Everything Is Awful Forever

Where the hell are we? - an update Jan 24, 2023

Everything is awful forever both in life, and podcast. An update about our hiatusi and our future

Funky Spelunky and the Bad Time Hole Nov 30, 2022

As autumn draws to a close and the chill creeps in, follow Jess and Philippa into the cold and dark as they look at the misadventures of Floyd Collins.

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Mediums at Large Oct 31, 2022

It's been a bit of a hiatus, but nothing is going to stop Jess and Philippa from crawling out of their graves on Halloween. Join us around the table as we listen to the rappings of spirits, and look at the tricks of the trade in the (not so) otherworldly lives of Victorian spirit mediums.
Sources:
TBA

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Sweet Sassy Molassy! Apr 19, 2022

We wanted to do an Easter-themed episode but have already covered Mary Toft, the woman who gave birth to rabbits. May we interest you in some Easter...floods? Grab your water wings and hope they'll keep you afload as Jess and Philippa dive into the very non-watery substances that have plagued humankind.

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Grace O'Malley: The Pirate Queen Mar 29, 2022

Join Jess and Philippa as they set sail off the west coast of Ireland with Grace O'Malley, or Granuaile, a woman whose piratical journey would take her from the Irish seas to the throne of Queen Elizabeth Tudor.

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Mad Monarchs: Tyrannical Teens Mar 07, 2022

Why do so many monarchs get stuck with the nickname of "...the Mad"? It can't possible be because they're...oh...nevermind. Welcome to the return of the Mad Monarchs series. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into the lives of four teen rulers who should never have been allowed to rule.
Content warning for brief mentions of sexual assault in the episode.

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Aleister Crowley and the Joy of Sects Feb 22, 2022

Let's talk about sects. Join Jess and Philippa for another episode on the Wickedest Man in the World, Aleister Crowley. Magical societies, demonic battles, and newspaper scandals: just another regular day in the life of Britain's most famous dark wizard.
Sources:
Churton, T. (2011) Aleister Crowley: The Biography. London: Watkins.
Lachman, G. (2014) Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. New York: Tarcher

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The Sacred Disease Feb 09, 2022

Known to history since for over 4000 years, and it's only recently that we've begun to understand it. In the meantime, people had to endure some "cures" that may have been worse than the disorder - especially since most of them did very little help in the first place. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into the confusion surrounding epileptic seizures, and how it was dealt with in the ancient world and medieval period.
Sources:
Sugg, R. (2011) Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires: The History of Corpse Medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians. London and New York: Routledge.
Temkin, O. (1945) The Falling Sickness: A History of Epilepsy from the Greeks to the Beginnings of Modern Neurology. Baltimore and London: John Hopkins University Press.

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Project Stargate: When the Psi-ence Checks Out Jan 24, 2022

CW: Animal experimentation
We know what you're thinking: when will Jess and Philippa release their next episode?! January 1st was more than three weeks ago! If you want to know how we read your minds, join us as we delve into the Russian search for the psi particle and the secrets of Project Stargate.

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The Bell-Strewn Path Dec 20, 2021

Knock knock
Who's there?
Jess
Jess who?
Jester jokes are difficult to ad lib when you're Jess and Philippa. Join us as we prance along the bell-strewn history of jesters and joculators, and find out that the life of a joker wasn't all shits and giggles.

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Aleister Crowley: The Mountain and the Abyss Dec 06, 2021

Join Jess and Philippa as they accompany Crowley up to the heights of his greatest accomplishments as well as down to the depths of failure and despair.
Sources:
Churton, T. (2011) Aleister Crowley: The Biography. London: Watkins.
Crowley, A. (1909) The Book of the Law
Originally published as part of ΘΕΛΗΜΑ in London by the A∴A∴
Lachman, G. (2014) Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. New York: Tarcher

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Working It Out Nov 23, 2021

As we approach Black Friday, join Jess and Philippa as we dive into one of the many ways in which labour has been exploited in the name of profit. It's time at last to work out what they really did in the Victorian workhouse.
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Baby Farms Nov 08, 2021

CW: Violence against children, child death
Good childcare is notoriously difficult to find - and expensive when you do come across it. And if children are really the future, the Victorians were having none of it. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into the grim options available to many a late-Victorian mother and the money-hungry killers that preyed on their children.

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Halloween Edition: Haunted Dolls Oct 25, 2021

They were your childhood friends. You played with them every day. You told them all your secrets. And while you grew up, they stayed the same. And when you left home, they...waited. This Halloween, join Jess and Philippa as they look into two of the most famous dolls to haunt your nightmares.
Sources:
Brittle, G. (1981) The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed + Lorraine Warren. New York: Maymalkin Media.
Ocker, J. W. (2020) Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.
Robert the Doll Official Website: http://robertthedoll.org
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/story-behind-robert-the-doll
https://allthatsinteresting.com/annabelle-doll

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Aleister Crowley and the Cursed Child(hood) Aug 09, 2021

This week we look at the greatest mountaineer, poet, chessmaster, spy, and wizard of all time: Aleister Crowley. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into his humble beginnings from a cupboard under the stairs (sort of kind of not really), his initiation into the Golden Dawn, and his role in the most epic wizard battle to ever shake the streets of London.
Sources:
Churton, T. (2011) Aleister Crowley: The Biography. London: Watkins.
Crowley, A. (2021) The Confessions of Aleister Crowley: An Autohagiography Part I-III. Houston Texas: The Winged Globe Libary.
Originally published by Mandrake Press as The Spirit of Solitude in 1929.
Lachman, G. (2014) Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. New York: Tarcher

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The Witch Hunter King Jul 19, 2021

Join Jess and Philippa for a quintessential Awful Forever episode. Witches! Boats! Henry VIII! Murder most foul, and maybe a little murder most pleasant - if you're a king on the hunt for witches.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/story/acts-of-union-uniting-the-united-kingdom https://www.scotlandmag.com/james-vi-and-witch-trials/
https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/king-james-vi-i-hunted-witches-hunter-devilry-daemonologie/

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Mourning Glory Jul 05, 2021

If you're having trouble getting started with your week, Jess and Philippa are ready to help you get over those Monday morning blues by getting into the (fashion) details of Victorian mourning rituals. Wilde may have thought "Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" but Victorian women could be confined to black bombazine for two years at a time.
Sources:
Arnold, C. (2006) Necropolis: London and its Dead. London: Simon & Schuster.

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The Return of Bad (Kar)luk: Ada Blackjack Jun 15, 2021

Sometimes you throw in your lot with rogues who convince you to board their ramshackle vessel and go die in the Arctic. Sure, you might perish in the frozen darkness - but what happened to the person who abandoned you there? Join Jess and Philippa as they see what Vilhjalmur Stefansson, leader of the doomed Karluk and the Canadian Arctic Expedition, got up to after he left his previous crew to die.

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Down to Earth May 31, 2021

What do you do when your graveyards are at capacity and everyone's simply dying to get in? Join Jess and Philippa as they confront burial reform in Victorian London and the corpse-ridden scandals that shook the city.
Sources:
Arnold, C. (2006) Necropolis: London and its Dead. London: Simon & Schuster.
Jackson, L. (2014) Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Walker, George. (1839) Gatherings from Graveyards.
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/y95wwnen

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Cursed Cures May 17, 2021

It's a Monday and we're all feeling a little down. Sickly, even. But you can always join Jess and Philippa for a small pick-me-up and some sound advice about achieving a healthy glow that is literally radiant.

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Books of Blood Apr 19, 2021

Do you ever feel torn between an endless list of podcasts to listen to and that massive pile of books sitting there...judging you for not reading right now? Right. Now? Why not join Jess and Philippa instead, as they flip through the pages of anthropodermic bibliopegy - books bound in human leather.
Sources
Brooke-Hitching, E. (2020) The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History. London: Simon & Schuster.
Flanders, F. (2011) The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. London: HarperCollins Publishers.
Rosenbloom, M. (2020) Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Flesh. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
The Anthropodermic Book Project: https://anthropodermicbooks.org/
Needham, P. (2014) A Binding of Skin in the Houghton Library: A Recommendation
http://www.princeton.edu/~needham/Bouland.pdf

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Rick and Naughty Apr 05, 2021

Worry not, for Jess and Philippa will explain to you how to do the perfect crime. If you don't understand it maybe it's just because you're not smart enough; not like two white, wealthy, teenage boys from the 1920's, who were certainly smarter than everyone else, definitely able to flawlessly execute perfect crime.
Sources: For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago By Simon Baatz (2008)

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Alice & Junko Apr 01, 2021

...

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For Womb The Bell Tolls Mar 22, 2021

It's that time of the week in which we discuss that time of the month. Join Jess and Philippa as they look at the mysteries of the medieval womb, and the monstrous ways in which women were misunderstood.
Sources:
Hartnell, J. (2019) Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages. London: Wellcome Collection.
Miller, S. (2010) Medieval Monstrosity and the Female Body. New York, London: Routledge.

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The Secret Queen Mar 08, 2021

Ever wished that you could be a royal? Who doesn'tt? Well, sign up to our three-step Rags to Royalty program, inspired by Madame de Maintenon, that will 100% absolutely take you to queenhood in no time.
Sources:
Françoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon (1635—1719) - John J. Conley – 9-(2021) https://iep.utm.edu/mainteno/
Madame de Maintenon – Louis XIV’s secret wife -Moniek (2018) https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-royal-mistresses-series/madame-de-maintenon-louis-xivs-secret-wife/
Undercover Queen - Caroline Weber - 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/books/review/Weber-t.html
Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon - The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica –(2021) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francoise-dAubigne-marquise-de-Maintenon

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The John Smith Journals Feb 22, 2021

Pocahontas. John Smith. The love. The colours. The wind. You've seen the movie. Now bear witness to the journal ramblings of the hero himself.
John Smith, British explorer (2021) https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Smith-British-explorer
First Prison in Colonial Virginia (2017) http://www.virginiaplaces.org/government/firstprison.html
Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend (2015) https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/pocahontas-her-life-and-legend.htm
John Smith of Jamestown: Facts & Biography (2013) https://www.livescience.com/40898-captain-john-smith.html
John Smith (2020) https://historicjamestowne.org/history/pocahontas/john-smith/
The True Story of Pocahontas (2017) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-pocahontas-180962649/
Following John Smith - Stingray Point and another shallop (2006) https://cbf.typepad.com/johnsmith/2006/07/following_john__2.html

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Cutting Edge: A Tale of Two Surgeons Feb 08, 2021

If there's one thing you've come to expect from our history podcast it's that we look at the very bluntest edge technology available. And where else to look other than the operating theatre? Join Jess and Philippa as they look at two surgeons: one, the paragon of his age just before the advent of anaesthesia; the other, a French surgeon who got up close and personal with the dark side of the Sun King.
Sources:
Fitzharris, L. (2017) The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine. New York: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Porter, R. (2004) Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company.
Snow, S. (2006) Operations Without Pain: The Practice and Science of Anaesthesia in Victorian Britain. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Van de Laar, A. (2018) Under the Knife: A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations. New York: St. Martin's Press.

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Blood and Butter: The Final Spread Dec 07, 2020

Artichokes! Church brawls! Bounties! Tennis matches to the death, fought beneath the cold gaze of the indifferent stars. Pimp knights. Join Jess and Philippa for one last look at the life of the walking catastrophe also known as Caravaggio.

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Exorcise Influencers Nov 25, 2020

We've looked at demonic possession in Demoniac and Double Demons, but how exactly does one get rid of them once they've invaded your home, made a mess, and insulted your mother-in-law? In this episode, Jess and Philippa look at some of the ways in which both Catholic and Protestant authorities have tried to politely suggest that it might be time for everyone to get on home. So join us for tales of possession, faith, and potatoes.
Sources:
Levack, B. (2013) The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
Sands, K. (2004) Demon Possession in Elizabethan England. Westport, Connecticut, London: Praeger.
Young, F. (2016) A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity.Cambridge: Palgrave MacMillan.

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Blood and Butter: Black Cloaks and Bawbags Nov 09, 2020

Art! Betrayal! Stabbing! Also, what rhymes with testicle? Join Jess and Philippa as they continue with the Blood and Butter epic tale of one artist testing the limits of just how many people he can stab. Caravaggio can get away with murder...but what about a mean poem?

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Double Demons: The Haunting of the Gibbons Twins Oct 26, 2020

We had one demon, yes. But what about second demons? Another turn of the screw, so to speak. In addition being possessed by paraphrase, Jess and Philippa are obsessed (possessed) by the case of June and Jennifer Gibbons. Join us as we look at this peculiar case that has so much in common with historical cases of alleged demonic possession.

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Demoniac Oct 19, 2020

We've always known that Jess might not be quite right, and Philippa suspects that she might finally understand why. Join the demonic duo as they weigh up the pros and cons of possession, as well as two common modern explanations for this phenomenon.
Sources:
Almond, P. (2004) Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and their Cultural Contexts. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo: Cambridge University Press.
Levack, B. (2013) The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
Young, F. (2016) A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity.Cambridge: Palgrave MacMillan.

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Blood and Butter: The Garden of Evil Oct 12, 2020

We've covered the temptations of butter. But have you considered the essential eroticism of fruit? This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the early life of Caravaggio (aka the human dumpster fire) and his fetish for shoulders, lizards, and the fruits to be plucked in the Garden of Evil
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Toxic Tyrants Oct 05, 2020

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Shakespeare was talking about a different Henry, but our favourite Tudor would have had a few reasons to keep up at night. After all, his servants needed time to throughly kiss his bed before his head could hit the pillow. Join Jess and Philippa as they look at poison prevention in the Renaissance period. Even if you have a few unicorn horns or bezoars, you'd better hope you have a strong stomach!

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Blood and Butter Sep 28, 2020

Join Jess and Philippa as they explore the importance of context in a sweeping history of 1500 years, in which empires rose and fell, towers were buttered, battles were fought, and people were excessively tortured - all in the name of some Middle Eastern Jewish guy. Also, it's about art, maybe?

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Bottom Feeders Sep 21, 2020

Strap in and hold onto your bottoms because this week we're going monster hunting. Join Jess and Philippa as they chat about the Whipping Toms and the London Monster: criminals with an unhealthy fixation on the female derrière.

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Mad Monarchs: Nasty Names Sep 14, 2020

If you've ever gotten stuck with a nickname that made you want to burn down an entire kingdom just to abolish it from the face of the earth, then this episode may be for you. Join Jess the Incorrigible and Philippa the Long-Suffering as they look at some of history's rulers whose names reflected - or altered - the course of their rule.

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Social Diseases: Syphilis Sep 07, 2020

CW: Graphic medical descriptions
Philippa's back from her time abroad in the land of disease and she's got syphilis...facts. Join her and Jess for a sexy discussion about disease, eugenics, medical experiments, and blaming foreigners and minority groups for your problems.

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Ma'am Mandelbaum's School for Thieves. Aug 31, 2020

Join Jess and Fauxlippa (Rosie Cowling) as she tell us about the wheelings and dealings of the the biggest fence in the U.S. The criminal, exciting kind, not the keeps-your-chickens-in kind. A massive criminal enterprise, a school to teach kids how to pick pocket. She was the best.

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Promiscuous Popery Aug 10, 2020

From the most powerful Italian families comes a tale of promiscuity, mistresses, bribery, rackets and murder. No,no, not the mafia, but the Vatican of course! Join Jess and Philippa??? Rosie, the backup ginger exploring the wild sex parties and crimes of this mob boss pope and his equally terrible children. Everyone run, he comes the popo....pe.

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Leeches Breeches: Victorian Job Features Jul 13, 2020

Is your current desk job getting you down? Is the capitalist system leeching off your hard labour? Console yourself with the fact that some Victorian jobs involved actual leeches. Join Jess and Philippa as they search for new jobs among the Sin Eaters, Mudlarks, and Funeral Mutes of the Victorian underbelly.

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Well Hung Jul 06, 2020

We've looked at the inventive methods of execution that were designed to get attention (and at least a few chuckles), but who was it that had to ensure that the death sentence was carried out to the letter? Join Jess and Philippa for a game of hangman and look into the complicated, stigmatised existences (and fashions) of those who ruled the noose.

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Night Witches Jun 29, 2020

This week, we are so lucky to have Moxie LaBouche, the host of Your Brain On Facts, pay our podcast a visit! Join Jess, Philippa, and Moxie as they cling to the wood-and-canvas wings of the outdated, ramshackle planes flown by the Russian Night Witches during WWII and look into the lives of those who are often lost to history and the impact of those whom we choose as a culture to memorialise.

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Batavia's Graveyard Jun 15, 2020

If we've learned anything, during our time podcasting (and that may be up for debate), it's that nothing good happens on a boat. Join us onboard the Batavia, which set out from Texel in the Netherlands in 1628 and never returned. It would, however, carry its passengers to the site of one of the bloodiest, murderiest (technically not a) mutiny in naval history.
CW: Sexual assault, child death, and murder

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Black Beards, Red Hearts Jun 08, 2020

Join Jess and Philippa as they look at one of the greatest boat-based love stories of all time: that of Blackbeard and Black Sam Bellamy. Plunder, booty, and most important of all...REVENGE! Get your best pirate voice going and dive with us into this tale of broken hearties.

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Vampires and Corpse Brides: A Patreon Sneak Peek Jun 01, 2020

This week, see what we're getting up on Patreon with one of our older episodes dated back to Halloween (a.k.a. back when things were kind of okay). Join Philippa and Jess as they look at a couple of monsters from eastern lore and one very real life monster who took the idea of eternal one-sided love way too far.
Content warning for child death in one story and necrophilia in another.
Also, turns out we got super confused about the origin story of the langsuir. Turns out no one was owls to begin with. Go figure.

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Losing Our Heads: Public Execution May 25, 2020

Hold onto your heads (and perhaps your limbs, bowels, and sundry bits) because this week, Jess and Philippa are sticking their necks out to peer at public execution. Just how (and why) did England desire to despatch its dastardly denizens? Hang around to find out!

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Changeling Children: The Dunbar Disappearance May 18, 2020

It's a sad fact that children go missing every day. Sometimes, if one is lucky, they're found once more. But after a long separation, how can you be certain that you've got the right kid? Join Jess and Philippa as they dive back into the early 1900s and the swamps of Louisiana to discuss one of the most baffling disappearances of the century.

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Mary Toft: Down the Rabbit Hole May 04, 2020

It's 1726 and all of London is abuzz with the news of a woman who has allegedly given birth to seventeen rabbits. Join Jess and Philippa as they explore the messy affair and the full potential of a Georgian woman's reproductive power.

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Resurrectionists: Scrumping for Corpses Apr 27, 2020

Hold onto your everything because, this week, Burke and Hare are headed to Surgeon's Hall and need some body to go with them. Join Jess and Philippa as they shadow the resurrection men as well as those with a more "go get 'em" attitude.

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Consuming Fashion Apr 20, 2020

It's the mid 1850s and one thing is on everyone's lips (and perhaps their freshly laundered handkerchiefs): tuberculosis. Deadly, incurable, and oh so incredibly fashionable.
Join Jess and Philippa as they look at what was then called "the white plague", "consumption", or even "graveyard cough" and how the Victorians cultivated its sickly pallor in order to give themselves a moral, intellectual - and above all trendy - glow.

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Undark and the Radium Girls Apr 06, 2020

In these difficult times, we're all learning new lessons about hygiene and what not to put in our mouths (lookin' at you, Greg). Join Jess and Philippa as they look back on the 20s of yester-century and the finger-lickin' awfulness of the Radium Girls.

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The Abode of Love: The Prince and the Spinster Mar 17, 2020

The countryside is underrated. Lush fields, picturesque cows, spring in bloom, and middle class sex (maybe?) cults. Join Jess and Philippa in the Abode of Love as they discuss the Agapemonites, led by Henry Prince, and their involvement in the lives of the Nottidge family. Cults, abductions, madhouses, and scandal: it's all topsy turvey in the Abode of Love.

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Hooked Mar 09, 2020

How do you piss off a pirate? Take away the ‘P’! We'd apologise for the the terribly pirate humour and non-stop "aaaarghs", but we don't think we'll ever be sorry.
Join Jess and Philippa as they teach their parrots to swear, adjust their eyepatches, and learn about the pirate code (it's more of a guideline, really).

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Bend It Like Bedlam Mar 02, 2020

It's our final episode on Bedlam and we're all out of episode titles. Join us this week as Bedlam is dragged kicking and screaming to its new home in St. George's Fields and the 19th century.

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The Bluebelle Ocean Massacre Feb 24, 2020

A family vacation, cruising on out in the blue of the Bahamas...just what could possibly go wrong? This week, let Jess and Philippa stoke your thalassophobia as we dive into a story about death on the ocean and surprising escapes.

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Cops and Quakers Feb 17, 2020

Royal assassination attempts, criminal lunacy and...Quakers? When we last looked at Bedlam, it was wobbling uneasily on its shaky masonry. But who's going to be the one to push it over the edge? This week, Jess and Philippa take a look at the dual waves of prison and asylum reform that would soon sweep Bedlam out of its chains and into the modern age.

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Speak Easy Feb 03, 2020

This week, join two rum runnin' baby vamps as we speak easy about 1920s prohibition and the G-man's attempts to give America the screaming meemies. It's not all banana oil, so let's get boiled as an owl and jive to the toils of the roaring 20s.

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Back to Bedlam Jan 27, 2020

This week, Jess and Philippa continue their journey into Bedlam. Join us as we sneak between its tightly locked doors, through the shaky, crumbling structure of the building, eavesdrop on its medical triumvirate, and chat with one of its inmates about a fiendish invention.

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Mad Monarchs: Royal Rumble Jan 20, 2020

Content warning for brief mention of sexual assault in the episode.
As we look away from the awful world of current events, it's a good time to remind ourselves that things could always be more...interesting. Join Jess and Philippa this week as we talk about rulers who thought that they might be blamed for the weather, held court martials (and executions) for rats, or just tied their guests to water wheels to watch them drown.

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Bedlam: The Beginning Jan 13, 2020

The New Year is here, and everything's gone to Bedlam. Join Jess and Philippa this week as we look at the beginnings of this infamous asylum, which would be founded in the thirteenth century and, over the centuries, come to haunt the minds and cultural works of the English - eventually embodying the very idea of madness itself.

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Awful Forever Pre-Christian Christmas Episode Dec 23, 2019

This week, Jess and Philippa encourage you to make Great Britain great again with cannibal pre-Christmas feasts, druidic sacrifices, wode paint, and generalised screaming. Also, some great hair tips.

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Medieval Madness: Melancholy and Mania Dec 09, 2019

It's Monday and the madness continues with medieval madnessess of melancholy and mania. Also, we can't stop alliterating, please send help.
This week, Jess and Philippa look at how medieval Christianity blended with classical Greek and Roman beliefs about madness, and how emotional and behavioural disturbances were analysed through the lenses of mania and melancholia.

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Hazzardous Healthcare Dec 02, 2019

Now that December is upon us, Jess and Philippa anticipate your New Year's resolutions of health, wealth, and happiness by giving you a couple of wellbeing tips. 99% of doctors agree that 90 day fasts are NOT the way to the beach body you've always dreamed of (a beach body is a body buried on the beach. Get it right, this year). 99% of doctors would suggest NOT starving people to death in order to steal their wealth. This week, we look at the 1% that would say otherwise. The doctor will see you now.

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Humour in Your Humours Nov 25, 2019

This week, Jess and Philippa's Ship of Fools embarks upon the sea of madness. Join us in this introductory episode to historical perspectives on insanity. What behaviours crossed the line? What caused "madness", and what cured it? This week, we dive into the Old Testament, archaic Greece, Hippocratic theory, and more.

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Serfs Up, Bro Nov 18, 2019

This week, listen to Jess go mad with power as she and Philippa explore medieval feudalism through the lens of a Choose Your Own Adventure, dystopia style.

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The Irish Potato Famine Nov 11, 2019

This week, Jess and Philippa go back to 1845 to look at the Great Hunger and England's response to a starving nation.

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Halloween Special: Vampire Variations Nov 04, 2019

What's that rapping on your window? That shadow on the wall? Only Jess and Philippa who can't let go of Halloween and want to look at one more monster before the Christmas wave hits us. This week we invite vampires over the threshold and look at the different beliefs surrounding them in Eastern European folklore as well as the problems that they posed to the Christian faith.

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Halloween Special: The Spiderman of Denver Oct 28, 2019

A violent murder. A locked house that no assailant could have left. A ghoulish presence in a house that should be empty. Who or what killed Philip Peters? And what's that looming over your shoulder right now? This week, Jess and Philippa get into some spooky history.

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Naval Cannibal Homicide: The Wreck of the Medusa Oct 21, 2019

This week we explore the true meaning of checking oneself before wrecking oneself. The loss of the French frigate, the Medusa, was caused by gross negligence and incompetence, and resulted in the cruel and needless loss of over a hundred lives.

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That Voodoo That You Do Oct 15, 2019

Halloween is drawing near, and it's time for a little historical horror. This week, Jess and Philippa look at the how do's and who do's of voodoo, and how it's not too bad if you're open to a zombie apocalypse.

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Cannibal Curious Oct 08, 2019

We've discussed cannibalism before (S1E4) but our stomaches are still growling. Join Jess and Philippa for a second course of culinary culture. This week, we look at ritual cannibalism and the different forms that it might take across a variety of cultures.

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Crocodile Dung and Twilight Sleep Oct 03, 2019

How have we survived as a species? I don't just mean in the sense that we've been awful forever, but how we actually come into this world. Childbirth was the most dangerous and harrowing thing in women's lives. From pasting the dung of dangerous creatures on ourselves, using tortoise shells condoms, to drugging women into a thrashing screaming state during labour and doctors walking around with a diseased womb in their pocket, the miracle of childbirth, it seems, is it's a miracle women didn't' decide to stop ever having children ever again.

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Ladies of Flim Flammery Sep 16, 2019

Turns out the archetypal femme fatale - lying and manipulating hapless men into their black widow spun webs of duplicitousness - is absolutely true...at least for these confidence lasses. This week the people are not just mendacious - they're women-dacious. Neither Jess not guest host Rosie will apologise for puns as we flim flam you into listening about women pretending to be royalty, selling snake oil or just generally, unapologetically scamming so many men you earn the moniker Confidence Queen.

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The Flim Flam Man Aug 26, 2019

Have you ever ended up with more national monuments than you have space in your living room and therefore need to sell on eBay? Got a magical country surprisingly in need of wealthy citizens? Neither did any of these men, but they didn't let this hold them back. Join Jess and Philippa as they look at everyone's favourite scheming shyster: the confidence man.

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The Devil's Gateway Aug 19, 2019

Last episode, we looked at the connections between women and Satan. This week, it's time to look at what Rush Limbaugh oh so wittily refers to as witches with a "B". And how do women take control of such patriarchal narratives and redirect them to their own ends? And how does the successful witch keep her penis collection alive? Join Philippa and Jess as they ask the important questions.

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God's Hangman Aug 05, 2019

Evil deceiver or Romantic individualist? A monster of shifting boundaries or a cosmic force that transcends duality? This week, Jess and Philippa look at one of history's most enigmatic figures: Satan himself. Throughout history, we've been asking ourselves: is he really all that bad? And why are women just unable to keep their hands off of him?

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The Putrid Proletariat Jul 31, 2019

In our last episode, we looked at the beauty regimes of the upper classes. But what if you don't have an infinite supply of arsenic bath bombs? Or a bath? Or easy access to water? Jess and Philippa wallow amongst the lower classes of Victorian London to look at the methods by which they kept clean, and the ways in which efforts to assist them led to a new hobby for all.

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The "Great" Unwashed Jul 29, 2019

Water is dangerous - and nowhere more so than in the bath. In a world dominated by the great unwashed - the putrid proletariat - the upper classes fought to preserve a modicum of decency while fending off sudsy perils. Join us this week for clean conversation and Jess's disturbing skin song.

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Disaster Down Under Jul 24, 2019

Was one atrocious failure of an expedition not enough? Want to hear about another wannabe explorer who set out into brutal conditions woefully unprepared in order to beat a more experienced explorer to the goal? While they were dismally short on supplies, the world has a bounty of idiots, and so this week Jess and Philippa set out into the outback to follow the trail of Robert O'Hara Burke as he journeyed to the north of Australia, gong in hand.

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Icecapade Expedition Jul 22, 2019

When you decide to go on a road trip do you prioritise transportation, supplies, and company? If so, you're three steps ahead of Vilhjalmur Stefansson, an almost university drop-out on a dangerous expedition. This week, Jess and Philippa compare travel plans as they dive into the deep dark of the Arctic winter and the merry snow ball fights that you can get up to when you're trapped on the ice.

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Limer-Ick Jul 17, 2019

This Wednesday, we're taking a break to explore the steamy realm of Victorian literature. Just what did the Queen's subjects find sultry enough to risk hairy palms and imminent death by consumption?
Join Jess and Philippa as they read from The Pearl, a magazine devoted to publishing erotic material towards the end of the 1800s before they were shut down by the authorities. For obvious reasons, these readings should not be considered safe for work or human decency.

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The Solitary Vice Jul 15, 2019

Too taboo to even refer to the act outright, the Victorians wrote reams on the solitary vice, using whatever euphemisms they had to hand. This week, Jess and Philippa exercise similar tact and sensitively explore the act of riding the mayonnaise surf as well as the steps that the Victorians took to stem the tide.

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Utopias: Roanoke Jul 10, 2019

Running with our theme of people who noped out of society: how does a colony of pilgrims just vanish off the face of the earth? Murder. Probably murder. This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the Roanoke colony and the possible reason behind their eerie disappearance (hint: we're still going with murder).

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Utopias: Love Island Jul 08, 2019

Have you ever looked at something and known that you could have done better? Like: a well-known television series. Or a cake. Or society. This week, Jess and Philippa talk about some eccentric individuals who decided to go off the grid and live the dream. Let's tag along...what could possible go wrong? Just don't forget to pack your entire Nietzsche collection. Don't have room for your teeth? Leave them behind - you won't need 'em.

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Sidetracked Jul 03, 2019

This week, we wanted to try something a little different. Over the past couple of months, we've been asking our listeners for some awful stories from your lives and cultures. Death rituals and celebrations? Ghost belly buttons? State-wide eugenics programs? Maybe everything is awful forever...

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The Mystery of the Missing Sodders Jul 01, 2019

A fire. A string of mysterious coincidences. Five missing children. This week, Jess and Philippa look at an unsolved case of disappearance of five members of the Sodder family.
Music:
"Never Can Stop It" by Lobo Loco
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY NC
"Der Fruling: Chorus: Ewiger, Machtiger, Gutiger Gott!" by MIT Concert Choir
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY NC

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Dancing Plague: We All Fall Down Jun 26, 2019

Jess and Philippa return to the medieval dancing epidemic that terrified Strasbourg in 1518. Having established what took place, they now look at a possible explanation for this baffling phenomenon.

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Dancing Plague: First Steps Jun 24, 2019

Are you ever seized with an unstoppable urge to dance? Are you friends routinely embarrassed by you cutting a jig day and night, waltzing your feet to the bone? If your answer was yes, then you need to listen to this episode and perhaps seek out your nearest Catholic shrine to Saint Vitus.
This week, Philippa and Jess talk about the dancing plague that took hold of Strasbourg in 1518, and the bizarre remedies that...actually worked?

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Mad Monarchs: Roman Rulers Jun 19, 2019

Leapfrogging over bowing dignitaries is one thing, but if you've ever wanted to release leopards amongst your dinner guests or rename everything according to its relation to you, then Roman emperors may have a thing or two to teach us.
This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the hilarious pranks available to Roman emperors and maybe...just maybe...learn the meaning of true friendship.

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Mad Monarchs: Eurovision Jun 17, 2019

Have you ever thought that centuries of keeping kingship within a very, very tiny gene pool may have resulted in history's royal families being a little bit...off? Meet Charles the Mad who thought that he was a wolfman made of glass. Or The Mad King Christian VII of Denmark. Or The Mad King George.
This week, Jess and Philippa look at some of history's most eccentric rulers and the quirky habits that earned them that most sought-after epithet: mad.

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Hysterical: Crazy Cures Jun 12, 2019

This Wednesday, we continue our hysterical journey, deep into the minds of the doctors as they searched frantically for a cure to the bizarre symptoms displayed by their patients. If labial leeches and some light hypnotism sound like just your cup of tea, join us for a diagnostic jaunt that would baffle Dr House himself.

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Hysterical: Wandering Wombs Jun 10, 2019

Have you got a case of the Monday Blues? Perhaps you didn't get enough sleep last night. Or you need another cup of coffee and a soothing podcast to settle your nerves.
That, or your womb might be crawling up your chest cavity and into your throat where it is now trying to strangle you.
This week, Philippa and Jess talk about hysteria: one of history's most mystifying (and mesmerising) illnesses.

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Fashion Victims Jun 03, 2019

"No beauty without pain" said the mother to her daughter as she tugged at the knots in her hair; said the elder as she bound her daughter's feet; said the wealthy elite as they tottered around on twenty inch heels; said the debutante as she burned to ash in a crinoline conflagration. This episode, Jess and Philippa look at the ridiculous ways in which we have perished in the name of fashion and go through some of the greatest beauty Dos & Don'ts of all time.

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Hell-Fire Clubs May 27, 2019

Ready for an exclusive club event with a little blasphemy, some sexy nuns, and a baboon dressed up as Satan? Well, here's your ticket to an episode on the hell-fire clubs, which gained in popularity and infamy throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. This week, Jess and Philippa look at some of the libertines who were members of clubs such as the Ballers, the Damned Crew, and the Bugle Boys. Hold onto your habits, we're in for a boozy ride!

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Strangers: Capgras and Cotard's May 20, 2019

Content warning: animal abuse, murder (including infants), and sexual assault. Take care of yourself, and listen at your own discretion.
What do you do when your loved ones, pets, and household items have been replaced with flawless doppelgängers? Or when your organs have been replaced with soap? Or you're already dead and no one else has noticed? This episode, Jess and Philippa dip into the uncanny valley to discuss cases of Capgras and Cotard's delusion, the most famous of which being that of Richard Chase: The Vampire of Sacramento.

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Typhoid Mary May 13, 2019

Meet Mary Mallon: the first asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, believed to have infected 51 people during her career as a household cook. Meet George Soper: the sanitation engineer who wasn't going to take no for an answer when she refused his request for her blood and faeces. This week, Jess and Philippa discuss a romcom for the ages (and the people infected along the way).

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Bitchfinder General - Part 2 May 06, 2019

The Witchfinder General is back, and touring Suffolk in search of vulnerable women to accuse of witchcraft. This week, Jess and Philippa finish Matthew Hopkins' grim story, discussing the greatest witch trial in English history and how East Anglia eventually returned to its senses.

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Bitchfinder General - Part 1 Apr 29, 2019

It's time to get familiar with the subject of witchcraft. Who were those adorable imps that hung around suspected magic-users in the medieval period? How did one actually catch a witch? Were witches hanged or burned? And just how many men and women were accused of witchcraft in England, anyway?
This week, Jess and Philippa look at supersitions surrounding witches and witchcraft in England during the mid-1600s, as well as Matthew Hopkins: the self-made Witchfinder General who instigated the biggest witch trial in all of English history.

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In the Pits Apr 22, 2019

Is a seven day week just not enough? Do you have a list of chores as long as a very long arm? Have you considered children? This week, Philippa and Jess take another look at how the Victorians exploited children and used their labour to literally fuel their sooty lifestyles. Join us as we dig up the dirty details on child miners.

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Gone with the Fairies Apr 15, 2019

Has a loved one been grumpy, sickly, and just doesn't play those Facebook games that you keep tagging them in? They may have that stomach bug that's been going around or - and hear us out, here - they may have been stolen by fairies and replaced with a bad-tempered changeling. This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the fairy faith in late 1800s Ireland, and how personal and societal pressures led to a man murdering his "changeling" wife so that he might get his real love back from the fairies who stole her.

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Freak Shows Apr 08, 2019

It's time to take the Victorian Period to even stranger places. Jess and Philippa discuss the emergence of the Victorian freak show out of the circus, looking at the lives of two of its stars: Oofty Goofty and Grady Stiles - also known as "The Lobster Boy". As the main act, we look at how Stiles in particular blurred the boundaries between performance and murder - and almost got away with it.

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Dirty, Dirty Apr 01, 2019

Blake may have seen "marks of weakness, marks of woe" in every London face he saw, but in a city famously called "The Smoke", it turns out that Victorian skin may have been rather more grubby that previously imagined. This week, Jess and Philippa wallow in the dirty details of Victorian filth and pollution, and discuss the unhappy lives that toiled under its sooty cloud.

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Moronic Murderers Mar 25, 2019

"I've got a cunning plan!" said no Victorian murderer ever. Are you getting tired of ingenious modern killers? Want a little less subtlety in your serial killers?
If you're hankering after the days in which murderers laughed maniacally, yelling "they'll never catch me - I'm invincible!" while twirling their mustaches, you're in the right place. This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the "Bermondsey Horror": a murder replete with hilarious bungling, futile finagling, and a whole bunch of commonplace stupidity.

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Parricide Poisoners Mar 18, 2019

What did Adelaide Bartlett, Madeleine Smith, and Mary Ann Cotton...um...Mowbray...er...Ward? Mary Ann Robinson? Cotton again? What might these three women have had in common - aside from a sudden and startling lack of still-breathing relatives and husbands? If your answer is "suspicious amounts of deadly poison" then you're either thinking like a parricide poisoner or you are a parricide poisoner and need to hand yourself in to the authorities.
This episode, Jess and Philippa look into the lives of three Victorian women who became a little too dependent on the bottle - of arsenic - and the absurd number of murders that they managed to get away with.

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Medicinal Cannibalism Mar 11, 2019

This episode comes to you with some fava beans and a nice chianti. This week, Philippa and Jess explore the grisly history of medicinal cannibalism and corpse medicine. Whether it was ancient Egyptian mummies, mossy skulls, or blood fresh from the execution, European kings, priests, doctors, and beggars ate human flesh and bones for well over two hundred years. Join us for the whys and wherefores - but take care to eat dinner, first!

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Eat Me, Drink Me Mar 04, 2019

When an ominous, black granite sarcophagus was unearthed in 2018, oozing with a mysterious red liquid, the prevailing public opinion was "I wanna drink that"! Listen to Jess and Philippa talk about why you should never imbibe the mysterious red liquid; find out more about cursed cheese, historical beliefs about food, and discover what chemicals the Victorians like to ingest (hint: all of them).

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The Intro to Awful Feb 18, 2019

Hey there, we're about to take you on a downward spiral into the past. Think things have never been so bad? Well, get ready, because everything has always been awful...FOREVER!
Hosts Jess and Philippa teach each other about the weird and wonderful things from the past our ancestors miraculously survived. History, society, other terrible things we;ve endured to get to where we are today.

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