Ghosts, vampires & Abba holograms: an uncanny history of London

Ghosts, vampires & Abba holograms: an uncanny history of London

Millions of tourists flock to London each year, eager to snap a selfie in front of Buckingham Palace or Big Ben. But beyond the crowds lies a darker – and distinctly stranger – side to the city: a gothic metropolis haunted by tales of demons, poltergeists and murders most foul. Jon Bauckham talks to author and historian Clive Bloom about some of the capital’s spookiest stories, and why he believes that the eeriest encounters tend to unfold in the most mundane of places. (Ad) Clive Bloom is the author of London Uncanny: A Gothic Guide to the Capital in Weird History and Fiction (Bloomsbury, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Flondon-uncanny%2Fclive-bloom%2F9781350424036. From the terror of being strangled by violent thieves to tales that the sewers were infested with a squealing band of pigs, 19th-century Londoners spent much of their time living in fear. Here, Emma Butcher and Tim Blythe reveal what seven such scare-mongering stories can tell us about the psyche of the capital: https://www.historyextra.com/membership/victorian-london-dangers-what-was-life-like/. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(2558)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: life of the week

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: life of the week

Mozart is celebrated for his musical genius – but how did he rise to such enduring fame? What inspired him, and who was the man beyond the concert halls and compositions? Ahead of new TV drama Amadeus...

16 Des 202538min

A short history of ghost hunting

A short history of ghost hunting

A spooky story during the Christmas season has become traditional – and the modern ghost story was invented by the Victorians, who embraced the supernatural and tried to understand it. Ben Machell has...

15 Des 202540min

Becoming Jane Austen

Becoming Jane Austen

What inspired the daughter of a rural reverend to write about eligible bachelors and drunken misadventure? In this first episode of our four-part series on Jane Austen's life and work, Dr Lizzie Roger...

14 Des 202528min

Ghosts, gods & sea monsters: a supernatural history of the Atlantic

Ghosts, gods & sea monsters: a supernatural history of the Atlantic

For centuries, sailors crossing the Atlantic believed they were not alone – haunted by ghost ships, watched by mermaids, and stalked by sea monsters. Historian Karl Bell talks to Jon Bauckham about th...

12 Des 202534min

The summer that changed everything for the Kennedys

The summer that changed everything for the Kennedys

Historian Leigh Straw describes one pivotal summer in the life of the Kennedy family. With most of the family in their Cape Cod summer home, the summer of 1944 was marked by personal grief and politic...

10 Des 202538min

Margaret Beaufort: life of the week

Margaret Beaufort: life of the week

Born in the tumultuous 15th century, Margaret Beaufort – mother of Henry VII – endured personal tragedy, dynastic danger, and the ever-shifting fortunes of power. Yet she emerged as one of the most in...

9 Des 202547min

Idi Amin's willing helpers

Idi Amin's willing helpers

Idi Amin is 20th-century Africa’s most notorious ruler – a cartoonish tyrant who has been bracketed with the likes of Hitler and Stalin. And it’s true that, as Uganda’s dictator for most of the 1970s,...

8 Des 202541min

“You can’t kill and maim with impunity”: the powerful legacy of Nuremberg

“You can’t kill and maim with impunity”: the powerful legacy of Nuremberg

In the 80 years since Nazi leaders stood in the dock, how has the international community sought to deal with war criminals around the globe? For this concluding episode of our four-part series on the...

7 Des 202536min

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