The Gin Craze
In Our Time: History
12/15/16
•52m
About
Comments
Featured In
In a programme first broadcast in December 2016, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the craze for gin in Britain in the mid-18th century and the attempts to control it. With the arrival of William of Orange, it became an act of loyalty to drink Protestant, Dutch gin rather than Catholic brandy, and changes in tariffs made everyday beer less affordable. Within a short time, production increased and large sections of the population that had rarely or never drunk spirits before were consuming two pints of gin a week. As Hogarth indicated in his print 'Beer Street and Gin Lane' (1751) in support of the Gin Act, the damage was severe, and addiction to gin was blamed for much of the crime in cities such as London.
With
Angela McShane
Research Fellow in History at the Victoria and Albert Museum and University of Sheffield
Judith Hawley
Professor of 18th century literature at Royal Holloway, University of London
Emma Major
Senior Lecturer in English at the University of York
Producer: Simon Tillotson
Previous Episode
Harriet Martineau
December 8, 2016
•51m
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Harriet Martineau who, from a non-conformist background in Norwich, became one of the best known writers in the C19th. She had a wide range of interests and used a new, sociological method to observe the world around her, from religion in Egypt to slavery in America and the rights of women everywhere. She popularised writing about economics for those outside the elite and, for her own popularity, was invited to the coronation of Queen Victoria, one of her readers.
With
Valerie Sanders
Professor of English at the University of Hull
Karen O'Brien
Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford
And
Ella Dzelzainis
Lecturer in 19th Century Literature at Newcastle University
Producer: Simon Tillotson.
Next Episode
Johannes Kepler
December 29, 2016
•48m
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571 - 1630). Although he is overshadowed today by Isaac Newton and Galileo, he is considered by many to be one of the greatest scientists in history. The three laws of planetary motion Kepler developed transformed people's understanding of the Solar System and laid the foundations for the revolutionary ideas Isaac Newton produced later. Kepler is also thought to have written one of the first works of science fiction. However, he faced a number of challenges. He had to defend his mother from charges of witchcraft, he had few financial resources and his career suffered as a result of his Lutheran faith.
With
David Wootton
Professor of History at the University of York
Ulinka Rublack
Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John's College
Adam Mosley
Associate Professor in the Department of History at Swansea University
Producer: Victoria Brignell.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted