What is The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman?

The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman is a new Channel 5 history documentary exploring what life was like for rich and poor Londoners during the Great Plague – a devastating 1665 epidemic which killed an estimated 100,000.

When is The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman on TV?

The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman will air on Channel 5 at 9pm on Thursday 10 July 2025.

What is The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman about?

The Great Plague with Rob Rinder & Ruth Goodman is the first episode in Rich Times, Poor Times, a new history documentary series exploring the contrasting lives of rich and poor during history’s most turbulent times.

According to Channel 5: “Barrister-turned-broadcaster Rob Rinder investigates the lives of London’s rich during the year of the plague, including a wealthy cloth merchant, well-connected and living in luxury – and a well to do vicar, in the most fashionable district of 1660s London, Covent Garden.

“Meanwhile, Ruth Goodman uncovers the story of a poor gravedigger doing whatever he can to keep his family alive in one of London’s poverty-stricken backstreets. As the plague creeps across the city, we see how both the rich and the poor deal with it and discover whether Monday makes a difference when it comes to the deadly disease.

“There’s everything from secret plague burials and strange cures to surprising theories about how the disease spread - and the crucial importance of washing your underwear. And as panic sets in, we find out who runs, who stays and who’s brave enough to face it all head-on.

“With some shocking discoveries, this episode reveals what it really meant to live, and die, whatever your background, in one of London’s darkest chapters.”

Two more episodes of Rich Times, Poor Times, dealing with the Great Fire of London and the London Blitz, will air at a later date.

Who is Rob Rinder?

Robert Rinder is a barrister turned TV presenter, best known as the judge in reality TV programme Judge Rinder. In 2018, he explored his family history on Who Do You Think You Are? and he has also presented history programmes including My Family, the Holocaust and Me, Britain Behind Bars and Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.

Who is Ruth Goodman?

Ruth Goodman is a historian and TV presenter, known for presenting history programmes including Victorian Farm.