this is hhtv news bringing you live news direct from the past

our main story from the stuart era

the plague epidemic seems to be spreading rapidly

let's go over to our correspondent mike peabody who's in the thick of it, mike

thanks sam

i've come to sixteen sixty five where literally thousands are dying from the

great plague

i caught up with this grave digger to find out how the plate was affecting his

work

well i've been so busy for years, i've buried 30 people just this

morning

yeah, they're dropping like flies at the moment

and i suppose the real worrying thing is that the plague can strike so very

quickly

oh, is he...

he's dead

bishops think they've tracked down the root cause of the plague

it's naughtiness and rude things

the great plague is punishment on people who are very naughty and very rude

as a result too, even the wicked can die of the plague

it's certainly a very interesting theory

but, can you back it up

he's dead...

doctors are doing their best to combat this deadly disease using the very

latest in modern medicine

everybody knows, the best way to beat the plague

is a bag of lavender.

you simply

twirl it around like this.

and jump over it

like so

and is that effective? -oh yes, very effective. i mean, take me.

i'm as-- *chokes*

sorry i just uh

coughed and fell over

i haven't got the plague!

there is a new group on the fringes of modern english medicine

who think there may be another cause to the illness. this group call themselves

scientists

the most important thing is not just to guess what's responsible

we need to take a closer look at the evidence and then analyze it logically

and uh, one way that we do this is by using this brand new invention, the

microscope

hahaha, microscope! hahaha, what do they expect to find, tiny

leeches, hahaha. what an idiot.

everybody knows, the plague comes from bad air, and all you need, is a bag of lavender! hahaha,

microscope. uh..

doctor, have you

fallen over again are you in fact, dead... he's dead...

this is mike peabody reporting for hhtv news in plague riddled

1665, really wishing, i was somewhere else

did you know?

in 1665, there were lots of theories as to how the plague was being spread.

they blamed dogs, cats,

pigs, pigeons, and rabbits. but the real cause, hahaha, it was those rats! ha!

so, rats won, humans, no. ha!

ye sun tomorrow. everybody's talking about it, everybody's got it.

the great plague. read our health tips on how you could prevent the plague.

yes, you can avoid infection, just by putting a gold coin in your mouth.

*coughing*

plus: "i woke up in a cart full of dead plague victims!"

i, drunk

a few too many (?), fell asleep, when i woke up, they chucked me on the plague cart!

talk about red on the face, a bit purple in places

and all, in fact:

think about caught the plague!

and (?) depressing stories, oh no,

we've got some uplifting news too:

the french have got the plague. hurray!

that's all in ye sun tomorrow, make ye sun the last thing you read before

you die!

free coffin in every copy!

so, london was right with the plague in 1665, at least 1666

must have been better?

not! the great fire almost burnt london to a cinder!