The Victorian Christmas (Radio Edit)
You're Dead to Me
BBC
4.7 • 11.8K Ratings
🗓️ 21 December 2020
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why do we celebrate Christmas with cards, crackers and a tree? Join us as we travel back and explore the weird and wonderful history of the Victorian Christmas.
Just who the Dickens had the idea to bring trees indoors? Can a soft-drinks firm really take credit for Father Christmas’s red suit? And why did the Victorians send each other such bizarre Christmas cards?
Greg Jenner is joined in the studio by historian Dr Fern Riddell and comedian Russell Kane.
Produced by Cornelius Mendez Scripted and researched by Greg Jenner
A Muddy Knees Media production for BBC Radio 4.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey up Greg here, how you doing alright? |
| 0:02.4 | We are making Series 3 right now. |
| 0:04.2 | In the meantime we've been making these radio 4 versions of the previous episode. |
| 0:08.3 | We are putting them in the feed here permanently, they will be alongside the long versions. |
| 0:12.5 | So make sure you scroll down and choose which version you want. |
| 0:15.6 | So you can have the shorter, punchier, swear free versions or the long rambling sweary versions |
| 0:21.2 | up to you. |
| 0:22.2 | Thanks very much for listening, take care, bye. |
| 0:47.7 | Love today, I am the ghost of Christmas past. |
| 0:59.1 | Today we are pulling our crackers, dangling shiny things on the tree and basting the turkey |
| 1:03.4 | in time on a tradition as we get to grips with how the Victorian celebrated Christmas. |
| 1:08.7 | Tis the season for Bowles of Jolly, so I'm joined by two very special guests. |
| 1:13.3 | From History Corner, she's an author, broadcaster and expert on Victorian popular culture and |
| 1:17.9 | she's my fellow honorary researcher at Royal Holloway University of London. |
| 1:22.0 | It's the lovely Doctor Fern Riddell. |
| 1:23.6 | Hi Fern, thanks for coming. |
| 1:24.8 | Hi Greg. |
| 1:25.8 | And in Comedy Corner, boasting one of the most impressive CVs in comedy, he is a multi-award |
| 1:29.9 | winning stand-up presenter, writer and performer. |
| 1:32.1 | You'll have seen him count this time on the telly and now he's the host of the Fantastic |
| 1:35.8 | BBC Sounds Podcast, Evil Genius, a comedy podcast about history. |
| 1:39.3 | How would that even work? |
... |
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