A 19th-century empress chases eternal beauty, while a 20th-century thief risks everything to steal her crown jewel. Their fates are fixed to the same dazzling treasure: a perfect cluster of diamonds, the Sisi Star.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria loves that star. She uses it to defy the rules of her time and carve out her own legacy of beauty and power. Its pursuit drives her to her very limits.
And when petty crook Daniel Blanchard spies the jewel, it's the challenge he's been waiting for. His plan to steal it is high-stakes: a daring night-time parachute jump. If he can get his hands on the star, he knows it will launch him into the criminal big-leagues.
His exploits unleash a relentless game of cat-and-mouse, as a determined police team tracks Daniel across continents – even as time and again he vanishes from their grasp. But how long can Sisi’s star stay lucky for Daniel?
A Most Audacious Heist is a gripping tale of ambition, risk and obsession, as host Seren Jones tracks the empress and the thief across two centuries, to find out just how far they'll go to get what they desire.
New episodes every Tuesday, starting January 28, 2025
Military historian David Borys interviews historian Roham Alvandi about how a modern monarchy in Iran lost control, offering insights into understanding today's world through historical echoes.
1 Apr 2025
All That Glitters | 10
A century apart, the Empress and the thief each reached for the stars. But at what cost? Sisi’s dreams of immortality face the test of time. And as Daniel stands trial and the star takes centre stage, startling new information comes to light. Because there are many ways to tell a story, but what about the truth?
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
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25 Mar 2025
Catch A Falling Star | 09
It’s dangerous to believe your own myth. Daniel gets a rude awakening as his past catches up with him. And a run in with a stranger makes Sisi see that nothing lasts forever. As their stars hurtle towards earth, Daniel has a trick up his sleeve that might just transform his fortunes. But can you ever trust a thief?
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
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18 Mar 2025
Burn Out | 08
Daniel takes a job that leads him deep into the shadows and into grave danger. And Sisi’s fairytale world is shattered when devastating news arrives from home. As Sisi realizes there isn’t always a happily ever after, Daniel’s still convinced he can turn things around with the same old story. But no star stays lucky forever.
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Mar 2025
Count Your Lucky Stars | 07
How long can anyone stay at the height of their powers? The hunt for Daniel hots up and he gets himself a lawyer. But he’s not ready to throw in the towel yet. And perfectionist Sisi decides to pursue an old passion to new extremes. The old saying goes that pride always comes before a fall. But neither Daniel nor Sisi is listening.
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Mar 2025
Feet On The Ground | 06
Daniel successfully carries out his biggest heist to date but fails to realize he’s made a schoolboy error. And things start to spiral for Sisi as she tries to fend off time itself. But who can stop the clock ticking? As age threatens Sisi’s legendary beauty, Daniel sees his good name tarnished.
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
25 Feb 2025
Bigger and Brighter | 05
With the star in their possession, Sisi and Daniel are both at the top of their game. Daniel finds his new signature trick and hones his craft. And Sisi uses her powers to get exactly what she wants – and what her country needs. But there are cracks appearing beneath Sisi’s mask. And could something be about to wipe the smile off Daniel Blanchard's face too?
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Feb 2025
A Star Is Born | 04
Sisi receives a glittering birthday present from her husband which will change her life – and Daniel’s – forever. In her diamond stars Sisi sees the vision of who she can become. And after one door slams shut on Daniel, many others spring open. But, as he realises his full potential, is he taking a path marked no return?
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Feb 2025
A Glittering Future | 03
Daniel pulls off a baffling disappearing act. He loves to taunt and outsmart the police – but there are only so many times he can escape. Meanwhile poor Sisi is trapped in the stifling life of the royal court. Until she realizes the key to her way out may already be in her grasp.
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Feb 2025
The Only Way Is Up | 02
Everyone’s gotta start somewhere. Daniel enjoys his first taste of crime and the thrill of getting away with it. And a privileged young Sisi takes her freedom for granted not realizing she’s about to be caught in a trap. Is their destiny already written in the stars?
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Jan 2025
Shoot For The Moon | 01
It’s 1998 and petty thief Daniel Blanchard is on honeymoon in Vienna, Austria, when something catches his eye. A sparkling jewel. It’s the last Sisi star. Daniel knows instantly he must have it, whatever it takes. But unbeknown to Daniel, the star’s original owner, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, would also do anything for those stars.
Contact:
Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories
Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories
X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets
Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 Dec 2024
A Most Audacious Heist begins January 28, 2025
It’s a summer night in 1998. Vienna, Austria. And petty thief Daniel Blanchard is about to carry out the heist of a lifetime. Stealing a crown jewel. The last remaining diamond Sisi Star.
His plan? A daring night-time parachute jump.
Daniel is no ordinary thief. His heists are ingenious, meticulously planned; his escapes from the law defy belief. And Daniel knows that if he can get his hands on the star, it will launch him into the criminal big-leagues.
Daniel’s exploits unleash a relentless game of cat-and-mouse, as police track him across continents yet vanishes from their grasp.
What he doesn’t know is that the Sisi Star has a history. A dark history. Its original owner, the legendary Empress Elisabeth of Austria, used it to carve her own legacy of absolute beauty and power. That pursuit drove her to her very limits.
And now Daniel’s fate is fixed to that same star. But how long can Sisi’s star stay lucky for Daniel?
This is A Most Audacious Heist – it’s the story of a master thief, an intercontinental manhunt, and the jewel that changes everything.
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Inside a recent episode
Introducing "Hostile History"
Published 17 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] This geography has always shaped power. Within it lie vast salt wastes like the Dasch de Kavir and the Dasch de Lut, isolating communities yet fostering resilience. From these harsh conditions emerged one of the world's earliest civilizations. Ancient peoples settled along mountain foothills and fertile valleys, eventually giving rise to empires like the Achaemenids, who forged a vast imperial network stretching from Egypt to India. The geography protected it, but also funneled invasions through narrow corridors, bringing Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, and many others into its orbit. The spread of Islam in the 7th century transformed its religious and cultural identity, while Persian language and traditions endured and radiated across the region. […]
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