The Something Wicked Podcast

We get festive by unwrapping Christmas charity singles, including the many versions of Do They Know It’s Christmas? which leads us onto Midge Ure’s long coat, Ian Brown’s long hair, and a long list of those we lost in 2025.

In the 80s and early 90s, Social Workers seized kids from council estates, convinced they were victims of ritual Satanic abuse. Meanwhile, America was well and truly possessed — decoding devilish messages in rock music and warning that Dungeons & Dragons was a gateway to hell.

We pass through the gates of hell to trace the birth of the Devil and the stories that forged him, delving into old folklore, whispered myths, and the eerie artistic visions that captured the many twisted faces of Old Nick.

Colin Stagg, a lonely virgin who dabbled in a bit of Wicca and nude sunbathing, was hunted by the police and the press who both wanted his head as a trophy for the brutal killing of Rachel Nickell. Yet, as they followed the wrong scent, the real killer was free to strike again.

Neighbours and Home & Away served up sugar and sanctimony, with unrealistic kids and fat old men like Harold and Alf, whereas Prisoner Cell Block H was pure, chaotic brilliance — brutally violent, hilarious, and packed with great characters like Bea, Lizzie and Vinegar Tits.