinating review of various aspects of Victorian life. The delivery intertwines various voices to capture the period and deeply engage the listener, though Fry's narration is sufficiently captivating in it's own right. The focus of the stories is distinctly bourgeois (even in discussing the narratives of colonized people and other 'othered' peoples, the perspective is still rather blatantly focused from the observations of the middle and upper classes). If you can forgive this idiosyncrasy, though, it is an excellent listen.

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Profile Image for Barry

music too loud

lots of interesting Victorian history. I found the music annoying. it was louder than the speaking at times which made it very difficult to understand the story. especially with the thick British accent.

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Profile Image for Laura G

enjoyable

was great. entertaining. well paced and cool sound track.

definitely would recommend to a friend

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Profile Image for Gina

INTERESTING

This podcast was so well done. Really enjoyed it, waiting for more and following closely.

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Profile Image for Nordy A

Highly Entertaining

Stephen Fry's voice is such a glorious treat. Pick this one up. you won't regret it

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Profile Image for Marie-Eve C.

Amazingly interesting

Love it!! Listened to it twice, very interesting and funny. Will probably listen to it again. Stephen Fry is just the best.

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