Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

Series 4

Episode 1: Amelia Haslett – Lady Killer in My Family
Why did a young woman poison and kill her own sister and then take her own life?

On 16th May 1894, 18-year-old Amelia Haslett poisoned her 9-year-old sister Daisy and then killed herself. What were the circumstances that led to this unimaginable crime? Lucy Worsley looks into the case and tries to get to the bottom of some dark family secrets. She attempts to discover why Amelia committed such a brutal crime and what may have been happening with her mental health.

Episode 2: Elizabeth Cook – Body Snatcher
Lucy Worsley investigates the case of a body snatcher with a dark criminal past.

Lucy Worsley travels back to London in 1831 to investigate Elizabeth Cook, an Irish woman with a dark criminal background. When Elizabeth’s new lodger goes missing, with no sign of her body, suspicions are high. Soon Elizabeth is discovered selling Caroline’s clothes, and
she’s accused of murder by her own son. But can someone be a murderer if there is no body?

Episode 3:  Martha Brown – Domestic Violence
Lucy investigates the murder of an abusive husband that inspired a famous work of fiction.

Lucy Worsley is on the case of Martha Brown, a victim of domestic violence accused of murdering her abusive husband, a story that inspired Thomas Hardy’s novel ‘Tessof the d’Urbervilles’. Martha initially claimed her husband was killed by his horse, but eventually confesses to his murder, revealing a long history of abuse. Will Martha’s confession save her from the gallows?

Episode 4: Cloe – Forced Resistance
Lucy Worsley and her team investigate a harrowing case of slavery, abuse and murder.

Lucy Worsley explores the harrowing case of Cloe, a black enslaved teenager in early 19th-century Pennsylvania who drowns two young girls from her enslavers’ family. Cloe is worked to the bone and constantly beaten. Were her actions those of a cold-blooded killer or an act of desperate resistance against oppression? And are black women still treated unfairly by the American justice system?

Episode 5: Elvira Barney – Accidental Killer
Lucy is on the case of Elvira Barney, a socialite accused of shooting her boyfriend.

Lucy Worsley investigates the story of Elvira Barney, a rich socialite in 1930s London, living a life of fast cars, cocktail parties and nightclubs. When her boyfriend Michael dies of a gunshot wound during a drunken row with Elvira, she finds herself in the dock at the Old Bailey, accused of his murder. Can her barrister convince the court that it was a tragic accident?

Episode 6: Jessie McLachlan – Silenced Servant
Lucy Worsley investigates a brutal murder in Glasgow, blamed on a lowly servant girl.

In 1860’s Glasgow, Jessie McLachlan is accused of murdering one of her friends. When the victim’s mutilated body is found in a locked room, the police are quick to arrest her elderly employer, the most obvious suspect. But as Lucy Worsley discovers, blame soon shifts to Jessie, once a servant in the same house, who maintains her innocence throughout. Who will the jury believe?

Episode 7: Mary Pearcey – Murderous Lover
Lucy Worsley is on the case of a horrific and notorious murder in late Victorian London.

Lucy delves into the ‘Hampstead Tragedy’, one of the most notorious murder cases of the Victorian era. When the horrifically mutilated body of a young mother is found dumped in a London street, the press speculates that Jack the Ripper has struck again. But it soon becomes clear that the suspected killer is not a man, but a young woman called Mary Pearcey, a friend of the victim.

Episode 8: Kitty Newton – Killer Daughter
Lucy Worsley meets Kitty Newton, a daughter accused of killing her own mother in a fire.

In 1848, a servant stumbles upon a grisly discovery. The lifeless, charred body of an elderly lady, Ann Newton. At first sight the death looks suspicious and the woman’s daughter, Kitty Newton, is arrested on the spot. But, as Lucy Worsley speculates, was the fire that killed Ann Newton a terrible accident or was it set by her daughter? And what could her motive be?

Series 3

Episode 1: Maria Manning – ‘Lady Macbeth of Bermondsey’
Lucy Worsley meets the woman at the center of a murderous Victorian love triangle.

Lucy Worsley investigates the crimes of Maria Manning, the ‘Lady Macbeth of Bermondsey’, who in 1849, scandalized Victorian London. Maria was accused of conspiring with her husband to kill her lover and steal the dead man’s money before going on the run. Lucy is joined by literary superstar Kate Mosse and historian Professor Rosalind Crone to untangle this remarkable story.

Episode 2: Marie Christensen – Murderous Matron
Lucy Worsley investigates a brutal crime committed in Australia by a ‘Murderous Matron’.

Human Rights Activist Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts joins Lucy Worsley to uncover the 1896 murder of a First Nations child and highlights the ongoing trauma and impact of Australia’s Stolen Generations. Professor Rosalind Crone travels to Australia’s east coast to find out more about six-year-old ‘Cassey’ and her tragic death at the hands of a Mission School’s matron Marie Christensen.

Episode 3: Jane & Ann Boyd – Secret Baby
Lucy Worsley uncovers a case of infanticide in the north of Ireland during the 1860s.

Lucy Worsley uncovers a case of infanticide in 1860s Belfast involving a mother and daughter with a big secret. 19-year-old Ann Boyd was unmarried and in labor with a mother who would do anything to keep it secret. Discussing the case is Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Dame Siobhan Keegan while historian Professor Rosalind Crone travels to Ireland to learn more.

Episode 4: Frances Kidder – Wicked Stepmother
Lucy Worsley uncovers the case of a stepmother accused of drowning her stepdaughter.

In August 1867, Frances Kidder took her 11-year-old stepdaughter Louisa for a walk across lonely wetlands. The child was later found dead. Lucy Worsley and historian Professor Rosalind Crone visit the scene of the crime in Kent to find out more and are joined by Dr Gwen Adshead, a renowned psychiatrist and psychotherapist at the notorious Broadmoor Hospital to discuss the case.

Episode 5: Mary Surratt – Assassinating a President
Lucy Worsley tells the story of a woman accused of plotting to murder a president.

Lucy Worsley uncovers the story of Mary Surratt, a pious widow and mother, who faced a death sentence for conspiring to murder President Abraham Lincoln. Lucy is joined by Evy Poumpouras, former special agent with the Secret Service, who protected five US presidents while Dr. Nikki M Taylor, Professor of History at Howard University, travels to Ford’s Theatre and the Surratt House Museum.

Episode 6: Sarah Bird – Cruel Employer
Lucy Worsley investigates the brutal death of a teenage girl on a remote Devon farm.

Lucy Worsley travels to Devon, to investigate the death of a young servant girl on a remote farm. She is joined by guest detective Baroness Helena Kennedy, a leading barrister and human rights expert plus Professor Rosalind Crone from the Open University. They discuss whether Sarah Bird, a young farmer’s wife and the mother of four children could really be capable of this brutal murder?

Episode 7: Alice Mitchell – Forbidden Love
Lucy Worsley uncovers the story of queer teenage love gone horribly wrong.

Lucy Worsley uncovers the story of Alice Mitchell who in 1892 killed her former girlfriend, 17-year-old Freda Ward, in Memphis after a stormy and illicit relationship. Lucy is joined by Cameron Esposito, stand-up comic, actor, author and host of the hit Queery podcast and author and historian Alexis Coe. They discuss the case and what it tells us about LGBTQ+ women’s lives then and now.

Episode 8: Mary Ann Brough – Mother With Everything to Lose
Lucy Worsley investigates a mother who does the unthinkable to her children.

Lucy Worsley investigates the case of Mary Ann Brough who in 1854 commits a desperate and drastic crime while trying to secure custody of her children. Lucy is joined by Alexandra Wilson, a barrister specializing in criminal and family law. Alongside Professor Rosalind Crone, Lucy visits the Surrey village Mary Ann lived in and wonders if custody disputes have really changed?