After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Author: History Hit Language: English Episodes: 50
There’s a side to history that doesn’t make it into the standard textbooks, one filled with unexplained events, chilling folklore, and criminal acts that defy easy explanation. That’s precisely the territory explored in After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal. Hosted by historians Anthony Delaney and Maddy Pelling, this series from History Hit ventures into the shadowy archives of our past every Monday and Thursday. Each episode feels like a deep dive into a long-forgotten case file or a whispered campfire tale, treating these subjects with a historian’s rigor and a storyteller’s flair. You’ll hear them dissect everything from infamous witch trials and the enigmatic legacy of Harry Houdini to accounts of haunted locations and perplexing aerial phenomena. The conversation is engaging and thoughtful, never sensational, even when the topics are inherently sensational. It’s a podcast for anyone curious about the intersections of fact, fear, and folklore, offering a compelling listen that proves the past is rarely as simple or as settled as it seems. By focusing on these overlooked narratives, Delaney and Pelling provide a unique and fascinating lens on human culture and our enduring fascination with the mysterious.
Episodes
The Dark Mystery of Princess Caraboo [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:53
Today we are celebrating the upcoming publication of Maddy's new book 'Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment' by sharing one of the stories from it. This is the story of a fake Princess from far-off lands who…
The Haunting of Cock Lane [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:22
Today we are celebrating the upcoming publication of Maddy's new book 'Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment' by sharing one of the stories from it. The haunting of Cock Lane is the most iconic ghost story in…
Speaking with the Dead: Ancient Necromancy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:13
In Ancient Mesopotamia, the boundary between the living and the dead was not always fixed... some even believed it could be crossed. But why would the living seek counsel from the dead? How common were these practices? A…
Dark Side of Prehistoric Britain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:21
Across prehistoric Britain people raised vast stone circles, buried their dead in monumental tombs, and left offerings in rivers and bogs. Archaeologists have uncovered skeletons bearing signs of violence, carefully arra…
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:15
On a summer day in Sarajevo in 1914, a young man fired two rounds of his pistol in the middle of the street, killing a Royal couple... He didn't know it then, but his actions would cause a chain reaction, resulting in th…
Titanic's Biggest Myths Debunked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:32
Is it true that third-class passengers were locked below decks? Or that more lifeboats would have saved more lives? Did the band really play as the Titanic went down? Anthony is joined once again by the marvellous Gareth…
The Murder that Shook Mary Queen of Scots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:40
On the night of Saturday the 9th of March, 1566, a pregnant Mary Queen of Scots was having a dinner party.It was a night that ended in the brutal murder of one of her closest friends, David Rizzio, led by her husband, Lo…
The Victorian Sex Scandal of Fanny & Stella [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:50
The Victorians are seen as the ultimate guardians of rigid gender boundaries.When Fanny Park and Stella Boulton transgressed those imagined lines, they triggered a scandal that reached the length and breadth of Britain.T…
Henry VIII's Descent into Darkness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:54
He's known as one of history's most murderous kings, but was he always a monster? Or was he acting in ways expected of a king during his time.Joining Anthony as special guest co-host is author and historian Gareth Russel…
The Victorian Era's Wildest Murder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:50
It was one of the most gruesome crimes of the Victorian era... and it ended up in David Attenborough's garden! Kate Webster, a servant, killed and dismembered her mistress, Julia Martha Thomas in 1879. It's a story that…