Dr Bob Nicholson

Exciting News! I've made a podcast documentary series for the BBC. 'Killing Victoria' tells the remarkable stories of seven men who attacked the Queen. Episode one is OUT NOW! Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/epi… BBC Sounds: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0d… Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4TX8UBfEh…

I have an op ed in The @Telegraph this morning ruminating on how the Victorians approached death and funerals, in case you fancy reading something cheerful this morning. In print, or online: telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/0…

@CurdsLuv @WIRED Thank you! Really glad you enjoyed it. I’ve got a book on the way about the assassination attempts on Queen Victoria, so hopefully that’ll be available in a year or so.

@DigiVictorian @WIRED Wife and I just watched this! Amazing! I was hoping you had a book or two out there, but didn’t see anything. Also, found Ripper Street on Peacock. Will be checking that out!

I made a video for @WIRED answering strange questions from the internet about Victorian history! youtu.be/10iYlK7bsJw?si…

I like in a nonfiction book when all the sudden there's a big break for a pictures section. The author's like "oh by the way these are the guys I was telling you about."

If you’ve ever wondered how these videos are shot, check out these behind-the-scenes pics!

I’m on TV tonight! Check out the first episode of Britain’s Railway Empire at 8pm on Channel 4. It’s a new, two part series about the history of the railways. It’s not just a story about tech and engineering, but covers the social and cultural impact too.

Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico, December 21, 1953

New job alert! We’re hiring a full-time, permanent new Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in 20thC American History at @edgehill. Come work with our fab team of historians and students. jobs.ac.uk/job/DNX206/lec…

Jack the Ripper has haunted our headlines for over a century but can our historians figure out which headline was from back in 1888... or now? 📰🔎 Even more importantly, will @FernRiddell defeat @DigiVictorian in this quiz?! 🟡 Jack The Ripper: #WrittenInBlood Tuesdays 9pm

The press seemed to have little empathy for the woman slain by Jack the Ripper, as historians @FernRiddell and @DigiVictorian discover from the horrific headlines of 1888. 📰 🟡 Jack The Ripper: #WrittenInBlood Tuesdays 9pm

What did people think of the police when Jack the Ripper was on his rampage? Our historians @FernRiddell and @DigiVictorian find out from the headlines of the day. 📰 🟡 Jack The Ripper: #WrittenInBlood Tuesdays 9pm

1925

Jack the Ripper became headline news in 1888 but did the press invent a killer for their own gain? 📰 🩸 Even if it kept that brutal murderer on the loose... This is Jack The Ripper: #WrittenInBlood. 🟡 Available 8 April

Were the public actually enjoying Jack the Ripper's rampage? @FernRiddell and @DigiVictorian look for answers in the headlines of 1888. 📰 🟡 Jack The Ripper: #WrittenInBlood available 8 April

How did the headlines of the day describe Jack the Ripper? 📰 Historians @FernRiddell and @DigiVictorian look over the papers of 1888 for insights into the time. 🟡 Jack The Ripper: #WrittenInBlood available 8 April

Contrary to popular belief, #19thC novelists often did not use cliffhangers to keep readers coming back 🤯 What did they do instead? Join the "Project Endings" team & find out! They need your help id'ing strategies they used instead. More details here: rs4vp.org/join-the-proje…

@DrMatthewSweet Indeed! It almost feels like a deliberate trap designed to bate historians. None of the Acta Diurna on papyrus have survived, but apparently they did exist at this point in history, so we can’t really prove him wrong.

@DigiVictorian If that's the case then it's a lovely joke

I probably won't be posting here much anymore, so come find me in the Other Place where I'm currently posting about whether there's really a scene with a dude reading a newspaper in Gladiator II.

@DrMatthewSweet It certainly does, though we only get a quick glimpse, and I'm wondering whether it could be a reasonable aproximation of a handwritten Acta Diurna on papyrus.

@DigiVictorian Looked very much like it to me!

Job alert: help us raise vital funds for the Museum! ✨ Our mission is to preserve and celebrate Soane’s legacy, in his Museum and beyond. As Development Manager, you will lead applications to trusts, foundations and major donors. Curious? 🔍 bit.ly/3Qwe0lW |⏰ 24/11