The grimy streets of Victorian London were stalked by a shadowy menace: Spring-Heeled Jack! He had glowing eyes and blue flames came out his mouth. He had claws, wings. He had a tail. He had smart boots. He had literal springs in his heels. Confusing...who was Spring-Heeled Jack? Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney are joined by Ceri Houlbrook, whose new book "Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present" with Owen Davies will be out in September. 1:21 - An Attack in the Dead of Night 5:47 - What is a Victorian Urban Legend? 9:54 - The Devil with Spring-Loaded Boots 17:05 - From Demon to Anti-Hero: The Changing Face of a Legend 25:28 - The "Mad Marquess": An Aristocrat Accused 32:16 - Was He the Original Jack the Ripper? You can now watch After Dark on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@AfterDarkHistoryHit Produced by Freddy Chick. Edited by Tomos Delargy. Video Edited by Anna Brant. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. 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.   You can take part in our listener survey here. All music from Epidemic Sounds. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.