After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Georgian London's Celebrity Criminal

What is it about a ‘bad boy’ that we love? That’s as true today as it was in the 18th century. In this episode of After Dark, Anthony and Maddy unravel the extraordinary

The Wild Story of America's Biggest Traitor

Benedict Arnold was celebrated as a war hero of the American Revolution before he betrayed George Washington and the Continental Army by joining the British. In today's

Is This New York's Craziest Murder Case?

This week we're revisiting a favourite episode set in New York at the end of the 20th century. The year is 1897, and this murder case has it all: a villain, an incredibl

Magdalene Laundries: Ireland's Dark Secret

The Magdalene Laundries existed throughout Ireland up until the late 20th century. Women and young girls were sent to these institutions that were run by orders of nuns.

The Brutal Murder of Catherine Howard

Today we're delving back into the After Dark vaults to revisit our classic episode on the death of the short-lived Tudor queen. In 1540 Henry VIII was getting old, and h

18th Century France's Most Outrageous Spy

The Chevalier d’Éon was one of France’s most daring spies... until they began making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Armed with explosive state secrets and at the c

The Spy Who Fooled The Nazis

She was the only person during World War Two to parachute from Britain behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied Germany, all while wearing a dress. Who was Agent Zo? And wh

The Murder That Changed Britain

Ruth Ellis made history in 1955 when she was the last woman hanged in Britain. She shot and killed her abusive lover, the racing driver David Blakely, at point blank ran

How To Be A Medieval Spy

Look closely at the Bayeux Tapestry and you will see a medieval spy. But far from the world of James Bond gadgetry, what was medieval spycraft like? Why were they referr

What Did The Vikings Do With Their Dead?

The world of Viking death rituals and their beliefs surrounding the afterlife is truly fascinating... What happened when a Viking died? What ceremonies and practices did

Wild Shipwreck and Cannibal Story That Inspired Moby Dick

When a whaling ship sank in 1820, her crew were cast adrift thousands of miles from land, and faced starvation, madness, and death. Their ordeal would become one of the m

Britain's Bloodiest Mutiny

The captain of the HMS Hermione was a sadist even by the not-very-high standards of the British Royal Navy in the 1700's. He was a prolific flogger, subjecting his crew t

Murder In The Medici Court

In Medici Florence there were two ways of maintaining power - one was money and the other was murder. Isabella de’ Medici was the believed daughter of the Medici patriarc

The Most Disastrous Voyage in Navy History

It's hard to wrap your head around all the disasters that befell Captain Anson's Royal Navy voyage around the world in the 1740s. Rampant scurvy, horrendous storms, maroo

Britain's Worst Airship Disaster

"It's like the Titanic, except you've never heard of it. And in a way, it's even weirder." So says today's guest, Cautionary Tales' host, Tim Harford, about the disastro

Would You Rather Be On The Titanic Or In Pompeii?

Sound the trumpets! The day has finally arrived: Maddy Pelling is back on After Dark! To welcome her back into the coven, we're playing a game of historical 'Would You R

The Story of England's First Drag Queen

Born John Cooper, "Princess Seraphina" was one of the first English Drag Queens. Princess Seraphina was an 18th-century gentleman’s servant who openly embraced her femini

The Woman Who Had Sex With Ghosts

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 loud

The Tragic Execution of a Victorian Murderess

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

The Witch Men of Iceland

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, win