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George III narrowly dodged a bullet for the SECOND time in one day on 15th May, 1800, as he attended a performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.\xa0\xa0\nThe assassination attempt came from James Hadfield, a clinically insane former soldier, who rose from the pit and fired a pistol at the King, causing uproar in the audience. Despite the danger, George remained composed, even using his opera glasses to survey the disarray.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal how the leading playwright of the era swiftly calmed nerves with some poetic ingenuity; explain why George III remained popular in this era, despite the repeated attempts on his life; and marvel at how, amidst apparent danger everywhere, the Show really did Go On\u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\n\u2018The Theatre Royal and The Case of Two Mad King Georges\u2019 (The National Archives, 2013): https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-theatre-royal-and-the-case-of-two-mad-king-georges/\n\n\n\u2018James Hadfield: His Attempt on King George III\u2019s Life\u2019 (Geri Walton, 2021): https://www.geriwalton.com/james-hadfield-his-attempt-on-king-george-iiis-life/#_ftn1\n\n\n\u2018The Madness of King George\u2019 (Channel Four Films, 1994): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8lJ8XzX_GM\n\n\nLove the show? Support us!\xa0\nJoin\xa0 \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY\u2026\xa0\n\u2026 Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.\xa0\nJoin now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show \u2764\ufe0f\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.\n\n\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices