We've spent a lot of time in of Victorian London on this podcast- a world of cobbled streets, grimy buildings and crowded homes. But how accurate is this- what was it really like to live in the slums of Victorian London? Our guest today is Dr. Jackie Riding! Jackie is a specialist in the history of the 18th and 19th centuries, and her most recent book, ‘Hard Streets: Working-Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin’s London’ was published earlier this year. Jackie, welcome to After Dark! 0:00 Introduction 1:41 Charlie Chaplin's London and South London history 7:23 Conditions for working-class Londoners 9:33 Inside the Chaplin household 11:45 Poverty, health, and flooding in Victorian London 18:20 Middle-class reformers and Charles Booth's research 20:02 Workhouses, mental health, and asylums 24:37 Seeking humor amidst hardship 26:10 The rise of the Victorian music hall 32:12 Crime and public perception in Victorian London 33:54 Folk heroes, popular stories, and street culture 37:31 Mary Carr and the 40 Thieves gang 44:22 Fluidity, community support, and policing 49:12 Casting a film about Chaplin's early life This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy and McKenna Fernandez. Edited by Anna Brant. The senior producer was Freddy Chick. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™ #HistoryHitPodcast #AfterDark #Victorian