The Rumour Mill Podcast

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...