Loremen Podcast

Could this be our most respectful episode yet? Inspired by the crowning of Charles 3: Return of the King, the Loremen recap the entire King Chuck franchise. James recounts Charles I's ghostly premonitions and the much more boring Charles II is briefly mentioned as well. In devastating news, James discovers that he was mispronouncing the word "chrism" throughout the entire coronation. Like the hist...

Duchess, Poisoner, Spectre, Spy. James and Alasdair leap back to the English Civil War and meet the two-timing royalist schemer Elizabeth Murray. Her Richmond home is haunted by stories of intrigue, betrayal and ghosts. And a little dog too. The gloomy pile that is Ham House was Elizabeth's lifelong passion. Some believe that she never left. Visit Ham and maybe you will hear the old duchess rappin...

Horace Walpole was the O.G. Goth (Original Goth Goth). He was an eccentric 18th Century writer, who transformed a modest cottage in Twickenham into a plaster and papier-mâche fantasy. Join James and Alasdair as we venture into the gloomsome, vaulted hallways of The Gothic. Sorry, Gothick. This episode features Strawberry Hill ghost stories from Patsy Sorenti and a chilling tale from the unwary pra...

James takes Alasdair on a tour of the 'summer lands' - Somerset - and the wee folk that dwell there. They live inside stones, beneath mounds and under at least one castle. (It's not there anymore, don't look for it.) We are talking fairies, faeries and indeed, the fae. You've got to be careful with these temperamental critters. They'll just as soon give you a golden nugget as turn into a cloud of...

In an old Tudor house near Marlborough there is a chamber that legends call the justice room. Evil-doers beware! The spirit that lingers in that old "Oaken Place" is determined to wring the life out of any villain that spends a night there alone. That is, if we are to believe the tale of a long-dead actor, an elderly maid and a still-living podcaster who went to mime school. (The last one is James...

The Denham Tracts might sound like the pamphlets of choice for James “Double Denim” Shakeshaft. In fact, they were the work of a County Durham folklorist with an ear for proverbs and an eye for the weird.   Does King Arthur sleep beneath the Castle of the Seven Shields? Do Hedgehogs engage in nocturnal milk-larceny? And if you live anywhere near Leeds, are you prepared for the Puddening? These que...

Brighton and Hove: quiet, peaceful, serene... that is until Shrove Tuesday comes round! The Loreboys discover that while Brightonians are a forward-thinking and open-minded bunch, they have real issues when it comes to one particular bird. (It's chickens. You guessed that.) This is a tale of Vikings and fowl play, and it may be our most controversial episode yet. James makes enemies of The Danes,...

Stoke your Brams and Bram your Stokers, because James and Alasdair are joined by Sacha Coward: escape room designer and author of the upcoming book Queer as Folklore. Taking us from Lilith to Lord Byron (stopping off at Tom Cruise for a layover), Sacha unearths the LGBTQ+ subtext of the Vampire. Sorry, Vampyre. Say it with a Y. We touch on some slightly more serious themes than our usual fare of d...

Did the Devil themself come to town on a cold February night in Devon and just sort of wander around? That's just one of the hypotheses put forward to explain the uncanny appearance of prints in the snow all across the county. Was it Old Nick? Or was it a gang of kangaroos? An acrobatic rodent? Or, like so many things in life, was it simply badgers?   Who knows? YOU DECIDE. We certainly don't. Lor...

The Loremen are joined by loveable Australian podman Nick "Maso" Mason of The Weekly Planet. Naturally, they take their new deputy straight to Northampton, home of comic book legend Alan "Alan" Moore. There, the loreboys attempt to dazzle Maso with two tales.  One is a little bit too stare-y and the other is a very naughty goose.  AND THATS JUST ALASDAIR AND JAMES hahahaha! Well, that just happene...

The Loremen return to the Leicester Comedy Festival, and James has brought a triptych of spine-tingling tales from the neighbouring county of Rutland. (Do look for it, it is there.) James's tales boast a credulous chemist, a spectral mist and an old man who liked sitting TOO much. Many thanks to the Lorefolk who turned out and giggled appreciatively. The whole affair was (incompetently) livestream...

Despite being an obvious promo for our upcoming live show, this minisode delivers a whole load of Leicester lore in a tiny package. Find out what happens when a whole hill vanishes. Plus, James tries to make "don't look for it, it's not there anymore" a thing. Is that really the hill he is going to die on? TICKETS (feat. the mysteriously frosty image of the Lorebois) HERE - https://comedy-festival...

It's (just gone) Valentine's day, and the Loremen were planning to stop off at a petrol station to buy you a box of chocolates. But instead, we bring you Jenny Collier! And a fresh story from the Mabignogion. This year's Welsh valentale is especially romantic. If you think an entire person made out of flowers is romantic. The lorebois (and lore-gal) brave a challenging combination of dodgy microph...

A manuscript found in a secret drawer sends the Loremen down an especially curious rabbit hole; James relates a close encounter between a Victorian carpenter and multifaceted entities from outer space. (One of which turns out to be a total bore.)   It's the kind of outlandish tale that a cynic might call "obviously fake," but once a legend gets started, it's harder to stop than an armoured fox. Fo...

Beloved semi-sausage Amy Gledhill returns to the pod to meet the Wold Rangers of Yorkshire's East Riding. The wold's green lanes were once famous for Snaffling Jock, Mushroom Charlie, Slapface Ned and more strange, unique characters: nomadic gentlefolk around whom legends grew. We run into a locked-barn mystery and encounter the haunted skull of Poor Sister Anne. Don't throw it in manure! She hate...

Yes, it is a minisode! It's advertising a livestream on 8.30 pm GMT, Monday 30th January 2023 (2023). Find the Live Lorebois here: https://www.youtube.com/loremenpodcast  BUT do keep listening, for a super sneak peek of an upcoming guest. Hear how the Loremen handle an unexpected sausage. Plus, enjoy the riffs and tip top bants about Victorian politicians! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

It's time for a Select Your Own Escapade! (Our non-trademark-infringing alternative to a Choose Your Own Adventure.) James lets Alasdair decide the route through the county of Bedfordshire and the boys encounter four local oddities: from a lost member of the Blue Man Group (AKA the Cerulean Chaps Team) to Henry VIII's most boring mate. Loreboys nether say die! Check the sweet, sweet merch here......

Crash! And the church steeple crumbles to dust. Parishioners - dead! The sermon - a write off. This episode raises many questions. Is James Shakeshaft folklore's answer to Quenetin Taratantino? Was The Great Thunderstorm of Widecombe-in-the-Moor the work of ball lightning, or the Devil himself? Can the loreboys go a full episode without a Bowie impression? (Sadly, only one of those questions is an...

In honour of twelfth night, the Loreboys present the twelve pigs of Christmas. Get your snout into a bevy of porcine tales. But remember, only one swine will be crowned Monarch of Sowternalia*. From the subterranean hogs of Hampstead to the black pigs of Durham, this episode meets ALL your porky needs. Relive the stream, live and uncut, here: https://youtu.be/FVyTWtlXyuM *That is a really good pun...

This is the concluding part of the Loremen look-back at 2022 (2022). Feast upon a cold platter of festive leftovers - as selected by you, the lorefolk. This is part two of two, including favourite moments from:  The Legend of Ticonderoga Scratching Fanny of Cock Lane Rushton Triangular Lodge, Northamptonshire The Cerne Abbas Giant The Ghosts of Spokane (it's pronounced "Spo-kan") The River Ribble...

Prepare yourself for a bumper look back on a bumper year. Dig into this seasonal hamper of treats, as selected by you, the lorefolk. This is part one of two, including favourite moments from:  The Well of the Seven Heads The Pedlar of Swaffham Yorkshire Dragons Jenny Collier Maxen Wledig The Curse of the Silk Shoes Talking Heads Sean Burke, St Colomba and the Monster The Wells of St Walstan, Norfo...

Not one but TWO guests this week! The boys are joined by comedian Laura Lexx and her normal brother Ron (aka the Lexx Education podcast). Brother Ron brings in a local legend that's really quite unique. Really. In fact, the "Meat Dragon" of Norton Fitzwarren may not exist at all outside of Ron's fevered imagination. Loreboys nether say die! Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepubli...

What connects Queen Elizabeth I with a pond in Oxfordshire that just won't freeze? The answer is the ghost of Dudley's Castle. And we're not talking about Dudley Castle in the West Midlands. We're talking about Cumnor Hall, home to Robert Dudley and his ill-fated wife Amy Robsart. Prepare thyself for a Tudor tale of betrayal and death by misadventure. And look out for a triptych of Loremen staples...

The Cotswold village of Ilmington is home to a surprising number of spectres. True, several of them might be the same horse seen from different angles, but when have little things like "proof" or "reason" stood in the way of an episode of Loremen? This outing also includes a couple of lessons in old-timey film-making and the fundamentals of time travel. (Just basic stuff like whether driving into...

As a special treat for our 150th episode, we only went and did a LIVE STREAM! It was quite the ride. Alasdair was ever-so tired, poor lamb. (Watch the whole thing here https://youtu.be/WEeaSbYjhUw) Despite the fatigue, Alasdair managed to frighten James with a celebrity* endorsed ghost story from the featureless fens of Lincolnshire. *Sure, it's Richard Madeley, but it still counts. He is on the t...