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A Most Audacious Heist
46 Plays1 month ago
Episode eighteen of the new season of Pieces of History delves into a tale of intrigue, ambition, and one of the most daring thefts in history. Journalist and podcast writer Emma-Jane Kirby joins me to discuss A Most Audacious Heist, her gripping show that uncovers the extraordinary true story of the theft of the Sisi Star - a priceless diamond hairpiece belonging to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi.
We’ll explore Emma-Jane’s journey from journalism to podcasting and how her investigative background shapes the way she brings historical narratives to life. Together, we’ll unravel the story of Daniel Blanchard, the enigmatic thief at the centre of this audacious crime, and the life and legacy of Empress Sisi, a figure both adored and misunderstood in 19th-century Europe.
Was the theft a crime of greed, a political statement, or something more? And how does this heist fit into the broader historical landscape of its time? Join us as we dive into a story of glamour, deception, and high-stakes intrigue.
Email: piecesofhistorypod@outlook.com
Facebook: Pieces of History podcast
Instagram: @pieceofhistorypod
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Pieces of History' Podcast
00:00:12
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Pieces of History. I'm Colin McGrath and in each episode explore both the well-known and overlooked events that have shaped our world.
Historical Crime and the Audacious Heist
00:00:21
Speaker
Today we're diving into the fascinating world of historical crime with journalist and podcast writer Emma Jane Kirby as we discuss a most audacious heist.
00:00:30
Speaker
Emma Jayne began her career as a journalist, reporting on some of the most pressing global stories, before transitioning into writing for Blanchard House. In this episode, we'll explore her journey from newsrooms to narrative storytelling and how her background influences her approach to crafting compelling historical tales.
The Cece Star Heist: Introduction and Context
00:00:47
Speaker
At the heart of a most audacious heist is incredible true story of the theft of the Cece Star, a dazzling diamond hairpiece belonging to Empress Elizabeth of Austria, better known as Cece. We will discuss the two central figures of the story, Cece herself, a mysterious and unconventional empress, and Daniel Blanchard, the man behind the daring theft.
00:01:07
Speaker
What drove him to target one of the most famous women of the 19th century? And how does this heist fit into the broader context of the time? Join us as we unravel the intrigue, and ambition and mystery behind A Most Audacious Heist.
Emma Jane Kirby's Journalism Journey
00:01:20
Speaker
Thanks very much for joining me. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule. So before we kick things off into the actual story of the podcast and A Most Audacious Heist, tell me what drew you to journalism initially and and your your background.
00:01:34
Speaker
So I think I started life as a child desperately wanting to be a vet um before realising I was completely, when I went to secondary school, useless at maths and that was never going to happen.
00:01:45
Speaker
um But my real passion was always reading and writing and finding stuff out and the sort of footnotes of history books and what have you. I was very, very curious. um So I think that's what really drew me ah to journalism. I did almost, when I left university, make a huge faux pas and ended up as a lawyer.
00:02:06
Speaker
um I had my place at law school and then just thankfully at the last minute decided, no, that's not for me. I've got to follow my dreams, follow my passion, even if it doesn't pay very well.
00:02:17
Speaker
um And I'm so glad I did because I have to say, i am very, very lucky. I've never had a day when I'm bored at work. And I think there are few people realise, you know, who can say that? um Wow. You know how lucky that is.
00:02:34
Speaker
You were a journalist for 30 years. Is that correct? Yeah. Working the BBC and then you transitioned to writing for podcasts. I suppose as that's a bit of a career change in itself. How did you hard to hurt you find that transition?
00:02:48
Speaker
I started off in local radio, which everybody knocks, and I'm a huge fan of local radio. I learned everything that, yeah you know, I knew ah that I needed to know at local radio.
00:02:58
Speaker
Because if you, you know, are hazy with your facts and your dates and your names at local radio, if you are scrappy with with that, somebody will come and knock on your door, you know, They certainly did in my day before social media. I'm sure now they just send rude things on X or whatever or Facebook.
00:03:16
Speaker
But in my day, a counsellor, if you got his name wrong or his policy wrong, would come and knock at your door and you lived in fear of that. So it took taught me accuracy and, you know, really the love of talking to people and hearing stories and...
00:03:30
Speaker
finding, you know, the dullest person that you would go and meet, you would think, because you were just doing, I don't know, some boring council story or something. And then they tell you something about their life. And you'd think, wow, and you had a whole other story, you know, that to do on ah on a different day.
00:03:47
Speaker
So I loved, i realized how much I loved um chatting to people and finding out
Transition to Long-Format Storytelling
00:03:54
Speaker
stories. So I transitioned to national radio, went off to Five Live, and then I I love creating and I love literature. And so I did. i was a reporter at Woman's Hour for a long time and long format um ah documentaries and stuff, because although I absolutely love the buzz of breaking news and the adrenaline of that, I've always loved just being able to take the time and look behind
00:04:22
Speaker
You as a historian will know that very well, you know, that research and finding out much more about a subject. um And I sort of all the way through my life as a foreign correspondent, I was so so I was 11 years as a foreign correspondent in various different countries.
00:04:38
Speaker
um And i was always very lucky that along with the firefighting and the plane crashes and the wars and all the rest of it, I also got time to do long format. I did big ah you know television documentaries and series and radio television, radio series and documentaries on television.
00:05:00
Speaker
big subjects, you know, like migration and euthanasia, etc. And so I then, when I finished with that career, I i came back, um I think in 2010, I've hung up my foreign correspondent boots and um went back to Radio 4, where again, I was
Inspirations for Podcasting
00:05:21
Speaker
really... um ah foreign correspondent but based in London I was zipping all all over um over the world and then I started to do really interesting stuff in Britain and I was doing one story it really sticks in my mind I followed a school for a year so that was following um a school that was struggling struggling financially and
00:05:40
Speaker
I became fascinated in telling a story about a community because of course, the school's about a community. um And that was a really, it was almost like a transition into podcasts, if you like, um because I was doing episodes and I had another story as well, a story about a pilot who stole a plane.
00:06:00
Speaker
that my neighbour had just told me. He'd asked me to come and put out his bins here in London. And ah he's also a painter. um And I asked him what he was doing. And he told me he was painting a Hercules plane.
00:06:13
Speaker
um And he told me the story behind it. And it was about a homesick, lovesick American pilot who desperately wanted to go home and who... stole and In fact, he was a mechanic, not a pilot. He was a and not a pilot at all, but he managed to steal a Hercules plane and try to fly home. And so I started writing a play about that and I was writing for Radio 4 about that.
00:06:35
Speaker
And it was just a very natural thing, having done a very long series with hooks and episodes and, you know, cliffhangers, as it were, to then... move into the world of podcasting. And I'm, you know, I've ah absolutely loved it because it, again, it combines all the stuff I love, you know, filtering facts, being very able to to um absorb a lot of facts and filter them and wear your knowledge lightly. So I think everything I've done has really enabled me to to get to this place.
00:07:10
Speaker
That's like a really good journey so far.
Intertwined Lives of Cece and Daniel
00:07:13
Speaker
The two main protagonists in this story, completely different people, completely different parts of history, yet their stories intertwine in a really interesting way. So can you lead me into the actual story itself, how you got how you found the story and and how the research and writing process happened?
Uncovering the Cece Star Story
00:07:31
Speaker
Sure. i'm I'm so glad you like the story because I love it too. And it's I think you hit the nail on the head to, you know, these two protagonists are so different, but so fascinating. We'll talk about those in in a second. but But basically, there was a a book we stumbled upon, a a wonderful book ah by a journalist called Jennifer Bowers-Baney. And she had written about this jewel thief, Daniel Blanchard, who stole the Sisi Star. And she told the story of what the Sisi Star was.
00:07:57
Speaker
um And I was fascinated, you know, this is the kind of history I like. she She managed to bring history to life, you know, rather than just a load of In 1854, she married empress yeah Emperor Joseph. you know um It was just sort of three d history.
00:08:13
Speaker
um And I thought, wow, that you know this is a very exciting story. So I started to research it. And I went and interviewed various people in Austria and realized that actually there was a whole load of this story that hadn't been told. And there was a whole load of the story.
00:08:30
Speaker
Which had so many twists in it, and in both Elizabeth's story, the Empress of Austria, and Daniel Blanchard, the Jewel Thieves story. um And in fact, if listeners keep on listening to this podcast, there is a bit you won't have got there yet, Cullum, unless we have managed to give you the whole thing already.
00:08:50
Speaker
Towards the end of the show, you'll hear actually there is really an appeal for that listeners could help us with. And, you know, the answer may well be sitting somewhere in Northern Ireland. It may be sitting in Paris. It may be sitting, you know, in little snoring in wherever, you know. um But there there really is a genuine appeal for help, which people can get involved in. There's some some listener involvement there.
00:09:16
Speaker
um But the the I think I was drawn to this story because of the two characters. and I think any story that you write or tell needs to have great people, great protagonists.
00:09:30
Speaker
And Daniel, yes, he's a thief. He breaks the law. But he's kind of a lovable rogue. He's the sort of Robin
Cece and Daniel: Personalities and Parallels
00:09:38
Speaker
Hood figure. um He doesn't do violence.
00:09:41
Speaker
So if he'd been a man, you know, with a string of murders behind him, et cetera, then I don't think this podcast would have worked. But Daniel's a kind of rag to riches hero.
00:09:52
Speaker
And I think there's something in all of us, isn't there, that we all love somebody, a cheeky chappy who's charming and gets away with it. And someone who, you know, manages to pull himself up as well. Daniel came from a very humble background. You'll hear about that and and why he does what he does.
00:10:10
Speaker
um And I think you can't help, even though he's breaking the law and we're not suggesting everybody out goes out and becomes, you know, performs heists and becomes a jewel thief. um But there's there is something interesting.
00:10:23
Speaker
admirable in somebody who stretches themselves to their absolute limits and beyond and that is what links him to Elizabeth um of Austria known as Cece.
00:10:35
Speaker
You know here she was and just an ordinary girl, minor nobility and then she's catapulted into the royal family, you know the most important man in Europe she marries ah just 16 years old um And she gets these wonderful stars for her 27th birthday.
00:10:54
Speaker
And she suddenly realises, my goodness, you know, I'm beautiful. I'm incredible. And um she becomes the most beautiful woman in the world.
00:11:04
Speaker
She is known as the most beautiful woman in the world. And before you think, well, that doesn't interest me. She's just a an airhead. ah She spoke five languages fluently when she she had ah her hair done every day for about three hours.
00:11:18
Speaker
She learned Hungarian, she learned English, she learned French, um she learned Greek and Latin all the time while doing her wonderful beauty routines.
00:11:29
Speaker
And when time caught up with her and she couldn't be that beautiful, um the most beautiful woman in the world anymore. She thought, right, what else can I do? All right, I'm going to be the best sportswoman.
00:11:40
Speaker
And she became the best rider in the world. And like Daniel, she stretched herself beyond her limits. You know, she stretched herself and stretched herself. And I think, you know, we really all admire somebody who goes for it.
00:11:54
Speaker
And of course, they're linked in personality. They're both cunning, conniving. ah Both of them, both charming, both very funny as well, I think, in their way. And they are linked by this physical object, by the Sisi star. it's It's the stars, these beautiful 27 stars that Sisi receives for her 27th birthday and scatters through her hair um like the Lady of the Night in the magic flute. she She becomes transformed into something else because she was a very shy, retiring
00:12:28
Speaker
young girl when she first came to court. And she realises her own power. And Daniel, when he steals that CeCe star, the last remaining CeCe star, he takes them in his he takes it in his hand and realises, crikey, I'm not a petty thief anymore.
00:12:45
Speaker
I'm in the big boys club. This is big league. I can do back bigger and better. um And you'll see their trajectories really are sort of pegged. They follow the same star, literally.
Podcast Storytelling and Production Quality
00:12:58
Speaker
What hooked me first is EJ, I always find sometimes when if I find a new podcast, I'll give the first episode a go and if I'm hooked, I'll stay on that to de trajectory. But I think from the first episode, the way you have written it absolutely superb. it's It's almost like a thriller because it kind of ah it goes between Daniel's story and it fits between Cece's story and his But it's even that i Daniel enters the Schoenberg Palace on that night of the theft is i not sport sport for anybody, but it iss fantastic. The way you've let it out is dramatic.
00:13:29
Speaker
The soundscape that the production team have used in the background is fantastic as well. So certainly like again, I would highly recommend anybody listens to it. If CC and Daniel were able to meet now, do you think they would have gone on?
00:13:43
Speaker
You know, that's such a good question. um And I asked our historians exactly that. And they both said, my goodness, yes. In fact, the ancestor of the um man who made the Sisi stars, he said, my goodness, they're so similar.
00:13:59
Speaker
You know, they would have loved each other. because they both would recognize someone who wasn't prepared to be ordinary they weren't prepared to just say oh well you know i'm comfortable where i am they wanted to push themselves they're driven people but they're also um very shrewd and they like to do things in a cunning conniving way um so i think they would have both admired that ah in each other even though they were worlds apart you know one's One's a thief and and one's royal. um
00:14:32
Speaker
But I think they would have recognised a little bit of themselves in that, in in in each
Universal Themes in Cece and Daniel's Story
00:14:38
Speaker
other. And, do you know, I hope that' that's something that we will recognise in both Daniel and Cece, a little bit of ourselves as well. I think, you know, the person that we've always wished that we could be, maybe we'll see, you know,
00:14:51
Speaker
those dreams that we had and think, oh, why didn't I pursue them? Or there's a little bit of that in there too. and And that's why I think you admire both of them because they dared to do maybe what we didn't dare to do. Again, I'm not saying we didn't dare to be a ah thief and break the law, but just just dare to you know, to push yourself that bit further. We've all got gym memberships, haven't we, that we've never used.
00:15:18
Speaker
We've all got those running shoes that, you know, still have got the label in them. We had all these great ideas to become fit and, you know, whatever whatever it is. Or, you know, we've all got the notebooks, which we haven't written in and whatever it is, you know. um And that's why that's what I mean. I think we look at these two characters and can see our own failings and our own desires, maybe unfulfilled, maybe fulfilled.
00:15:43
Speaker
Daniel's perspective as well because Cece can't really relate to because like you said it's it's a completely different time period in history. She's an Empress of Austria but her story again it's fascinating as well because she was catapulted into this role by the age of 16 and initially her olest older sister was supposed to take the throne. She was Again, not going into too much detail, she was overlooked and Cece was brought into this sphere as well of this empire essentially.
00:16:11
Speaker
And like you said, she was a very intelligent woman. She spoke all these different languages. And from Daniel's perspective, completely different as well. But I think from this and from the first episode, I was almost rooting for him.
00:16:22
Speaker
The amount of meticulous detail that he put into this plan of how he was able to steal the Cece star is very impressive. From, like you said, someone who came from very humble beginnings.
00:16:32
Speaker
I couldn't do it. um I'm not too sure if a lot of people could, but it was just very ingenious. So in a he's like an honest thief, would you say? He's not going out and he's not hurt hurting anybody. It's just I want him to do well, even though I know he's doing wrong.
00:16:47
Speaker
You know, we we all, I think there is something in in in the lovable rogue, isn't there really? You know, that's any um crime thriller or yeah we all root for the guy that's, you know, still good to his mum and hasn't so forgotten his family.
00:17:05
Speaker
And i I think that's really um what Daniel is. and And we understand, you know, somebody... who's proud of themselves and gets a big head. And, and we you you know, everybody makes mistakes. And I think, you know, it's going to be, as you'll see, one of those podcasts where you go, ah you know, when he will make mistakes, as Cece will make mistakes, because, you know, yes, they're they've created their own myths, their own legends. But, you know, once you start believing your own myths, we all know that's where it starts to go horribly
Parallels Between Empress Cece and Princess Diana
00:17:39
Speaker
wrong.
00:17:39
Speaker
um And we get tripped up. And so you'll see them both um and hopefully we'll still be rooting for them when you can you and you'll be maybe a step ahead of them. But remember, you know, I've used that word legendary and some of the the fun in this series is sorting out the fact from fiction because...
00:17:57
Speaker
um ah you know legendary has two meanings doesn't it it has that meaning of fame but also fabled and both cc and daniel create myths about themselves um and uh you'll we'll have some fun with that i think in in the podcast as as daniel pulls tricks on us we pull tricks on daniel um cc pulls tricks on us and the other way around one One thing I i would say is is that if you like, i mean, I think this will appeal to people who like cosy crime, but also colourful history and sort of the footnotes of history rather than, you know, the dry stuff.
00:18:37
Speaker
And also to people who like a bit of royal gossip, and because I don't know how you felt, Colin, but I just feel with Cece, for me, she smacked a Princess Diana to me.
00:18:49
Speaker
um You know, this this very young girl catapulted from minor nobility, catapulted into the major family, royal family, and suddenly is on display.
00:19:00
Speaker
And, you know, we always think about photography, don't we, and and the press and paparazzi being something of our era of the from the 80s onwards. But it wasn't, you know. And the first ever paparazzi photograph taken, they believe, was of poor old Emperor Sisi, who is hiding, shielding her face with a fan as she's sitting on horseback, as she was surrounded by cameras.
00:19:24
Speaker
um And it really does smack of of Diana. I think of all those pictures, do you remember them, of Diana with a handbag in front of her face? and um And so that I think um I'd be very interested to see whether listeners make that connection as as well, because I couldn't stop thinking of Diana as I was learning about Cece.
00:19:43
Speaker
um You know, lot there are a lot of similarities. And, you know, another beautiful, beautiful woman who was an icon and an influencer, Cece, I think, you know, I hate that word influencer. Cece was probably the first influencer.
00:19:58
Speaker
You know, she got those 27 stars. Millions of people, well, not millions, but thousands, really ah thousands of of nobility across Europe and the world come ah asked for those stars, ordered those stars after her.
00:20:14
Speaker
I did in the last episode, so i'll not say which i what i'm wanted it I did see that connection myself in it, will always slightly hint at that as well, but just shows you AJ how history does unfortunately repeat like that anyway.
00:20:26
Speaker
And we haven't got to the end of the story yet, well I haven't anyway, but yes it would be fantastic to see the correlation there with Cece and Diane as the thing progresses.
Closing and Listener Engagement
00:20:36
Speaker
But I really want to thank you for your time. That was absolutely fantastic. And the podcast is called A Most Audacious Heist. It's out now.
00:20:43
Speaker
And also there's one more from Blanchard House I want to mention as well. I finished one called Extra Century there last week. and like Again, I'll not give too much more away from it. It's an absolutely fantastic story as well. So I highly recommend people listen to that too as well. that The narration, the story writing and the soundscape is fantastic. So the folks at Blanchard House do a fantastic job with podcast too. Thank you very much. Yeah, extra sensory is a creepy one.
00:21:12
Speaker
That was Emma Jane Kirby, journalist and creator of a Most Audacious Heist. A huge thank you to Emma-Jane for sharing her insights into the fascinating world of historical crime and her journey from journalism to podcasting.
00:21:25
Speaker
If you'd like to listen to A Most Audacious Heist, you can find it on all major podcast platforms. Be sure to check it out for a gripping deep dive into the theft of the CC star and the extraordinary figures at the heart of the story.
00:21:37
Speaker
Make sure to subscribe and rate Pieces of History on iTunes and Spotify. You can also reach out to me at piecesofhistoryoutlook.com or follow the podcast on Instagram and Facebook at Pieces of History.
00:21:48
Speaker
Thanks for listening.