The Mad Mystic and the Last Battle on English Soil – with Ian Breckon
On BBC Sounds Ian Breckon – author of Mad Tom’s Rising joins Tim Harford to discuss a forgotten folk hero and the dangerous power of belief in desperate times.
As the Victorian era dawns, modernisation erodes the old ways of life and poverty rises. In the unrest, an unlikely hero emerges, capturing the imagination of the countryside’s working class. He claims to be the new Messiah, and promises a better future. Despite his unconventional appearance and strange claims, his message resonates with the people of Kent, many of whom are willing to follow him into bloody battle. This Cautionary Conversation discusses a forgotten folk hero and the dangerous power of belief in desperate times.
