Poison in the Tower of London

Like Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve, we are visited by three Dickensian ghosts today. One rattling chains, one made out of dark memories, and one tapping out messages on a train. Did Dickens himself believe in ghosts? What do his ghost tales tell us about the beliefs in the supernatural that were swirling around the world he lived in?Maddy and Anthony talk to Dr Frankie Kubicki, Deputy Director of the Charles Dickens Museum in London. Recorded on location in Charles Dickens' drawing room! To find out more visit: https://dickensmuseum.com/Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte LongDiscover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Des 202331min

In a century of poisoners, William Palmer stands out as the prince of them all. Charles Dickens called him "the greatest villain that ever stood in the Old Bailey".Maddy tells Anthony the story this week, whisking us back to Victorian England and the Staffordshire town of Rugeley where Palmer plied his trade. A town where Maddy's ancestor happened to be working as the chemist at the time....Edited by Tean Stewart-Murray, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte LongDiscover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Des 202337min

Why do people kill in the season of goodwill? Why are we fascinated when they do? And what does it say about us?Professor David Wilson, leading criminologist and bestselling author, joins Maddy and Anthony for this Christmas Special edition.David's latest book is "Murder at Home: how our safest space is where we're most in danger".Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte LongDiscover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Des 202339min

The Red Barn Murder in 1827 was ground zero for true crime podcasts. It become one of the first cases to explode in the media and caused a national sensation. It had everything - sex, murder and a ghost that revealed the location of its own corpse. What more could Britain's budding army of armchair detectives want?Huge thanks to Una McIlvenna for her beautiful (and historically accurate) recording of the ballad the 'Murder of Maria Marten'. Una is Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Senior Lecturer in English at Australian National University. Her book Singing the News of Death: Execution Ballads in Europe 1500-1900 won the Katherine Briggs prize for folklore this year. You can find out more about her work at https://www.unamcilvenna.com/Edited and Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Des 202351min

We talk the ghost of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England before Henry VIII chopped off her head, with the marvellous Tracy Borman.Where can Anne Boleyn's ghost be seen? What form does it take? And why does she haunt us so? Get ready for carriages pulled by headless horses, spooky palaces, a weird floating cylinder thing...and a single moment in history that has haunted England, and now Britain's, imagination for hundreds of years.Tracy's new book "Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History" is out now.Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Des 202332min

Sex, Satanism and Scandal surrounded the Hellfire Club that operated out of a network of caves in the country estate of 18th century aristocrat Francis Dashwood. The most powerful men in the country came to Dashwood's underground lair. Rumours swirled of everything from orgies to human sacrifice and Satanic spirits. But was it all as diabolical as it seemed?Maddy tells Anthony the story this week.Produced by Freddy Chick and Charlotte Long. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Des 202346min

Some estimates have it that Amelia Dyer killed more than 400 babies. It's hard to say for sure because so few victims were recovered. She was a phantom that grew up in a very dark corner of Victorian society where helpless mothers were given with no better options but to give their babies to 'baby farmers'.Anthony tells Maddy this painful history.Edited and produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK sign up now for your 14-day free trial http://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/purchase?code=afterdark&plan=monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Nov 202340min

Have you ever wondered what the ancient origins of witchcraft is? How did the black-hat-broomstick stereotype emerge? And what causes the waves of witch trials throughout history, right up to the present day?Ronald Hutton is back on After Dark to discuss the history of the witch, in an episode from our sister podcast, Betwixt the Sheets. This podcast was mixed and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long. Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AFTERDARK Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribeYou can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Nov 202334min