In 1809 Capt Barclay walked 1000 miles in 1000 hours for 1000 guineas [audio 15min]

Is our current obsession with sporting prowess really such a modern phenomenon? William G Stewart argues that the Georgians were just as likely to sing the praises of men like Tom Cribb, John Gulley and Jem Belcher as they were Nelson, Wellington or William Pitt. Prize-fighters in particular were enormously popular and crowds measured in thousands would turn up to see them in action. The subject of the first programme is Captain Robert Barclay, who set out in 1809 to walk a thousand miles in a thousand hours for a thousand guineas. It was an event that gripped the nation.