The Rumour Mill Podcast

#ad Thanks to Norton for sponsoring this video! Use my discount link for up to 10% off your first year! Head to https://norton.yt.link/hqshswL to stay private and connected online with Norton VPN.Death Comes to Pemberley should be the perfect Pride and Prejudice sequel. Crime writer PD James takes Jane Austen's most beloved couple and drops them into a cozy murder mystery on the eve of a ball at P...

The 2026 Sense and Sensibility is back in the spotlight, and a few changes from the novel has Jane Austen lovers in a bit of an uproar. In recent interviews, Frank Dillane who plays Willoughby says Jane Austen's most hated character might not be so bad? Maybe Willoughby is more misunderstood than dangerous? On this episode of The Rumour Mill, we're going through Dillane's defense of Willoughby, th...

In this episode, we are breaking down the most significant book vs film differences to see how the novel's character-driven storytelling translates to the screen. We will take a close look at Elinor and Edward's romance compared to Jane Austen's novel and look at the chemistry between Daisy Edgar Jones and George Mackay. We'll also look at all the changes that were made between Marianne and Willou...

The new Lizzie Borden Netflix series is finally here, but this latest installment of the Monster anthology leaves a lot of historical facts axed (get what I did there). Instead of exploring the chilling true crime reality of the infamous 1892 murders, the show leans heavily into sensationalized gore and sexualising a spinster. On this episode of the Rumour Mill, we are diving into why this highly...

For this episode of The Rumour Mill, we have GOT to talk about two new adaptations that are coming out in 2026 about Robin Hood, maybe? We'll be talking the drama around Andrew Garfield's The Uprising and Hugh Jackman's The Death of Robin Hood. Whilst these adaptations look exciting, they are often gruesome and dark...and not what audiences are looking for in a Robin Hood adaptation. Why do studio...

Come for the yearning, stay for the history! In this episode of The Rumour Mill we are deep diving the 2004 BBC North and South mini series and compare it to Elizabeth Gaskell's 1855 novel. We'll be talking about how Richard Armitage's Mr Thornton is completely different in the book, Brendan Coyle's Mr Higgins and that EPIC train scene that means more than you think...This one is for the nerds, fo...

In this video, we delve into the complexities of the new Australian period drama My Brilliant Career on Netflix, based on the novel written by Miles Franklin. The story, set in the Edwardian era, follows the life of Sybylla Melvin as she navigates her ambitions and the societal expectations placed upon her by her stuffy wealthy grandmother. We're talking Edwardian Gibson Girl hairstyles, love tria...

In this episode of The Rumour Mill, we are talking Edwardian scandal, the myth of the fallen woman. Based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's bestselling novel and starring Brenda Blethyn, this is a rags to riches story set against the brutal class divisions of the Edwardian era, where a working-class woman's ambition could cost her her livelihood as well as her reputation. We are pulling apart the betra...

In this episode of The Rumour Mill, I'm breaking down why Netflix's reimagining of Laura Ingalls Wilder's story is stunning, frustrating, and a bit complicated in equal measure. The reboot is so gorgeous to look at, but that Instagramification of the American frontier is exactly where things get complicated. When you filter the brutal realities of 1870s settler life through a dreamlike, sun-drench...

The BBC just announced a brand new Poirot series and if you've been anywhere near period drama social media this week, you know the reactions have been... mixed. Audiences have been understandably wary when the BBC announces another Agatha Christie adaptation. After David Suchet spent 25 years defining Hercule Poirot and putting the bar so high, its hard to see how a new young Poirot could measure...

Is Rivals a period drama? In this podcast essay I argue the 1980s is officially a period drama era and Rivals on Disney Plus is proving it. We're talking 80s fashion, big hair, shoulder pads & Cotswolds scandal, the age gap relationship between Rupert & Taggie, and Jilly Cooper's appetite for forbidden romance. I also get into Golden Girls as my benchmark for 80s fashion that prioritises comfort,...

In this video, I'm making the case that Mr. Collins is the most misread character in the Jane Austen canon. From David Bamber's creepy obsequiousness in the 1995 BBC series, to Tom Hollander's nervous awkwardness in Pride and Prejudice 2005, to Matt Smith's gloriously unhinged energy in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies — every actor has brought something different to this character. But it's the 20...

Hi there, I’m Dr Kayla Jones, a historian and the person behind Regency Rumours, a YouTube channel where I make long form essay style videos on period dramas, history & historical fiction. Check out Regency Rumours! If you’ve ever finished a costume drama and immediately needed to talk about if its historically accurate, whether there was enough yearning or the look of the costumes, then you’re in...