Today In History with The Retrospectors

• The Muppets Do Dickens

  ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ underwhelmed at the box office when it was first released on 11th December, 1992 - but found its audience on video and DVD in the decades later, becoming a gold-plated Christmas classic, re-watched by families, year after year.  There was darkness behind the scenes - from the sudden death of Muppets creator Jim Henson, to the legal wrangling over Disney’s acquisition deal for his company, and composer Paul Williams’s return from a difficult decade of addiction. But, despite this, or, perhaps, because of it, 28 year-old first-time director Brian Henson delivered a faithful and enduring adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how Steve Whitmire shouldered the daunting job of playing Kermit for the first time; consider Michael Caine’s masterstroke performance as Scrooge (‘as if playing opposite the Royal Shakespeare Company’); and reveal how Jerry Juhl’s script shifted from comedy pastiche to heartfelt musical…  Further Reading: • ‘‘You’ll never see Michael Caine blink’: An oral history of The Muppet Christmas Carol at 30’ (The Independent, 2022): https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-muppet-christmas-carol-brian-henson-b2243015.html • ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol movie review’ (Roger Ebert, 1992): https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-muppet-christmas-carol-1992 • ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol Trailer #1’ (Disney, 1992):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNo-Q0IDJi0 #90s #Film #Christmas #Heartwarming Thanks so much for supporting the show! We massively appreciate it. The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Edit producer:  Ollie Peart Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  13:51

  --------

  13:51
• Sinatra's Slapstick Kidnapping

  19 year-old singer Frank Sinatra, Jr was snatched from his casino dressing room on 10th December, 1962. His famous father was willing to pay the kidnappers a $1 million ransom - but they insisted they only required $240,000.  When the case went to trial, the defence suggested that the Sinatras may have been in on the crime - a slur that damaged Frank Jr’s reputation for the rest of his life. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly take a peek back through kidnapper Barry Keenan’s infamous 27-page ring binder; explain how the assassination of Kennedy scuppered his earlier attempt at snatching Frank, Jr; and ask how the roadblocks set up specifically to block the bungling criminals failed so spectacularly… Further Reading: • ‘FBI Cracks Sinatra Kidnapping Case’ (British Pathé, 1963): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJm3lXkPZyM • ‘The story of the bumbling kidnappers who snatched Frank Sinatra’s only son from hotel’ (Mirror Online, 2021): https://www.mirror.co.uk/features/story-bumbling-kidnappers-who-snatched-25280617 • ‘The Bizzare And Terribly Executed Kidnapping Of Frank Sinatra Jr.’ (All Thats Interesting, 2021): https://allthatsinteresting.com/frank-sinatra-jr-kidnapping this episode first aired in 2021 Love the show? Support us!  Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY…  … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.  Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  11:51

  --------

  11:51
• Welcome To Wetherspoons

  Now a 900 strong pub chain, with an annual turnover of £1.6 billion, J.D. Wetherspoon is a big name on the British high street. But when entrepreneur Tim Martin flung open the doors of the first branch in London’s Muswell Hill on 9th December, 1979, it was known as ‘Tim’s Free House’ - and closed down on its opening night. He built up the business by taking over leases at old buildings such as churches and cinemas, and converting them into pubs - meaning they weren’t tied to any particular brewery, guaranteeing lower prices for customers.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly interrogate Martin’s ‘man of the people’ image, reveal why Wetherspoon’s famous carpets are so expensive; and ask if the ‘paltry chip count’ meme explains why they came off social media… Further Reading: • How Wetherspoon's Conquered Britain (Esquire, 2018): https://www.esquire.com/uk/food-drink/a19129642/how-wetherspoons-conquered-britain/ • ‘Did Wetherspoons See The Pandemic Coming?’ (Channel 5, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDQl21ZoMEw • ‘Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count: How the counting chips page went sour’ (JOE.co.uk, 2021): https://www.joe.co.uk/uncategorized/inside-the-wetherspoons-paltry-chip-count-how-the-last-wholesome-corner-of-facebook-turned-sour-303164 This episode first aired in 2021 Love the show? Support us!  Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY…  … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.  Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  11:53

  --------

  11:53
• Britain's First Actresses

  A woman played a female role on the London stage for the very first time on December 8th, 1660, as Desdemona in a revival of Shakepeare’s Othello. The actress was probably Margaret Hughes - though nobody bothered to record this at the time, so we can’t be sure. After the 1660 restoration of King Charles II, theatres opened their doors for the first time after 16 years of Puritan suppression. Charles, who had been exiled in France, admired continental theatre, where women had already been performing for over a century, and so England’s actresses were finally permitted to follow suit. Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the stories of those pioneering performers who combatted sexism and sexual harassment to have their time in the limelight; consider the fate of the ‘pretty boys in petticoats’ once real women were allowed on stage; and, once again, marvel at Samuel Pepys’s inability to keep his sexual urges out of his diaries… Further Reading: • ’Who was the first Shakespearean actress?’ (British Library, 2016): https://blogs.bl.uk/english-and-drama/2016/05/who-was-the-first-shakespearean-actress.html • ’The First English Actresses: Women and Drama, 1660-1700 - By Elizabeth Howe’ (Cambridge University Press, 1992): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_First_English_Actresses/gPC5RvL7O_8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=elizabeth+howe+women+on+stage&printsec=frontcover • ‘April de Angelis Interview | The first women on stage’ (Whats On Stage, 2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvaJIzHj6zY Love the show? Support us!  Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY…  … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.  Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  12:23

  --------

  12:23
• Who Needs A Switchboard?

  Queen Elizabeth II made Britain’s first long-distance automated phone call on 5th November, 1958 - when, from Bristol, she spoke directly to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 300 miles away, without the need for an Operator.  Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) transformed the telephone network, but was not without its challenges: automation brought efficiency but also led to job losses, sparking some labour disputes, and the roll-out was not completed for twenty years.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider why women were selected over men as telephone operators; track the evolution of phone technology through international calls and push-button phones; and propose a future role for the monarchy in testing out social media DMs…  Further Reading: • ‘Caller, putting you through!’ (Daily Express, 2012): https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/334666/Caller-putting-you-through • ’Queen's first video call echoes Her Majesty's historic trunk call to Edinburgh in 1950s’ (The Scotsman, 2020): https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/retro/queens-first-video-call-echoes-her-majestys-historic-trunk-call-to-edinburgh-in-1950s-2881983 ‘Queen Dials Edinburgh’ (British Pathé, 1958): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfH0Xr1rIcY This episode first aired in 2023 Love the show? Support us!  Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY…  … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.  Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  12:05

  --------

  12:05

More History podcasts

Trending History podcasts

About Today In History with The Retrospectors