Ruth is Stranger Than Fiction

Join Ruth and Chris for a classic Cambridge tale of snow and drunkeness as we bring you another Mini Stranger episode from the lockdown house. Feel that cold February blizzard against your skin! Pity poor Elizabeth Woodcock as her journey home from market, via an infamous pub, takes an unexpected turn. But will a red hankerchief and a pair of nutcrackers save the day?

Lockdown has entered a new phase in the Ruth is Stranger household and it’s gibbeting time! Bad luck Chris, get up there in that man-shaped cage and prepare to be relentlessly poked by a sharp stick! Not really of course, but it is time to talk gibbets, with discussion lubricated by quite a bit of red wine. This mini episode delves into the unpleasant history of ‘hanging in chains’ in the UK (the...

Tune in again for another mini episode brought to you during quarantine… around the fields near the North Norfolk coast the keen observer will notice a series of mysterious depressions in the earth. But how did they get here? And more importantly, why oh why are they known as The Shrieking Pits? A smattering of archaeology, a wisp of ghostly goings on, and a few gin and tonics will help us find ou...

Join Ruth, Chris, and Vinnie the cat for the first of some short interlude episodes brought to you during lockdown time. Learn about the Toadmen, mysterious figures from the folklore of East Anglia. Why are they known as Toadmen and what strange powers do they posess? We also have some new music to open the episode, and a bottle of red wine.

It’s the day of reckoning for William Corder! The murder trial is about to begin, and Maria Marten’s family are lining up inside the courtroom to give their evidence. Outside the courtroom, all manner of people are waiting to hear the verdict and to witness Corder’s gruesome punishment. Here are two hints: galvanizing battery, and leathery tome. The horror! We drink a red booze, red like the tiles...

Join myself, Katy and Jo for the first episode of our double parter about the most nefarious and unfortunate murder of Maria Marten, aka the murder in the Red Barn. Meet Maria and her lover, the caddish William ‘Foxey’ Corder, and prepare yourselves for a twisting tale of trysting and terror, interspersed with a sprinkling of mole spuds and eggs. Ready yourselves too for the introduction of the ne...

Ruth and Chris have been on a road trip! Each year the Cambridgeshire town of Whittlesey brings forth the straw bear, and this year we were there to see it. In this episode we learn about the history and revival of the straw bear festival, and the central importance of drinking, dancing, possibly fighting, and definitely burning to this tradition. Jo and Jake hear all about it, and you shall too....

Let the yellow mania begin! It’s time for the yellow drink and for more talk of draining the fens. Listen as I attempt to tell the story of the black sheet at last, only to be derailed by Jo and Katy’s failure to focus on the tale at hand. Prepare yourself for tangents galore, an introduction to the Company of Adventurers, some impromptu singing, and an ill-advised attempt to mimic the voice of an...

Our story this time was suggested by Katy Holliday, who is back with me and Jo to explore the tale of The Black Sheet. Or at least, we might get there in the end, but first it’s Cromwell time! Yes, everyone’s favourite controversial Briton. Oliver Cromwell’s exploits in Ireland and his plans to drain the fens form the backdrop to our narrative. When Katy goes rogue with her drinks choice things st...

In this episode we get right into the nitty gritty of the murder of Annie Holmes, who died a horrible death following the receipt of a mysterious package. Jo and Jake, fuelled by the boozy petrol of the Fiendish Forager cocktail, have a lively debate about the morality of murder, and I recount the crimes of the St Neots poisoner himself, Walter Horsford.

Here we are again for some new discussions inspired by the morbid history of East Anglia. I turn my attention to Victorian England and the advent of forensic toxicology. Expect a lot of poison chat and rather too much faulty information from three people who really know very little about the subject. Jo McPhee joins me once more, along with Jake Dyer and our usual themed boozes. Why were there so...

Jo and Katy are back again as we conclude the story of Alice Samuels and the Throckmorton family. Hear some shocking revelations about the death of a fancy lady, the violence of the scratching test, and some foolishly monikered poultry. A magical witchy drink joins the party, as does an unpleasant milky concoction.

I am joined for our very first episode by Jo McPhee and Katy Holliday. Listen agog as we harken back to the late 16th Century and the murky fenlands of Huntingdonshire to introduce the story of the Throckmorton girls, who lived in the manor house of the village of Warboys, and Alice Samuels, the local woman they accused of witchcraft. We also drink some very delicious gin and tonics and specially...