After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

The Victorians had a lot of twisted fascinations, but their fixation on Ancient Egypt might be the darkest of the lot. From 'mummy unwrapping parties' (yes, really), to gothic stories of romances with mummified bodies and beetles that came to life. Was this a desire to connect with the past? Something darker? Or maybe both. Joining Anthony and Maddy today is historian and author Dr Jay Sullivan ,...

It all started when a huge storm drowned 40 men on Christmas Eve, 1617. The people of Vardø, northern Norway, needed someone to blame. What followed were devastating witch trials which featured one of the highest execution rates in Europe, and implicated the town's women and the surrounding indigenous population. Joining Anthony and Maddy to delve into this icy world is author and historian Marion...

The Fire that struck London in 1666 was one of the city's darkest chapters. In this episode, Anthony and Maddy examine the accounts of people who witnessed the disaster at the time, tracing the story from its origin in Pudding Lane right up until its dying embers... Who quickly did the Fire spread? How did the terrified population turn to scapegoating the innocent? And how did the aftermath of thi...

What did it feel like to wake up Salem Village during the darkest days of the witch trials? Would you be able to swallow down your beer and pottage breakfast? As you walked towards the simple wooden Meetinghouse in the afternoon, what feeling would have been in your breast?  Anthony & Maddy are on a quest to find out! Sign up to History Hit to watch this and hundreds of other original documen...

One of the dark symbols of the Victorian age is the asylum. It struck fear into the mind but what was the reality of life inside its walls? Maddy Pelling tells Anthony Delaney the story today. Edited by Richard Powers, Produced by Stuart Beckwith, Senior Producer was Freddy Chick. You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of h...

Ghost hunting couple Ed and Lorraine Warren transformed twentieth century America into an enchanted land dotted with haunted houses, cursed objects, and portals to hell. Their exploits are the basis for the Conjuring movie franchise. They are the originators of the Annabelle doll. They are the most famous demon hunters ever. Who were the Warrens? Did they make it up? Or did they believe it all? Ma...

Today we're delving back into the After Dark vaults to revisit our episode on Banshees... Siobhan McSweeney (Derry Girls) joins Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling for the story of the Banshee. The Banshee is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by shrieking, or keening. Anthony tells us a story about one dying man in 1772 who is called to his death by...

We’re re-running this episode because it’s one of our favourites — and it’s worth another listen! The ghost of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, screaming down a corridor. A nursemaid's spinning wheel clicking in the walls. Robed Tudor figures slamming open fire exits. A noisy group of ghosts haunt Hampton Court Palace. Tracy Borman, Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, joins M...

Sweeney Todd - the demon barber of Fleet Street who beheads people and then sends their bodies through a trapdoor to be made into pies. It's just a story right? Right? There's not any real history to it....or is there? Like two food inspectors examining a particularly noxious looking pie, Maddy and Anthony dig into the dark truths that led to Sweeney Todd's creations. This episode was edited by Ti...

The Viking attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne, a remote tidal island in North East England, sent psychological and cultural shockwaves through the history. It's a story of blood and terror, but there's more subtlety to it as well, as Maddy and Anthony learn today with returning guest Dr Eleanor Barraclough.  Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick...

In 1895, the world witnessed its first true celebrity trial when Oscar Wilde was charged with “Gross Indecency". To tell the powerful story of Wilde's life in its fullness, Anthony and Maddy are joined by Merlin Holland, grandson of Oscar Wilde. Anthony and Merlin met while Anthony was filming his new History Hit documentary A Very Victorian Scandal: The Trials of Oscar Wilde . Sign up to History...

Maddy and Anthony dig into their own family history in collaboration with Ancestry! They find stories from the darker side of the past in their own family trees. Huge thanks to Ancestry's genealogists and family historians Jenn Utley, Joe Buggy and Christina Copland. If you haven’t yet, head to  here to start your own family history journey today for free. The AncestryDNA kit makes an amazing...

We all know the story of Pompeii: the Roman town reduced to ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Roughly two-thousand years later, archaeologists have been able to uncover the stories of its victims. What do we know of the lives of this city's inhabitants? Who were they? And what do we know about their terrible final moments? Today, Anthony and Maddy are joined by ancient historian Dr Jess Venner, who...

How dark really were the Vikings? How much of a part did human sacrifice play in their world? And what was their relationship with magic? Joining Anthony and Maddy in today's episode is historian, author and all-round Viking expert Dr Eleanor Barraclough, to take us back to darkest corners of the Viking era. This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer w...

Was this moment the closest Britain came to revolution? When Prime Minister Spencer Perceval lay dying on the floor of the Parliament, many feared it was the start of bloody revolt. We discover the assassin, John Bellingham, and what drove him to commit murder. Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick. You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit Sign up to...

Who was the very worst of all the Medieval monarchs? No spoilers but we've got monarchs driven psychopathic by love, terrible sadists, and egos that straddled a continent. They were the worst of the worst, but who was the worst of all? Our guest today is Dr Eleanor Janega, co-host of Gone Medieval from History Hit - if you are a fan of the medieval world, you need to be listening! This episode was...

With the nights closing in, what better time to re-visit a favourite episode of ours. In 1727, Janet Horne of the Highland community of Dornoch became the last person in Britain to be tried and executed for witchcraft. As the poet Edwin Morgan put it; They tarred her and feathered her, bound her and barrelled her burning in the peat-smoke, while the good folk of Dornoch paused briefly for a look....

For Medieval Europe, the Apocalypse wasn’t just a metaphor - it was very real and very imminent. We are talking about the four horsemen, locusts the size of horses, the beast of the abyss, the Whore of Babylon, and, obviously, the anti-christ. We’re going to go through the medieval apocalypse blow-by-blow to see how this obsession with the end led to bizarre real-world cults like the Flagellants,...

In 1540 Henry VIII was getting old, and his eyes turned to teenager Catherine Howard. He fell hard and fast for Catherine - his "rose without a thorn" - but when he found out about her past, all hell broke loose. Amidst all the panic and confusion, who was this young woman who rose to be queen? Why did Henry VIII want her killed? And how should we remember her? Joining Anthony and Maddy is author...

Did Nostradamus really predict everything from the Great Fire of London to the rise of Hitler? We predict that you'll find out in this episode... Join Anthony and Maddy as they explore the life of 16th century astrologer and so-called seer, Nostradamus, to find out if he really had the ability to see into the future. This episode was edited by Tim Artsall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senio...

Did they wear black hoods? Whose axe did they use? How did you get the job in the first place? Today Anthony Delaney takes Maddy Pelling inside the world of the Tudor Executioner. Research by Phoebe Joyce, edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Freddy Chick. You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentar...

Henry VIII was a monarch everyone was excited for, and turned into someone who weaponised his powers for murder. What happened in his life that caused the death toll to suddenly rise? In this episode, Anthony and Maddy are joined by historian and author, Gareth Russell , to unpack the warning signs that led to beheadings, burnings and savagery in the Tudor court. Find out more about Gareth's work:...

Deep in Renaissance Rome, it is said that a woman called Giulia Tofana supplied poison to kill some 500 abusive men. Is this the stuff of myth and folklore? What historical truth is there to be found? And how was Santa involved in this story?! Join Anthony and Maddy as they go back to the 17th century to explore this story more. This podcast was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwit...

Reality is the real horror. Every Monday, poet and paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong unearths the chilling true stories behind the world’s most terrifying legends. From haunted dolls to cursed houses, each episode of Twisted Tales reveals the disturbing real-life events that inspired horror’s biggest blockbusters and the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Some stories are stranger than fiction....

What are the origins of keening for the dead? What is the history of Irish wakes? And why must you never put a coffin down on the way to the funeral? Anthony tells Maddy and special guest Dan Snow about the history of Irish funerary traditions. Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhi...