The Great Train Robbery
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 7 August 2025
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Did the "heist of the century" really happen the way the robbers say it did? In the summer of 1963, a gang of masked robbers executed a daring plan to intercept a Royal Mail train carrying millions of pounds in cash. But the robbery itself was just the beginning - what came after - the most wanted men on the run, the jailbreak, the betrayals, fake identities, the surreptitious flights to Latin America and the manhunt across continents - the audacity of it all captured the public's imagination for decades.
Joining Dan is the author of 'The Great Train Robbery: Crime of the Century', Nick Russell-Pavier, who recounts the story of the robbery itself, as well as Colin Mackenzie, who secured one of the scoops of the century when he tracked down train robber Ronnie Biggs in Brazil.
Produced by Mariana Des Forges, edited and sound designed by Dougal Patmore.
Join Dan and the team for a special LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday, 12th September 2025!
To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career, as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask!
Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/
We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.
You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, |
| 0:00.6 | folks, Dan Snow here. |
| 0:01.6 | I am throwing a party to celebrate 10 years of Dan Snow's history hit. |
| 0:06.1 | I'd love for you to be there. |
| 0:07.5 | Join me for a very special live recording of the podcast in London, |
| 0:10.4 | in England on the 12th of September to celebrate the 10 years. |
| 0:14.1 | You can find out more about it and get tickets with the link in the show notes. |
| 0:17.6 | Look forward to seeing you there. |
| 0:27.6 | Thank you. show notes. Look forward to seeing you there. It's 2.45 a.m. the early morning of the 8th of August, 1963. A.m. |
| 0:35.0 | A. Royal Mail train speeds down the West Coast mainline through the flat, open countryside |
| 0:41.3 | of Buckinghamshire, just north of London. |
| 0:44.3 | It's heading to the capital from Glasgow, and at this time of day it isn't just carrying |
| 0:49.3 | letters and packages, it's carrying bags of money. |
| 0:55.0 | In 1963, almost all transactions are still done in cash. So naturally, that cash had to be transported |
| 1:04.0 | from one bank to another. And as on every cash-carrying mail train, it was held in the third carriage. |
| 1:13.9 | As well as cash, there are postal workers sifting and sorting the mail. |
| 1:19.5 | On this train, there are 70 postal workers aboard. |
| 1:24.9 | At 3am, the train approaches the Sears crossing between Leighton Buzzard and Cheddington. |
| 1:31.3 | Usually the train gets a straight run through, but this time the driver Jack Mills sees a red signal up ahead. |
| 1:39.3 | Obeying the signal, he applies the brake and the train grinds to a standstill. |
| 1:46.5 | A red signal is unusual, but not unheard of. |
| 1:51.4 | There have been maintenance works on the line here, so a second crew member, a 26-year-old |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.