The worst jobs in history

Tony Robinson has set out to investigate the underbelly of British history through 2,000 years of wretched employment-whether it's swilling out the crotch of a knight's soiled armor or collecting human waste to turn into gunpowder. Covering the Roman invasion to the reign of Queen Victoria, &Robinson uncovers an unseen army undertaking arduous, hazardous, deeply unpleasant work. The very names "Toad Eater," "Vomit Collector," "Spit Boy," and "Seeker of the Dead" underline a fairly disgusting history. As he delves into the grime of how life was for the ordinary person, he brings "Gong Scourers" (Tudor cesspit cleaners), "Pure Collectors" (Victorian pooper-scoopers), and "Resurrection Men" (Georgian body snatchers) blinking into the limelight to provide a vivid alternative history of Britain.