HILF: History I'd Like to F**k

HILF 31 - Jack the Ripper with Peter Vogt

Episode Summary

The HILF-ing of ‘Jack the Ripper’, the unknown killer of several women in a London slum in 1888. Dawn is joined by actor and improvisor Peter Vogt (Disney, American Horror Story, Reno 911) Together, they walk through this gruesome unsolved crime and debate several of the hundreds of suspects who run the gamut from Whitechapel lunatics to Famous Painters all the way to The Queen Victoria's own family.

Episode Notes

Dawn and guest, Peter Vogt, have a bloody good time revisiting the mysterious series of unsolved murders in Whitechapel, 1888. They cover the "canonical five" victims attributed to the unknown killer known as 'Jack the Ripper' - as well as the many theories from both then and now.  [Episode transcript]

• 00:00:00 - An introduction of Peter and the general history surrounding Whitechapel, a poor slum where many were regularly resorting to desperate measures to survive. We discuss the five murders attributed to Jack, and his letters taunting the police, and the problem with sussing out the "truths" of the case.
• 00:47:00 - Break - HILF is now part of THE DEN, The Deluxe Edition Network. Check out another podcast in The Den: World's True Crime Podcast. 
• 00:48:36 - Part 2 is a journey through a few of the hundreds of suspects that have emerged in the case over the past 135 years. Hear about who are the most likely, the most bizarre - and which ones are our personal favorites.
• 01:21:12 - Check out The Secret Police Podcast

---SOURCES---

1. The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden

Documentaries:

1. The Enduring Mystery of Jack the Ripper (LEMMiNO. Published, 2021) It has a dynamic VO and some great overhead map graphics that give a comparatively emotion-less and conspiracy-less version of events. Nothing graphic of the murders - a play-by-play. Entertains 4 suspects: Charles Cross, Joseph Barnett, Aaron Kosinski and Francis Tumblety.
2. UNMASKING JACK the RIPPER (electrictheaterco. Published, 2020 ) This one has some great period photography and less-cringy re-enactments. They interview several experts and discuss some of the favored suspects - including Kosinski. They interview one of his elderly surviving descendants.
3. The Missing Evidence: Jack the Ripper (Smithsonian Channel. Published 2018) What really compelled me about this one is that it purports just one suspect and certainly makes a convincing case by the end. In fact, since watching this one and then encountering the story repeated times since - I wonder how no one else sees it… Charles Cross. The investigator is Swedish Journalist Christer Holmgren.

This comprehensive site is for the die-hard Ripperologists... you know who you are.

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Click here for Transcript: Episode 31 - Jack the Ripper with Peter Vogt.

NEXT EPISODE - March 1st - Dooms Day with stand-up comedian - James P Connolly 

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