We'll All Be Murdered in our Beds: The shocking history of crime reporting in Britain

by Duncan C. Campbell

‘If it bleeds, it leads’ – this maxim is as true now as it was 300 years ago. Crime is the staple of the news, and our appetite for these dark and dangerous stories shows no sign of abating.

In this colourful history of the wild world of crime reporting since 1700, Duncan Campbell reveals what it’s really like to deal with murderers, gangsters, robbers, cat burglars, victims, informers and detectives, looking at the ‘hacks in the macs’ and the ‘Murder Gang’ who would go to any lengths to get a story – and serve it up to an ever-eager reading public.

It is not a grim beat; the phrase ‘gallows humour’ did not come from nowhere. All of human emotion is here: hate, love, greed, desire, fear, jealousy, anger, revenge, redemption, compassion. Crime is a prism through which we see society and its phobias. As the relationships between the press, public, police and criminals are now being questioned as never before, We’ll All Be Murdered in Our Beds! tells the compelling, sometimes scandalous tale of the stories and storytellers that have entertained, shocked and appalled us – and will continue to do so.

"Very entertaining … plenty of scandal – and a nostalgic appeal” – The Spectator

“Cracking history of crime reporting” – Big Issue

“Duncan Campbell ... has gathered their tales and charted their folklore in this jolly book. In truth, it’s less an academic social history than a set of yarns, many garnered, polished and chortled over in saloon bars the length and breadth of Fleet Street from the days when the crime correspondents were the princes of the newspaper trade.” -- Literary Review

“A cornucopia of Fleet Street lore and legend” -- Shotsmag

“Dozens of great stories… A compelling guide to a (sometimes) noble profession” -- Esquire

“Ace newspaperman Duncan Campbell sink[s] his teeth into the real stars of the show: the coppers and hacks - just as predatory in their own way - who caught the killers and reported on them.[It is] a zany catalogue of atrocity and achievement . . . there are plenty of laughs in these pages.” – Mark Sanderson, Evening Standard

“Duncan Campbell … has provided an account of his trade through the ages that is by turns amusing, engaging, horrifying and, yes, thoughtful. It is not merely a catalogue of the goriest and most notorious crimes, but a fascinating description of the often corrupt relationship between Fleet Street’s finest and the police … [a] commendable book” – Chris Mullin, Observer

“Commanding … will shock you & make you laugh in equal measures” –- Kirsty Brimelow, QC, The Times

‘Here is a comprehensive history of crime reporting that will surely never be bettered. Its pages are peopled by the notorious, the cunning and the ghoulish - and that's just the journalists. Their coverage of murderers, gangsters, robbers and assorted villains from the dawn of newspapers until the current day is a fascinating story on so many levels. It tells how reporters have satisfied the public's morbid interest in crime and punishment in an unfolding tale that illustrates the symbiotic relationship between the press and the people. As the News of the World's famous motto stated: "All human life is here”.’ - Roy Greenslade, professor of journalism at City University London and former editor of the Daily Mirror

"When it comes to stellar crime reporting, Duncan Campbell is the absolute maestro. He captures the colour of the courts, the drama of events and the lives of those who appear there, in the most elegant and authentic way - without prurience and moral outrage, but with a keen eye to the social currents which affect human conduct for good or bad. Here, he charts the history of media coverage, with a range of stories that will make you laugh and weep. It also reminds us that good court reporting is fundamental to a decent and accountable justice system. A fascinating read." - Helena Kennedy QC

“Fascinating … a wry history of the world of crime reporting and its daring, dodgy and some¬times heroic participants” – Camden Review

“Duncan Campbell remains one of the very few journalists who has retained the criminal fraternity's trust and respect... He is engagingly clever and writes like a dream.” - Howard Marks, author of Mr Nice

““If it bleeds it leads” or so the saying goes. Who would know better than Duncan Campbell, esteemed crime reporter? This clever, comprehensive and oftentimes funny book covers a history of crime reporting, from Charles Dickens’s Daily Mail articles right up to the Leveson Inquiry. Campbell divulges and re-draws the forever-blurring lines of crime to ask: what is the relationship between the press, the perpetrator and the people?” –- Tank Magazine

“There are few people in the journalism game better placed to write a history of British crime ...

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, True Crime

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2016

About the author

Duncan Campbell was a British journalist and author who worked particularly on crime issues. He was a senior reporter/correspondent for The Guardian from 1987 until 2010, and authored several books.

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging little look at the history of crime reporting in Britain, from its origins in the 18th century and even further back through to the almost present day; things close with the Leveson inquiry of 2016. Duncan Campbell is a well experienced journalist and he writes in an unsurprisingly enjoyable way, warm and chatty throughout with an eye for clever or amusing anecdotes and tall tales. The earlier parts of the book, with stories of highwaymen and the Tyburn tree, are rather familiar, but the author hits his stride when he reaches the 20th century and looks at famous murderers and murderessses, female crime reporters and the problems they faced, sensationalism, tabloid methods, the relationships between the police and reporters and finally corruption. It's a fast-paced and eye-opening read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly enjoyable read about the history of crime reporting but I had to dock it a star due to a factual error in chapter six, Campbell refers to Burke and Hare as bodysnatchers when in fact they were serial killers. The first body that they sold died of natural causes and the rest were murdered, the one thing they would not confess to was bodysnatching and at the time of their crimes bodysnatching wasn't actually a crime, I'm aware that I am being picky but factual errors in non-fiction books really irritate me.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction Crime and Journalism Not so much shocking but fairly interesting look at crime reporting in the UK.  How it's changed over the years, how people have changed it.  Some people have corrupted it and some been corrupted by it and others have pointed out the corruption.  Neither Journalists or Police are completely innocent but some are more innocent than others.
 
Crime reporting is a tricky business, selling papers and accuracy are important and also is the assumption of innocence and ensuring that the legal system isn't compromised.
 
Thought-provoking.

[Lynsay Tervit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, examining crime reporting throughout the ages, tracing its origins through to he current day, up to and beyond the Leveson enquiry. I enjoyed this, some chapters were more interesting than others, but as a whole, the book had plenty of interesting insights and opinions about how the press operate and how this has evolved through the years.

[Matthew Gurteen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not really what I was looking for personally, and I am struggling to see the point in it. I initially picked up Duncan C. Campbell's 'We'll All Be Murdered In Our Beds: The Shocking History of Crime Reporting in Britain' after being recommended it for my research. Advertised as a history of reporting since 1700, this book was more a collection of stories from the 'good ol' days' of the twentieth century. I knew fifty pages into this chronological history, and we passed the 1900 mark, that this would not be good. Campbell's style is incredibly dull, and he barely gets his point across. In my eyes, this book is no different from the true-crime stories that Campbell discusses. The book's attraction seems to lie in the gory details rather than any new academic contribution. In addition to this, Campbell appears unaware of a large amount of information, especially concerning the Victorian period. There were some large leaps, inaccuracies, and points left unaddressed. Overall, I could not recommend this book to anybody. I did not get much from it, and I doubt others would.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I write reviews for almost every book I read, but somehow they don't make it to Goodreads

The author rambles on and on, but that's because he's going from a discussion of one case directly into another. He is a prodigious name-dropper and talks about maybe a million people. But don't worry, they are only present in a paragraph or two, and you're not expected to keep track of them.

This is non-fiction, so don't start complaining about the absence of plot twists.

The book is about the working relationship between police and crime reporters, back when they shared information to solve crimes. The book is quite interesting if you don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed by the number of names mentioned. I spent a lot of time Googling crime cases I was not familiar with to learn more details.

15

[Jo Illsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into crime reporting..as the title said. I liked it.

[Graham Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breaking News! Crime Journalist Author Kills Reader With Boredom! Unrepentant to the last!

[Mais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, helped with my dissertation research

[John W Pipes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting…yes. Shocking…um, no. Nonetheless worth the read for an interesting trip down memory lane.

[Ian Moyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully researched and gripping from end to end. So many more books I now need to read from the biblio in the back!