The History Podcast

Our interest in Lord Lucan could have petered out after the inquest. But people start to spot him all over the world. Could he really have escaped the UK? Alex von Tunzelmann explores what role this idea plays in our fixation with the Lucan case.She hears how the media kept the story going, inventing sightings for copy and jollies abroad. People admit to elaborate hoaxes and blatantly fabricating stories.But should we dismiss the idea? Alex finds one story from a closed police file that completely bowls her over.Producer: Sarah Bowen

The nation was spellbound by the inquest into Sandra Rivett’s death.For the press the story was a dream. A tale of the aristocracy, gambling, debt and murder was a welcome relief in an era of shortages and strikes. They salivated over the grim details.Alex von Tunzelmann hears how inquest became a trial, supercharging our obsession with this case.And she wonders if we can take his guilt as fact when she hears a never before broadcast recording of an interview of Lady Lucan and an incriminating new story from a policeman.Producer: Sarah Bowen

Police traipsed through 46 Lower Belgrave St on the night of Sandra Rivett’s murder, but did they contaminate the evidence?The police files are still closed. Where there have been unanswered questions, enticing myths and conspiracies have filled the void. Alex von Tunzelmann pieces together what we can know of the investigation, trying to separate fact from fiction.She hears from two policemen who worked on the Lucan case and reassesses the forensics with an ex-Metropolitan Police detective.Stories emerge about close relations between the press and police and she wonders if booze, bribes and class deference may have obscured the truth.Producer: Sarah Bowen

With Sandra Rivett lying dead in the basement, Lucan must decide whether to face the police or run. And so begins the second mystery that has made this case so compelling. Where did Lucan go that night?Was he being sheltered by his friends who the police nicknamed The Eaton Square Mafia?Alex von Tunzelmann pieces together what we know of the hours after the murder, asking whose version should we believe. She meets an eyewitness who says she was the last person to see Lucan alive, and crawls underground into a bunker where the police were sure he was hiding.Producer: Sarah Bowen