Oh What A Time... - #164 The Great Train Robbery - Oh What A Crime (Part 1)

Episode Date: March 2, 2026

This week we’re working through a bit more of your correspondence before dealing with our first ever ‘Oh What A Crime’ episode which today focuses on: The Great Train Robbery of 1963. The planning, Bruce Reynolds, Buster Edwards, Ronnie Biggs et al, the heist itself, the loot and life on the run.Elsewhere, how did anyone in 1160 survive without caffeine? And is there a worse person to meet than a coked-up Nazi? All this and more this week and if you’ve got anything to add, you know what to do: [e-mail] from now on Part 1 is released on Monday and Part 2 on Wednesday - but if you want more Oh What A Time and both parts at once, you should sign up for our Patreon! On there you’ll now find:•The full archive of bonus episodes•Brand new bonus episodes each month•OWAT subscriber group chats•Loads of extra perks for supporters of the show•PLUS ad-free episodes earlier than everyone elseJoin us at 👉 patreon.com/ohwhatatimeAnd as a special thank you for joining, use the code CUSTARD for 25% off your first month.You can also follow us on: X (formerly Twitter) at @ohwhatatimepodAnd Instagram at @ohwhatatimepodAaannnd if you like it, why not drop us a review in your podcast app of choice?Thank you to Dan Evans for the artwork (idrawforfood.co.uk).Chris, Elis and Tom x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh Water Time is now on Patreon. You can get main feed episodes before everyone else. Add free. Plus access to our full archive of bonus content, two bonus episodes every month, early access to live show tickets and access to the O Watertime Group chat. Plus if you become an O Watertime All-Timer, myself, Tom and Ellis will riff on your name to postulate

where else in history you might have popped up. For all your options, you can go to patreon.com forward slash O Watertime. Hello and welcome to Oh What a Time, the history podcast that asks, how on earth were we getting through the day before caffeine? I've been tired today, I've had too much coffee. My teeth have gone a sort of brown, I'm not going to sleep tonight. That's tomorrow's problem. It was today's solution, and it's tomorrow's problem.

Tomorrow's problem is in the post. Now, from what I understand, tea, especially sugary tea, became very popular during the Industrial Revolution. because it would call people's hunger and it would perk them up because of the caffeine and it allowed people to work harder. Okay. But, you know, that's still relatively modern.

A thousand years ago, what were we doing when we were tired? Yeah. What were we doing? What were we taking? I know that we were drinking alcohol, you know, in various forms, but obviously that's going to tie you out.

What were we taking to pep us up? Well, you know, you're in the 60s. I'm thinking of the Buddy Holly film that Gary Buses in. Isn't the implication there were all? Everyone in the 60s who worked in music was on anphetamines. Oh, yeah, yeah, blueies. Yeah, yeah, and Purple Hearts.

That's the 60s. Like Elvis. I'm talking about the 1160s. What were the, if you had a mandragal gig, and you were a bit tired and you think, can't be asked to get on stage tonight. What were you taking men? Were you fueled by a sense that if you didn't give life your all

and get up and get working, you would die? Yeah, but I've got that anyway. Not the same extent. There was less of a support network there and you're more exposed to the cold and the lack of firewood. Have you read my diary, Tom? I reject my support network. It's just me, okay?

Yeah. It's a good point. It's a good point. I've given up caffeine, by the way, so I do live that life because it makes me anxious, so I don't drink. So you don't drink tea either? No, that's a good point. I do drink tea.

I just don't drink coffee. Oh, too. Come on, man. But I don't think tea really gives you an energetic kick. I don't think it does that much. compared to like coffee. I think, yeah, certainly not but like coffee, but it does give you a little something,

I think, if you're a bit tired. Yeah, I tell you a period I'm glad I didn't live through, was the period when Coca-Cola contained... Well, actual cocaine. Yeah, yeah. I think that would have been quite stressful. And it was given to ill people. Can you imagine it was like a, it was medicinal,

regarded as medicinal, like Lucas Aid or something. There, there you go. You feel a bit poorly? Yeah, I'm a line. Go on, that will sort you out. There was a bit. In the 1920s and 30s where people just stumbled on crystal meth and thought, this is great.

Really? Like, I've got so much energy. I got that. There's a book called Blitzed about how all the Nazi hierarchy were just like on crystal meth and, you know, essentially liquid cocaine. And there was a naivety about the discovery of all these different medications. That's interesting. That's interesting.

That's for anything more unpleasant to imagine than a cooked up Nazi. Those people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You are avoiding them in the pub. Yeah. And a lot of them weren't just coked up either. It was literally everything, every barbiturate, everything that could get Hitler, for example, was 95% chemical, wasn't he? I'm cocked up and I'm extremely right wing.

We should go for a drink. Yeah. Banging on about how we should take over the pub next door. Just add off. Just chill, Adolf. Just enjoy you. Just have a beer. Let's just relax.

We don't need to do that. Talking of caffeine and tea, my dad used to have, let me think how many it would be. I'd say probably 12 cups of tea a day and he would have two sugars in each as well. Dad, Dad hasn't turned down a cup of tea since 1952. Absolutely incredible to watch in real time. And if more than one person offers him tea, he'll accept it from everyone and then he'll just have three cups of tea. Really? It's fucking unbelievable.

Yeah, he's a 40 a day man. embarrassing me some of our mugs are quite pretentious so whenever I've arrived tradesmen round I'm like oh god I can't give them the national theatre mug they'll think I'm a complete one how have you ended up with a national theatre mug

Daniel Kitson had it and gave it to Izzy so I have a national theatre mug and now if anyone comes down to something in my house I'm like oh not that one Not the one from the publishing company that is he got when she put she, but she've released her novel. That also looks bad.

We've got a massive mug. It's like the size of a, basically the size of a small pineapple. That's quite a weird equivalent, but it's like that. And it's Father Christmas, a whole shape of Christmas. But then the mug stops just above his eyebrows. And my four-year-old pointed out yesterday, it's like you're drinking out of his brain. And it has now. She's quite a good observation for a kid

In reception But it's now completely changed my relationship with that mug It feels off His eyes pleading with you, don't do this Does it say sports direct on the other side? Also, Christmasy stuff outside of December Looks so weird Yeah

Well it's wear what you want At my kid's school today They can wear whatever you want And my, that same boy It's gone in in his Christmas jumper So there you are So he is now, February the other 11th rocking a Christmas jumper.

Oh, they want it to be Christmas every day. They love it. Did you ever, as I did once in secondary school, turn up thinking it was wear what you want day? So I was in my own clothes. No, the opposite. I turned up in my uniform when it was wear what you want, where it was on clothes.

Yeah, I did it the other way around, which I think is worse. Yeah. Because I was the only kid wearing his own clothes. I was wearing a jumper with a graffiti drawing of a DJ on the front. And above that, it said the words chicker, chica, like he was scratching the decks. And that day was hell. I would have thought you'd get sent home. Year sevens were coming up to me saying the word chicka, chicker,

and doing like miming a DJ and all this sort of just constantly. I was in year nine at this point. Yeah. I sat in class, everyone else in their school uniform, me and my chica, chicken, check. My school were incredibly hot on uniform and I would have been megabolic if I'd done that. Would they? And megabolic. On the day I turned up in uniform

on his own clothes day to try and fit in and imply that I was a sort of laid back individual I actually didn't care that much I loosened my tie and the teachers were like no no no no no if you're going to wear a uniform the usual standards apply

so do you tie it please you can't untuck your shirt to try and look laid back like you're at a corporate event it's tucked in my school was quite strict actually I think the teachers probably felt took pity on me because it was I'm an idiot and also it's a clear mistake.

But so much so that if you were caught outside school not wearing your blazer, this is just a state school. It wasn't a private school. If you were caught out your blazer, you would get attention. You'd have to come in on the Saturday. So even on a boiling Saturday. If you were seen in the centre of bath, not wearing your blazer, you'd immediately get detention and have to come in.

Oh, we didn't have, we didn't have detention in my school. Did you not? What? No, I think it's because we had, it was rural us. We had a lot of farmers coming from a long way. So if you missed a bus, it was completely impractical, yeah. So welcome to O-WR-Time, and this is a bit of an unusual episode. Do you want to explain what's happening today, Chris?

Well, I've got to thank Ray-Rae, who's a subscriber on the O-Watertime patron, who wrote, please make O-Water Crime, make it historic, crimes from history, unsolved cold cases, etc. It would be amazing. And everyone reacted to that. Great idea. Love hearts. Great idea, Ray-Rae.

So this is our first ever. Oh, what a crime. And I've gone for a great historic crime that occurred on the 8th of August, 1963. It is the great train robbery. I've been researching this today. And as part of that research, I went down a hole that was the Buster Film in 1988 starring Phil Collins. And then from there, I have watched the four tops at Christmas, 1988, Top of the Pops, smashing out Loco in Acapulco.

This soundtrack is incredible. Just as an aside, did you know that two, I always thought two hearts, the Phil Collins song, was like a cover of an older song. But it was original. Right. He wrote it. He wrote the lyrics. I didn't know that. I always thought it was a cover.

Is he also an actor? So he acted in this movie. Yes, he acted. His fantastic crane. It's so multi-talented. Yeah. I think Phil Collins as well, he was a child actor before he got into music. Oh, was he?

I didn't know that. The only one that hasn't emerged. scarred and damaged from the experience of Phil Collins in an endless list of child stars whose lives have been irreparably damaged yeah

Phil Collins emerges as a beacon also it's worth saying because we have so much wonderful correspondence from you just brilliant emails week in week out and we love it we thought we dedicate a large chunk of this show as well to go through some of your wonderful email so it's going to be a mixture of your fantastic

correspondence and our first section of oh what a crime ever. I think you should be a really fun show. So should we kick things off with some of this correspondence. Should we do that? Yes, please. So, you sent us some correspondence, have you? Well, let's try to look at you then. Right. Our first email is from Matt, and you're going to love this email title, Chris. It says Chazan Day versus Hip-Hop. I know this. I know what this facts are to me. Do you? Okay, let's see if you're right. Hello, Historic. Boys, says Matt. Just making my way through the last month or so of pods, please excuse my

tiredness, and enjoying very much the festive Chas and Dave chat. Chris, quick summation of what that was for people who might have missed that in the past. Ellis and I are obsessed with the Chas and Dave Christmas specials in the mid-80s and there's one in particular where Lonnie Donaghan comes on, but also there's a couple of just rip-roaring YouTube videos of shot in an 80s pub, mixture of generations, all having quite literally, the best time anyone has ever had. But I've been such a great gig. And what would you describe,

how would you describe what they're doing, what Chas and Dave are? How would you describe people who might not know are overseas listeners, for example? A London-centric cultural touchstone. Yeah, they were, Chas and Dave wrote about working class London life

in their 60s and 70s and 80s. So they were famously Spurs fans. So they wrote songs about Tottenham, but they also wrote songs about what it was like grown up in the part of North London they grew up in. So it was very, very relatable stuff. And the tunes were incredibly... All set to the most foot stomping music you'll ever hear in the time.

And also, in their lifetime, I think they were seen as a bit of a novelty act. But with the benefit of time, we now realise they were pop culture giants. Yes, I'd agree with that, actually. Well, not only were they just pop culture giants, they were also incredibly important in the world of hip-hop in the way you might not know about, although Chris probably does well, sound of things, says here, this gives me the perfect opportunity to drop my all-time favourite musical history nugget relating to Chas and Dave's place in hip-hop history.

In 1999, Eminem burst onto the scene with his Dr. Drey-produced breakthrough banger, My Name is. The instantly recognisable electric piano and bass riff that underpins the track is a sample for the awesome 1975 Lavy Sifery track, I Got V. And this track was arranged and performed by Sifery, along with a backing band of session musicians featuring none other than Chas Hodges on guitar and Dave Peacock supplying that iconic bass line. No way. You didn't know that! My Name is the Eminem song. That backing track is played by Chas and Dave. Well, you listen to My Name is by M&N. You're listening to Chaz and Dave. That's amazing.

That is incredible. Yeah. And because of the unique way the music industry is funded, I bet They got paid fuck all. And they had to split it two ways. Yeah, yeah. 50% chas. 50% day. Lovely stuff. Big up yourselves.

And Dr. Darren Dre, Matt, kiss. That's such a good fact that. It's incredibly love that. Yeah. What does I honestly say?

One of the greatest facts. That's good. Yeah, yeah. I didn't know that. I'd love to know other huge musicians who've been session musicians on other people's work. The people just don't know about it. Jimmy Page was a session musician.

before he was in Led Zeppelin. Was he? When he was very young as well. So he played on lots of 60s stuff. But you wouldn't realize it was him. And do you know the car, I think it's Carly Simon, that song, You're So Vane. Oh yeah. I only found out in the last year that Mick Jagger is doing the backing vocals.

And once you learn that fact, you can hear it. You can never not hear it as soon as you hear it. So was that before Jagger was famous? No, no, no. Okay. Yeah, he was in the 70s. He was hanging around, isn't? That's amazing.

Right. Next. If you think Jagger's a big name, I think Henry VIII is even bigger, I'd argue. This is a Henry the 8th email, and I'm afraid it starts with the sentence episode correction. Oh, no. Oh, dear.

It's a, oh, what a shame. In one of your latest episodes, the team imagined Henry the 8th joyfully enjoying a magic show from Paul Daniels at the table. That is the most sort of on-the-nose description of the sort of stuff we talk about, Actually, it really eerie. It's vintage, oh what a time.

When AI imagines that, we can quit. Because that is the podcast. Unfortunately for Paul Daniels, though, Henry passed the Witchcraft Act of 1542. So any magic trick would have been seen as nothing but witchcraft, and Henry would likely have sent Paul to the tower. Cheers, chaps, Rob Rivet. What a name, ha. It's fantastic.

I'm glad it's that as well. and not. Actually, because Paul Daniels was born hundreds of years after, right? And their lives didn't overlap. So it would never have happened. You'd need a more contemporary magician. It is a really good point. In a less enlightened age, a magician is going to look like a witch. Yeah. This is a problem. If David Blaine is hopping in the one-day time machine, he has to bear that in mind. So as he's pulling a rabbit from a hat, Henry the 8th smile drops from his face. And he yells. guard sees him. On the plus size,

Paul Daniels was quite small so the Tower of London might be all right for him. Yeah, yeah, quite nice. Most people would find it quite uncomfortable, but Paul Daniels. Don't be McGee wasn't big either.

He could have had a bit of company in there, I think. Exactly, nice views. There you go, Paul Daniels, up in the tower. Thank you for that, Rob. Our next email is from Britain's new hot format point. Oh, what a dinner party.

The nation can't get enough. This isn't going to be the only one on this subject in this episode, by the way. people love this idea. Hi all, your conversation about the historical dinner party was consistent with my thoughts on this common hypothetical question. Not sure I like that common hypothetical question.

Common. It makes it sound like our format point. It's tired. It's slightly belittling Britain's new greatest format point. Yeah, exactly. Shall I rework that first sentence? Your conversation about the historical dinner party shocked me because I've never heard an idea like that before.

Yeah. Is that better? I'll go with that. I don't think there were any original ideas left, but I was wrong. I was carrying my supper across the kitchen and I dropped it. It's shattered everywhere, beans everywhere. People always go with the big stars like Rio Madrid's El Galacticos.

That was a team where they basically amassed all the best players in the world. If anyone's not a football fan, people need to really think hard about the group dynamics and ultimately a great dinner party. It's a good point, actually, dynamics matter. If that means dropping a flare player like Alexander the Great for a holding midfielder such as Gandhi, so be it. So he'd go with, tap ass with Elvis, Napoleon, Gandhi, Cleopatra and Marilyn Monroe. Love you work, thanks, Adam Turner of Chelmsford.

Let's talk that through. First point, it is a good point. It can't all be flair players. It can't always be sort of... A lot of eagles in the room. Exactly. You need someone to ground it, I think. Yeah.

So who's your grounding choice? Let's say you have a dinner party full of these military leading lights, etc. My auntie. Who's your grounding choice? No. I think you need someone who knows all about chat. You're going Wogan, Parkinson's. Yes, good shouts.

Wogan's a good shout. Just sit in that midfield and knock the conversational ball about. Or just a soft present like Mary. Oh no, Mary Berry is still alive. She can still be alive. Oh, yes, there we are. A soft presence like Mary Barry. Don't go and kill Mary Barry so she can appear in your fictional dinner party.

Just a soothing present. But also, there are so. many extremely talented but very difficult people. And so do you really want one of them at a dinner party? Yeah. You know, someone who is going to throw a conversational hand grenade in or do you want to an extent want to play it safe? Are you going for the blandest group of celebrities' fault?

No, but I think... You just want a nice quiet evening. No, but I think you can't have six heroic mega legends who are also a bit difficult. I couldn't agree more. I reckon Napoleon would actually be a complete pain in the ass. A group that's really hard to get out of your house when they've overstayed their welcome.

Yeah. I mean, Napoleon's got an army. It's very difficult to get rid of him. I haven't got the room for stuff. But yeah, it is a good point. It's all about balance with any dinner party. So Alexander the Great's gone. Gandhi's in according to Adam Turner.

If you invited, I don't know, Florence Nightingale I'm very sequel. You'd be quite confident they're going to ask you questions about you. It's not just going to be about them. Next email, slouching towards upstairs. Hey y'all, I absolutely lean on the wall

for extra support when I'm tired and walking upstairs. I love this already. Thanks, Matild. This, of course, refers to the fact that when I'm feeling tired at the end of the day, I will walk upstairs and I will lean my body on the wall for support.

Though in my case, says Matild, I'm most exhausted early in the morning. It's similar to leaning my weight on the banister, but without the risk of tipping over and plunging to my death. So sometimes being upright is difficult. Yours in sleepiness, Matild New Orleans. Great, New Orleans, amazing. So Matil's saying early in the morning when she's tired and she's going upstairs, that's when she's using it. For me, it's an end of the day treat.

I had to wake up quite early today and I got it too quickly and then had to sit down again. And I thought, that doesn't bode very well, is it? Yeah. Did you get that sort of faintness? Yeah. Yeah. I've only been to wait for 30 seconds. Did you sit down back on the bed or are you like in the middle of the bedroom floor?

I sat down back on the bed and went, okay. I did that after a hot bath in the night. This is living. You do get that, don't you? The older you get when you stand up quickly, you go, oh, nearly fainted there. aesthetic, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for the support, Madild.

I really appreciate it. This next email, slightly less supportive, in a way. But also it has a lovely stuff in it. Crane's kissing cameo is the title. Right. Hi, lad. I'm listening and enjoying Josh Whitakam's new podcast, The Museum of Pop Culture,

which he touted in your most recent episode. Hearing Crane on another show is wonderful. I thought it's very funny. Thank you very much. However, his true colours finally. emerge when the subject of kissing was brought up. Josh briefly mentioned some TV trivia about Giles Brandreth holding the world record for the longest kiss on TV.

And Crayne was all over it like a rash, demanding details, imagining the style of the kissing, his obvious predilection for French style, as he calls it, rearing its ugly head again. French style. And trying to really work out the mechanics of the spectacle. His obvious obsession aside, I really do think Mr. Crane needs a firm talking to about representing you boys when he's appearing on other pogging.

Obviously, this is all in Jess. I adore you all three. His immediate eagerness to discuss kissing really made me laugh. Now, I just want to quickly nip that in the bud. There seems to be this idea that I'm obsessed with kissing and historical French kissing and getting in the one day time machine and snogging people from the past. Tom, you're a red-blooded. Did that be ashamed of it? You're sexually active. It's fine. Well done. I was simply concerned by the pitfalls of going back to medieval Britain and having to kiss someone who's got one tooth left. You've got needs. Don't be ashamed of that.

Don't deny it. I've just googled it. In 1987, Brundreth kissed Cheryl Baker on screen for three minutes and 33 seconds, longer than the then record longest on screen kiss. I am going to have to search the video for this on YouTube

because I also want to... Was it? Are they snogging? Are they pecking? What's the... Just do yourself a favour. Don't do that on a work computer. Also, three minutes 33, I get it's the longest on TV, but it's still not that long. Oh no, I'm now painting myself into a corner again where once again sounds like I'm obsessed with kissing and love kissing for ages.

But three minutes 33, it's not like a world record amount of times. No, but it's the on screen one, isn't it? That's what they're... It's basically the longest to produce who would allow. If you just stumbled across it and it was on telly, three minutes whatever is long enough that you're going to be thinking. thinking what has happened here. And if you've flipped on after the context has been explained,

you're watching the one show, whatever, and Charles Brandreth is playing tonsor hockey with Selma Hayek. Okay, okay. If I go a bit quiet, it's because I'm watching it. Okay, talk us through it. Richard Keyes is one of the presenters, believe it or not. Brandreth, completely still, Baker, is giggling and she keeps waving away at Richard Keyes' banter.

The other person is, I think, is that Patsy Kens, are young Patsy Kensit? But either way, they're not, I wouldn't say it's the most passionate kiss I've ever seen. They are just locked at the lips for three minutes. Okay, 1982 on Valentine's Day. 1987 it was. On Valentine's on TV AM.

Wow. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'll be watching it. When you were a teenager, did you practice kissing on your arm? Did you ever do that? Nope. No, I practiced it on women. Okay, great.

Yeah, neither did I. Neither did I. It doesn't surprise me that you were even practicing kissing it early. Just interesting if you did it. It was not something I did. No, no, so I read essays on it and, you know, I wrote essays on it, but I didn't actually practice on my arm. Did your dissertation? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Your kissotation, as you called it. Very good. Next email, the Hatton. Dynasty featuring Ricky and Sir Christopher. Dearest esteemed gentlemen, retro tour, passionate follower of your pod. I write you from the far-flung colony of Victoria in Australia. I love it that we have overseas. I find that so exciting.

It's brilliant. I've noted your ongoing fascination for my distant relative, Ricky Hatton, surely one of the most prominent Hattons in recent history. His tragic death struck a particular call with me as I suffer from bipolar and I identify closely with his experience. What you may not know is that there was another Hatton, Sir Christopher Hatton, who is an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He was one of her favourites and rumours about just how very close he was to the Queen. He was Lord Chancellor of England and I'm ashamed to say was one of the judges who convicted Mary Queen of Scott guilty of treason.

This is a pretty amazing relation, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. I am, however, pleased to say that the pugilistic tendencies of my ancestors have not been passed on and my family are generally not keen to engage in angst wherever possible. I believe the family split at some point, and so I find myself the descendant of the convicts from the first fleet. I think one of us was convicted for stealing a loaf of bread. Imagine that. Being convicted for stealing a loaf of bread and then being shipped halfway across the world because of that. Yeah, crazy. Anyway, I wanted to sincerely thank you for the intellectual stimulation and humour. You've given me over what's been a very difficult mental health journey. I'm sorry to hear that.

You will never know just how much your banter is achieving in your listeners. Thank you very much, Luke. means the world. Sincerely, thank you so much for saying that. Hope that clears up the Hatton connections. Many, many, many thanks. Kind regards, Luke. That's an incredible list of relations there. Remarkable from Luke. It's a talented family. Absolutely. So to wrap up this half, before we head into O-Water crime in the second half, we've got our second, oh, what a table suggestion. This is from Seth, who says, my table will be Henry II, the great plantagenet king who conquered large parts of France. Joan of Arc to baffle Henry that is weird little peasant French girl

laid the basis for the end of the 100 years war and England's presence in France. We've talked about this Galactico thing earlier. It's feeling it's getting... It's a tricky room. Next is Napoleon because it'll be interesting to see how he got on with Joan. I'm feeling tense.

I'm not sure about this. I'm regretting this. Who was so pro-royalty, but he still used her story in his propaganda despite, well, you know, Thomas Cochran, because he's the greatest seaman that's ever been and Napoleon of him could reminisce over their war against each other. I think that's creating even more stress.

Yeah. Unless it's like rugby where you could knock someone out on the pitch and then an hour later of a pint with them in the clubbos. I don't... Is it like that? And then finally, Herodotus, to see how mad things got further down the line and to take minutes,

hopefully he can mediate against a clear French and English divide. And to eat, I think they probably want Japanese something to really get the commonsense, confused when they're presented with chopsticks. So you've got five really intense people there and also the fact they're having to deal with chopsticks for the first time. Seth, I admire your confidence. I like the idea, but that feels like quite a stressful evening to me. Thoughts? That's the ultimate shit or bus selection. It's going to be incredible or unbearable.

Absolutely. I would watch through the window. Oh yeah. And then sort of run away and when it looks like it's going to kick off. Imagine that. Walking down your local high street peering in the window and seeing that scene. Yeah, and then explaining it to the passerby. You have to explain five of history's most remarkable people are in there and they're eating sushi for the first time. So hopefully that explains why I'm in this person's front garden. Thank you so much, as I say, for all your fantastic emails.

We always love receiving them. They're always brilliant. If you want to get in contact with the show, here's how you do it. All right, you horrible luck. Here's how you can stay in touch with the show. the show. You can email us at hello at oh what a time.com and you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter at oh what a time pod. Now clear off. All right so this week we've got corresponders but also we're going to get into the Great Train Robbery. The 8th of August 1963 a gang of

15 men stopped a royal male train in rural Buckinghamshire. They were hoping to make somewhere in the region of maybe £300,000. That's usually the value of the shipment on the train. But the previous weekend, unbeknownst to the robbers, was a UK bank holiday, which meant the total on the train was somewhere between two and a half to £3 million. They actually managed to get off the train £2.6 million, which in today's terms, this will blow your mind,

is roughly £60 million. in cash. Wow. And we will be learning about probably Britain's most famous smash and grab in part two. But if you want that part two right now, you can go over to patreon.com forward slash oh, what a time. Get the great train robbery. Oh, what a crime for the first time.

There you go. Otherwise, we'll see you on Wednesday for part two. Bye. Bye. Oh, what a time is now on Patreon. You can get main feed episodes before everyone. else, ad free, plus access to our full archive of bonus content, two bonus episodes every month, early access to live show tickets and access to the Oh What a Time group chat.

Plus if you become an Oh What a Time All-Timer, myself Tom and Ellis will riff on your name to postulate where else in history you might have popped up. For all your options, you can go to Patreon.com forward slash oh what a time.