Demons and Dames

Sarah and Ash are joined by anthropologist and author Margaret Willson, who shares the story of Thurídur Einarsdóttir. Living in Iceland in the 1800s, Captain Thurídur was a famous female sea captain who stood out for her skill at sea and her fearless outspokeness on land. Margaret Willson brings Thurídur to life after decands of research - and even explains how this notorious women ended up solvi...

" Let there be freedom for the Indians, wherever they may be in the American Continent or elsewhere in the world, because while they are alive, a glow of hope will be alive as well as a true concept of life. " - Rigoberta Menchú Join Sarah and Dr Linda Westman from the Urban Institute at Sheffield University to discuss the life and accomplishments (thus far) of Rigoberta Menchú. Rigoberta is a ren...

“ Emile, for god’s sake do not send my letters to papa. It will be an open to rupture. I will leave the house. I will die... ” So wrote Madeleine Smith to her erstwhile and soon-to-be-deceased lover Emile L’Angelier in 1857. But just what drove this delicately-raised upper middle-class belle (a lover of dances, romantic intrigue and sentimental poetry) to an act of murder? Why did Victorian societ...

" Day and night my imagination carried me to the fields of battle, and my ears rang with the groans of my wounded brethren. The spirit of sacrifice took possession of me. My country called me. An irresistible force from within pulled me ." So said Maria Bochkareva in her 1917 memoirs, recounting the passionate impulse that compelled her to join the Russian Army at the outbreak of war in 1914. In j...

“ From Guildford comes a strange, but well attested piece of News. That a poor Woman who lives at Godalmin, near that Town, who has an Husband and two Children now living with her was about a Month past, deliver’d by John Howard an eminent surgeon and man-midwife living at Guildford of a creature resembling a rabbit .” - 'British Gazeteer', 10th October 1726 Meet Mary Toft, who convinced the Enlig...

Ashley Mauritzen and Sarah Worley-Hill introduce their Podcast and explain what all the fuss is about. Are you excited? We can hardly contain ourselves. Originally aired November 2019

“What the people want is very simple - they want an America as good as its promise.” ― Barbara Jordan Join Sarah and our guest, Dr Tom Packer as they explore the exception life of Barbara Jordan - American lawyer, educator and politician who was a leader at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Barbara Jordan is an inspirational politician and orator who could, in her own word, harness "the voic...

“I sometimes stare into the blackness and close my eyes. I can still imagine myself as a young girl, up there in my little bomber. And I ask myself, ‘Nadia, how did you do it?’ ” So reminisced Nadezhda Popova, one of the legendary "Nitght Witches" and pilot for the Soviet's 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. The 588th was the only all-female bomber unit to be active throughout WWII and the Nigh...

Join us for this exciting bonus episode in which Sarah interviews Sophie Dodds and Willa Bews from the band Storm the Palace. Sophie and Willa talk about two of their favorite musicians - Dory Previn and Carol Kaye - as well as their own music and what inspires them as song writers. The episode ends with Sarah's favorite Storm the Palace song, 'Fractal Pterodactyl' for your listening pleasure. You...

London, 1665. "Thus this month ends with great sadness upon the publick, through the greatness of the plague every where through the kingdom almost. Every day sadder and sadder news of its encrease. In the City died this week 7,496 and of them 6,102 of the plague. But it is feared that the true number of the dead, this week is near 10,000; partly from the poor that cannot be taken notice of, throu...

Paris, 1934. In this episode, Sarah explores a murder that captivated 1930s France - so much so that during the Nuremberg rally, the left-wing daily L’Oeuvre published a cartoon in which a peeved Nazi officer waved a newspaper at Hitler over a caption that read: “That Violette! It’s all about her!”. Join Sarah and her guest, the wonderful Sophie, as they explore why this crime and its perpetrator...

Constantinople, 527 AD. Mime/Burlesque Actress and influential Christian Theodora is crowned Empress of the [Eastern] Roman Empire. Delve into this real-life Cinderella story of an incredible women who stood up for women's rights, shaped the fate of the Empire, influenced the Church and cavorted with geese.

France, 1917. The formerly-feted ‘exotic dancer’, Mata Hari, is accused of being a double agent. She certainly met all the femme fatale touchpoints for a nation seeking a scapegoat. But was she a spy at all? Find out more at www.demonsanddames.com or follow us @demonsdamespod or facebook.com/groups/demonsanddames/.

Oxford, 1604. Anne Gunter, under extreme pressure from her father, did "feign and counterfeit herself to be bewitched”. Find out more at www.demonsanddames.com or follow us @demonsdamespod or facebook.com/groups/demonsanddames/.

Rome, 1612. Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi takes control of her life and her art, breaking the norms of society both in gaining renown for her painting and in taking her rapist to court at a time when few women were able to do either. Find out more at www.demonsanddames.com or follow us @demonsdamespod or facebook.com/groups/demonsanddames/.

1942, America. Screen siren Hedy Lamarr has it all. Beauty, brains and a blueprint for a communications device that might change the course of the war. But no one is taking her seriously. In this episode, Sarah and Ash explore what happens when a woman has a brain as beautiful as her face. Turns out no one can handle it - and they want to know why the hell not. Find out more at www.demonsanddames....

Illyria, 231 BC. Queen Τεύτα has ascended the throne and is ready to bring her classical neighbours to their knees. In our first minisode, meet the formidable pirate queen that the (ancient) world forgot. Find out more at www.demonsanddames.com or follow us @demonsdamespod or facebook.com/groups/demonsanddames/.