Sam looks at urban crime, fraud, and corruption in the 18th century, uncovering a fascinating rogues gallery of charmers, fraudsters, and villains. Charmers like the thief and serial escapee Jack Sheppard, so notorious that almost a quarter of a million people turned up to witness his hanging. Almost as controversial in her lifetime was Mary Toft, a fraudster who managed to convince no less than King George I and his surgeon that she had given birth to rabbits, making her, perhaps, the original 'con' artist.

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