After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

In 17th century France, Louis XIV's court sparkled with luxury. It also teemed with poison, occult rituals and aristocrats trying to murder their way up the social ladder.What started with one poisoned Easter pie uncovered a criminal network stretching from the backstreets of Paris to the bedchamber of the Sun King himself.Joining Anthony to uncover this criminal underworld is special guest co-host, and host of our sister podcast Betwixt the Sheets, Dr. Kate Lister!Edited by Anna Brant. Researched by Phoebe Joyce. 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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

In this special episode of After Dark. Anthony and Uncanny’s Danny Robins delve into historical ghost stories and explore why our obsession with death and the paranormal remains an integral part of the human experience.Danny will be at the Crossed Wires podcast festival, which takes place between 2nd-5th July in Sheffield. All tickets, including Danny’s headline show of Uncanny Cold Cases and his free Uncanny Uncovered show, are available at CrossedWires.Live.Edited by Hannah Feodorov. 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.You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Millenia ago, a plot was hatched within the highest echelons of Egyptian society which ended with royal blood being spilt. This assassination, known as the Harem Conspiracy, and the following trial would fascinate historians for the next three thousand years... Who was behind the plot? How close did they come to seizing the throne? And what can archaeology tell us about Egyptian society as a whole?Our guest today is Dr. Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at Manchester Museum and honorary research fellow at University of Liverpool. He’s our go-to Ancient Egypt expert and the author of his newest book ‘Brief Histories: Ancient Egypt.’Edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tom Delargy. 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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

17th century England was a world turned upside down.A civil war resulted in King Charles I being executed, and from this moment a religious movement called the Quakers grew rapidly.Far from the pacifists we think of them as today, Quaker leaders shocked the country with their radical approach, including attempts to resurrect the dead.Taking us back to the 17th century today is Dr Erica Canela, historian and author of Zealous: A Darker Side of the Early Quakers.Edited by Hannah Feodorov. 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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

*Warning: this episode contains discussions of child death*Deep beneath the sunny streets of Palermo Sicily, the Capuchin Catacombs are home to over a thousand people, most of them still standing in their Sunday best.Why did the residents of the catacombs want to be buried standing up? And how have their remains survived centuries?Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this fascinating history.Edited by Anna Brant and Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tomos Delargy. 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.You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Ancient Britain was occupied by the Romans, and tension was building with local tribes.Their brutal occupation reached a breaking point.So what happened when Queen Boudica stood up to the might of the Roman Empire? Bloody battles followed and Roman occupation in Britain changed forever. Her incredible life and story will shock and surprise you.Taking you back to Iron Age Britain is the incredible historian and author Kate Williams, who joins Anthony to immerse us in Boudica's world.Edited by Hannah Feodorov. 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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

*Warning: this episode contains discussions of puss*Gonorrhea and syphilis are no laughing matter, especially in a time before antibiotics.How were symptoms first recorded and what were the disturbing treatments people endured?Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this gruesome history.Edited by Anna Brant and Hannah Feodorov. 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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Queen Victorian was an icon of Britain at the zenith of its power... but that didn't mean she was invulnerable to attack. In today’s episode, we’ll be exploring some of the many assassination attempts on Victoria's life. We’ll be discussing the massive changes Britain was experiencing during this time and how this might have motivated these attackers… Some of them are pretty wild.Our guest today is Professor Kate Williams, historian and author whose new book ‘Regina: A New History of Women and Power’ is out in June! She’s also the cohost of the podcast ‘Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things’Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.For tickets to see Anthony and Maddy talking about her new book, Hoax, click here: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/hoax/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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

What did Ancient Egyptians discover while dissecting bodies? What did the first medieval dissecting manual say? Who were the serial killers who supplied 19th century surgeons with bodies in Edinburgh?Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this bloody history.Edited by Anna Brant and Tim Arstall. 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.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.