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.

Avsnitt(1509)

The Adventuress

The Adventuress

In the 1930s Lady Lucy Houston was one of the richest women in England and a household name, notorious for her virulent criticisms of the government, but politics had been far from her mind when, as y...

12 Feb 202021min

A Very Stable Genius

A Very Stable Genius

Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig are both Pulitzer Prize winning journalists at the Washington Post.They've written a new book with yet more revelations from inside the Trump White House so Dan seized ...

10 Feb 202022min

Dresden. 75 years on.

Dresden. 75 years on.

75 years ago this week Dresden, in Saxony, known as the ‘jewel box’ because of its stunning architecture was obliterated by British and American bombers. The flames reached almost a mile high. Around ...

9 Feb 202035min

The British Republic

The British Republic

Paul Lay, editor of History Today, has written a great book about the rise and fall of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate (1653–1659), England's sole experiment in republican government – and one of the m...

6 Feb 20201h 1min

Flu pandemics. Then and Now.

Flu pandemics. Then and Now.

'We are very very vulnerable' says the brilliant science author and journalist Laura Spinney. Her fantastic book 'Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World' is a shocking accoun...

5 Feb 202029min

Confronting a Nazi past

Confronting a Nazi past

Derek Niemman and Noemie Lopian work together. Two people from very different backgrounds, they tour the world telling people about their family stories.Author and writer Derek Niemann discovered only...

4 Feb 202032min

Night of the Bayonets

Night of the Bayonets

75 years ago this spring a fascinating but forgotten battle was fought in the dying days of the Second World War. A group of Georgians rose up against their German overlords on the Dutch island of Tex...

29 Jan 202024min

Max Eisen: Surviving Auschwitz

Max Eisen: Surviving Auschwitz

Max Eisen was only 15 when he and his family were taken from their Hungarian home to the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp during the Second World War. All of his relatives were killed; only Max s...

27 Jan 20201h 17min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
kod-katastrof
historiska-brott
historiepodden-se
olosta-mord
motiv
p3-historia
rss-historien-om-2
rss-historiska-brottslingar
rss-seriemordarpodden
rss-massmordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
krigshistoriepodden
bedragare
obskyr-historia
militarhistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
vetenskapsradion-historia
mannen-utan-spar
palmemordet