The Unkillable King George

<p>George III narrowly dodged a bullet for the SECOND time in one day on 15th May, 1800, as he attended a performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.  </p><p>The assassination attempt came from James Hadfield, a clinically insane former soldier, who rose from the pit and fired a pistol at the King, causing uproar in the audience. Despite the danger, George remained composed, even using his opera glasses to survey the disarray.</p><p>In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the leading playwright of the era swiftly calmed nerves with some poetic ingenuity; explain why George III remained popular in this era, despite the repeated attempts on his life; and marvel at how, amidst apparent danger everywhere, the Show really did Go On…</p><p><strong>Further Reading:</strong></p><ul><li>‘The Theatre Royal and The Case of Two Mad King Georges’ (The National Archives, 2013): <a href="https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-theatre-royal-and-the-case-of-two-mad-king-georges/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-theatre-royal-and-the-case-of-two-mad-king-georges/</a></li><li>‘James Hadfield: His Attempt on King George III’s Life’ (Geri Walton, 2021): <a href="https://www.geriwalton.com/james-hadfield-his-attempt-on-king-george-iiis-life/#_ftn1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.geriwalton.com/james-hadfield-his-attempt-on-king-george-iiis-life/#_ftn1</a></li><li>‘The Madness of King George’ (Channel Four Films, 1994): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8lJ8XzX_GM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8lJ8XzX_GM</a></li></ul><p><em>Love the show? Support us! </em></p><p>Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… </p><br><p>… Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. </p><p>Join now with a free trial on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/today-in-history-with-the-retrospectors/id1564093130" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://patreon.com/retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patreon</a> and support our show ❤️</p><br><p><em>The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.</em></p><p><em>Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.</em></p><p><em>Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.</em></p><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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