An Audacious Heist at the National Gallery

An Audacious Heist at the National Gallery

Please note that this episode contains spoilers from the film ‘The Duke’.


Kempton Bunton was a taxi driver who stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first and remains the only, theft in the Gallery’s history. Kempton proceeded to send ransom notes declaring that he would only return the painting on the condition that the government invest more in care for the elderly, specifically bringing attention to his long-running campaign for pensioners to receive free television.


With Dan currently away in Antarctica, Matt Lewis, from the ‘Gone Medieval’ podcast, stepped in to make sure that you did not miss out on this caper that details the theft and the following trial. Matt is joined by Kempton Bunton's grandson, Chris, for a discussion of ‘The Duke’ and the remarkable true story behind the film.


‘The Duke’ is in UK cinemas from 25th February.


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(1491)

Oppenheimer vs Einstein

Oppenheimer vs Einstein

Today we're talking about two 20th century titans, the physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein. Their scientific achievements changed the world, and yet they were sceptical of one another...

10 Mar 202444min

4. Machu Picchu: The Fall of the Inca Empire

4. Machu Picchu: The Fall of the Inca Empire

Part 4/4. The Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru in 1526 in a bloody pursuit of gold and riches; it was the beginning of the end for the Inca. The Inca were unable to comprehend the Spanish weapons...

7 Mar 202429min

3. Machu Picchu: Inca Gods and Human Sacrifices

3. Machu Picchu: Inca Gods and Human Sacrifices

Part 3/4. Juanita the Ice Maiden is one of the most famous mummies in the world. She was found in 1991 by anthropologist Johan Reinhard lying out in the sun on top of a dormant volcano in the Peruvian...

6 Mar 202444min

2. Machu Picchu: The Rise of the Inca Empire

2. Machu Picchu: The Rise of the Inca Empire

Part 2/4. At their most powerful, the Inca had the largest empire in the world. Lasting just one century from the mid-15th century, it stretched across the South American continent from the Amazon to ...

5 Mar 202439min

Machu Picchu: The 'Lost City'

Machu Picchu: The 'Lost City'

Part 1/4. Dan takes the podcast to the Peruvian Andes as he follows in the footsteps of intrepid American explorer Hiram Bingham who revealed Machu Picchu to the world.At the turn of the 20th century,...

4 Mar 202442min

History of Gulags

History of Gulags

On the 16th of February, 2024, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service announced that opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died. He had been imprisoned in the far-flung "Polar Wolf" penal colony, bui...

28 Feb 202429min

How to Survive in Tudor England

How to Survive in Tudor England

Life in Tudor England was risky. In addition to the outbreaks of plague, the threat of poverty and the dangers of childbirth, there were social risks - of not fitting in, of social death. How was a pe...

27 Feb 202436min

Atatürk: Fall of the Ottoman Empire

Atatürk: Fall of the Ottoman Empire

On the 19th of May, 1919, an Ottoman general stepped ashore at the Black Sea port city of Samsun. This marked the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence, and ultimately the end of the Ottoman Em...

26 Feb 202433min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
henrettelsespodden
rss-katastrofe
historier-som-endret-norge
med-egne-oyne
rss-historiske-romanser
sektledere
rss-benadet
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
aftenposten-historie
historier-som-endret-verden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-frontkjemperne
historiepodden-ww2
rss-gamle-greier
historiepodden
rss-historiepodden-ww2
rss-alt-var-bedre-for
vare-historier
liberal-halvtime