After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

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 Rather?'. Listen on to hear Anthony and Maddy decide between the many awful scenarios in history they would rather find themselves in.

If you've also asked yourself, 'Would you rather be a 17th century plague doctor or an 19th century body snatcher?', then you've come to the right place.

This episode was edited by Anna Brant. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

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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 feminine drag persona. But in May 1732, a man named Thomas Gordon robbed her of her clothes and money. The court case that followed was astounding.
Today Anthony Delaney takes Kate Lister back to the riotous streets of 18th century London.
Anthony's book Queer Georgians is out now in paperback.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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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 loudly announced to the world that she was married to a ghost and that their sex life was great, thank you very much.

Dr Kate Lister tells this story taken from her new book Flick: The Story of Female Pleasure, available everywhere.

Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

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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 condemned, multiple other female killers were spared the noose. In this episode, Anthony talks with Dr Rose Wallis from the University of West England Bristol about the societal implications of Martha's fate.

Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.

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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, windswept landscapes of 17th-century Iceland, a wave of witch trials led to the persecution and execution of men accused of practising dark magic.

Why were male witches feared more than female ones? And what happens when ancient Norse magic, strict Lutheran beliefs, and one of Europe's most isolated landscapes collide?

Edited by Anna Brant. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.