After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Ida Craddock is a name that should be much, much better known. She was a maverick sex educator who fought violent censorship in turn of the century America. She also loudly announced to the world that she was married to a ghost and that their sex life was great, thank you very much. Dr Kate Lister tells this story taken from her new book Flick: The Story of Female Pleasure , available everywhere....

In 1856, Martha Brown was led to the scaffold and hanged for the murder of her abusive husband. Her execution was clearly an injustice, even at the time. While Martha was condemned, multiple other female killers were spared the noose. In this episode, Anthony talks with Dr Rose Wallis from the University of West England Bristol about the societal implications of Martha's fate. Edited by Hannah Feo...

When we think of the great witch trials of history, we usually picture innocent women accused of impossible crimes... but that wasn't always the case. In the frozen, windswept landscapes of 17th-century Iceland, a wave of witch trials led to the persecution and execution of men accused of practising dark magic. Why were male witches feared more than female ones? And what happens when ancient Norse...

16th century Scotland was a hard time to be a woman, far harder if you happened to be a woman who loved women. Yet from this dark time a dazzling lightness has survived - the secret lesbian love poetry of Marie Maitland. Marie's story is groundbreaking, uplifting and heartbreaking and is being shared with the world for the first time by our guest today Ashley Douglas whose new book With My Own Han...

In 17th century France, Louis XIV's court sparkled with luxury. It also teemed with poison, occult rituals and aristocrats trying to murder their way up the social ladder. What started with one poisoned Easter pie uncovered a criminal network stretching from the backstreets of Paris to the bedchamber of the Sun King himself. Joining Anthony to uncover this criminal underworld is special guest co-h...

In this special episode of After Dark. Anthony and Uncanny’s Danny Robins delve into historical ghost stories and explore why our obsession with death and the paranormal remains an integral part of the human experience. Danny will be at the Crossed Wires podcast festival, which takes place between 2nd-5th July in Sheffield. All tickets, including Danny’s headline show of Uncanny Cold Cases and his...

Millenia ago, a plot was hatched within the highest echelons of Egyptian society which ended with royal blood being spilt. This assassination, known as the Harem Conspiracy, and the following trial would fascinate historians for the next three thousand years... Who was behind the plot? How close did they come to seizing the throne? And what can archaeology tell us about Egyptian society as a whole...

17th century England was a world turned upside down. A civil war resulted in King Charles I being executed, and from this moment a religious movement called the Quakers grew rapidly. Far from the pacifists we think of them as today, Quaker leaders shocked the country with their radical approach, including attempts to resurrect the dead. Taking us back to the 17th century today is Dr Erica Canela,...

*Warning: this episode contains discussions of child death* Deep beneath the sunny streets of Palermo Sicily, the Capuchin Catacombs are home to over a thousand people, most of them still standing in their Sunday best. Why did the residents of the catacombs want to be buried standing up? And how have their remains survived centuries? Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving,...

Ancient Britain was occupied by the Romans, and tension was building with local tribes. Their brutal occupation reached a breaking point. So what happened when Queen Boudica stood up to the might of the Roman Empire? Bloody battles followed and Roman occupation in Britain changed forever. Her incredible life and story will shock and surprise you. Taking you back to Iron Age Britain is the incredib...

*Warning: this episode contains discussions of puss* Gonorrhea and syphilis are no laughing matter, especially in a time before antibiotics. How were symptoms first recorded and what were the disturbing treatments people endured? Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this gruesome history. E...

Queen Victorian was an icon of Britain at the zenith of its power... but that didn't mean she was invulnerable to attack. In today’s episode, we’ll be exploring some of the many assassination attempts on Victoria's life. We’ll be discussing the massive changes Britain was experiencing during this time and how this might have motivated these attackers… Some of them are pretty wild. Our guest today...

What did Ancient Egyptians discover while dissecting bodies? What did the first medieval dissecting manual say? Who were the serial killers who supplied 19th century surgeons with bodies in Edinburgh? Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this bloody history. Edited by Anna Brant and Tim Ars...

Today we're delving back to an early episode of After Dark, where Anthony and Maddy explore the goriest murders of Ancient Rome. From flesh-eating fish and humiliating deaths inside sacks, to a deadly re-enactment of the Icarus myth. For a culture that is seen as an emblem of civilisation (whatever that means), the Romans expended a lot of creative energy on inventing new ways to kill people. And...

What lurks behind the door of Dr. Kahn's Grand Anatomical Museum in Victorian London? Step inside and find out what shocked the public (and medical establishment) of the 19th century Britain so much, that it was eventually forced to close. To take you there today, Anthony is joined by guest co-host Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh. Edited by Anna Brant and Tim A...

For the Ancient Egyptians, death marked the beginning of a new chapter: a journey through a shadowy realm of trials, monsters, and divine judgment, ruled by the God Osiris. What does the Ancient Egyptian Underworld, the Duat, tell us about their culture, their society and morality? Our guest for today is Dr. Campbell Price! Campbell is our go-to Ancient Egypt expert, he is Curator of Egypt and Sud...

Artemisia Gentileschi's paintings personify female rage against men. She paints women beheading men, hammering nails into their skulls, brandishing their dead faces. In her personal life, Artemisia was the victim of sexual abuse, torture and public shaming. Can we read her traumatic personal life into her work? Edited by Anna Brant and Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer...

Hear a chapter of Maddy's new book, "Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment". It's out now! It's the story of three women and their hoaxes in the age of Enlightenment. One saw ghosts, the other claimed magic powers, the third was a Princess. Were these hoaxes entirely of their own making? Why were the public transfixed? For more information, click here. After Dark will return to its norm...

When you think of the Aztec Empire, what do you picture? Human sacrifice? In today's episode, Anthony is joined by Aztec expert Dr. Caroline Dodds Pennock, to unpack why we fetishise the Aztecs in this way, why ritualised violence is certainly not limited to this civilisation in this time in history, and who it benefitted to think of them in this way. Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Stuart...

Today we are celebrating the upcoming publication of Maddy's new book 'Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment' by sharing one of the stories from it. This is the story of a fake Princess from far-off lands who hoaxed Georgian Britain. What was the truth of her story? Get your copy here: https://profilebooks.com/work/hoax/ Edited by Hannah Feodorov and Anna Brant. Produced by Tomos Delarg...

Today we are celebrating the upcoming publication of Maddy's new book 'Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment' by sharing one of the stories from it. The haunting of Cock Lane is the most iconic ghost story in London's long history, taking place in the year 1762. Was it a hoax? Pre-order your copy of Maddy's book now: https://profilebooks.com/work/hoax/ Maddy tells Anthony Delaney the st...

In Ancient Mesopotamia, the boundary between the living and the dead was not always fixed... some even believed it could be crossed. But why would the living seek counsel from the dead? How common were these practices? And what answers did people hope the spirits might reveal? In this episode, Anthony is joined by the brilliant Dr. Irving Finkel! Irving is a returning guest and Curator in the Depa...

Across prehistoric Britain people raised vast stone circles, buried their dead in monumental tombs, and left offerings in rivers and bogs. Archaeologists have uncovered skeletons bearing signs of violence, carefully arranged human bones, and bodies that may have been killed in ritual… Out guest today is fan favourite Ronald Hutton. Ronald is a returning guest, having been on numerous episodes of A...

On a summer day in Sarajevo in 1914, a young man fired two rounds of his pistol in the middle of the street, killing a Royal couple... He didn't know it then, but his actions would cause a chain reaction, resulting in the First World War. But who were Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the Duchess Sofie? What kind of relationship did they have? And how did a single, chaotic day unravel into on...

Is it true that third-class passengers were locked below decks? Or that more lifeboats would have saved more lives? Did the band really play as the Titanic went down? Anthony is joined once again by the marvellous Gareth Russell to debunk the myths around the disaster. Gareth's book is The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era . Research by Phoebe Joyce. Edite...