After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Maddy and Anthony dig into their own family history in collaboration with Ancestry! They find stories from the darker side of the past in their own family trees. Huge thanks to Ancestry's genealogists and family historians Jenn Utley, Joe Buggy and Christina Copland.

We all know the story of Pompeii: the Roman town reduced to ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Roughly two-thousand years later, archaeologists have been able to uncover the stories of its victims. What do we know of the lives of this city's inhabitants? Who were they? And what do we know about their terrible final moments?

Today, Anthony and Maddy are joined by ancient historian Dr Jess Venner, whose book ‘The Lost Voices of Pompeii’ will be published in April 2026.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.

How dark really were the Vikings? How much of a part did human sacrifice play in their world? And what was their relationship with magic?

Joining Anthony and Maddy in today's episode is historian, author and all-round Viking expert Dr Eleanor Barraclough, to take us back to darkest corners of the Viking era.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

Was this moment the closest Britain came to revolution? When Prime Minister Spencer Perceval lay dying on the floor of the Parliament, many feared it was the start of bloody revolt. We discover the assassin, John Bellingham, and what drove him to commit murder.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Freddy Chick.

Who was the very worst of all the Medieval monarchs? No spoilers but we've got monarchs driven psychopathic by love, terrible sadists, and egos that straddled a continent. They were the worst of the worst, but who was the worst of all?

Our guest today is Dr Eleanor Janega, co-host of Gone Medieval from History Hit - if you are a fan of the medieval world, you need to be listening!

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.