Best Simone Whitlow Podcasts (2025)

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Murder in Belgravia 43:28

Play Pause

10d ago43:28

43:28

This week on Tales of History and Imagination we discuss a murdered nanny, the murderer… his awful ancestors, and said murderer’s mysterious disappearance. Trigger warnings: murder. Sources Include: A Different Class of Murder by Laura Thompson And several dozen news articles, including this piece from Lynn Barber interviewing John Aspinall This on…

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The Batavia: Part Four - Batavia’s Graveyard 42:34

2M ago42:34

42:34

This week on Tales of History and Imagination we return one last time to the wreck of the Batavia. This is where things, finally, go all ‘Lord of the Flies’ on Batavia’s Graveyard. This is part four of a four parter - thanks for hanging in there with me all… I promise a load of one parters in the back half of the year. Trigger warnings: murder, rap…

1
The Batavia: Part Three - The Longboat 25:48

2M ago25:48

25:48

This week on Tales of History and Imagination we return to the wreck of the Batavia. In part two we follow the adventures of the 48 in the longboat as they make their way along Australia’s Western coast; learn a little more about Francisco Pelsaert, and speak of the first of the murders on Batavia’s Graveyard. This is part three of a four parter. T…

1
The Batavia: Part Two - The Heretic 31:00

3M ago31:00

31:00

This week on Tales of History and Imagination we return to the wreck of the Batavia. In part two we discuss heresy, and the harrowing life of under-merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz. This is part two of a four parter. Trigger warnings: Murder, colonialism, child mortality, religious extremism. Sources Include: Batavia’s Graveyard by Mike Dash And Batavi…

1
The Batavia: Part One - The Shipwreck 38:39

3M ago38:39

38:39

This week on Tales of History and Imagination we return to Australia for a real life soap opera that was considerably more bloody than Neighbours or Home and Away. First we need to take a cruise on a Dutch VOC flagship called The Batavia, the year 1629. In part one of a four parter, we discuss the voyage; how and why folk took such risks to travel …

1
Admin: Under the weather … 2:29

4M ago2:29

2:29

Hey all the next episode is likely to be delayed by a week or so… as you can hear I’m getting over a bit of a nasty cold/ case of flu - and my voice is still pretty ragged.. But in the meantime, here’s a little something I’ve had lying around collecting dust for, I guess years now?? I have actually forgotten what I was writing it for, but can think…

1
The Ballad of Tom Wills 31:06

4M ago31:06

31:06

This week we travel to Australia for a game of Marn Grook, to discuss origin stories; perhaps the archetypal troubled sportsman - and horrific massacres. Trigger warnings: Murder, suicide, colonialism, and to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people listening to this episode - I discuss some of your origin legends as best I can, and play a br…

1
The Cancellation of Ilda Orme 11:40

5M ago11:40

11:40

The American actress Ilda Orme knew a thing or two about being cancelled, a long, long time before social media put the cancel button in the hands of the public at large. Her cancellers, she suspected were two hateful former in-laws and a theatre manager in their pocket. Her cancellation was nearly literal - culminating in an assassination attempt.…

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Archias The Exile Hunter 28:04

5M ago28:04

28:04

On, or around 11th June 323 BC Alexander the Great died in Babylon. While there are mysteries surrounding his passing - did an Indian holy man prophesy his passing a year prior while self immolating in Alexander’s presence? Was he poisoned? Did somebody entomb him while still alive? - He is just a cameo in this Tale. This week we travel to Athens -…

1
The Fall and Rise of Aimee Semple McPherson 36:51

6M ago36:51

36:51

On May 18th 1926 the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson took a trip to Santa Monica Beach, California to work, seek inspiration and have a little fun in the sun. However, the day would end in tragedy when Aimee disappeared without a trace. Was her disappearance all it appeared? Sources Include: The Vanishing Evangelist by Lately Thomas Support Tales…

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The Ace of Spies - Two 31:51

7M ago31:51

31:51

Hi all, welcome back (again) - sorry it’s a week later than planned… a few ongoing voice issues from the cold. This week we conclude the tale of Sidney Reilly and the ‘Red Terror.’ Sources Include: R.H. Bruce-Lockhart ‘Memoirs of a British Agent’ Sidney Reilly + Pepita Bobadilla ‘ Adventures of a British Master Spy’ James Palmer ‘The Bloody White B…

1
The Ace of Spies - One 36:17

7M ago36:17

36:17

Hi all, welcome back - sorry it’s a week later than planned… I had a nasty cold. This week we’re in Russia just after the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks have taken over, plunging the nation even further into disarray. They’re determined to exit the First World War. Britain, knowing this would be disastrous for their war with Germany need a hero…

1
The Greenbrier Ghost 17:04

9M ago17:04

17:04

Hi all, Happy Holidays! This year I’ve got a ghost story for you all. Today we travel to Greenbrier County, West Virginia in 1897. Sources Include: Again this week I’ve gone from a handful of online articles, a few online genealogy pages - and a couple of podcast episodes. Including… ‘How The ‘Greenbrier Ghost’ Helped Convict a West Virginia Murder…

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John Frum… Messiah 25:42

9M ago25:42

25:42

This week we travel to Tana Island, Vanuatu (then the New Hebrides) in the midst of World War Two. God has returned - and not a moment too soon. Having abandoned them decades earlier, just as bad men with awful intentions arrived to steal their land - and send their people off to far away locales to be worked to death - he was back, as an American …

1
How Margaret Sanger & Katharine Dexter McCormick Saved the World 16:04

10M ago16:04

16:04

This week, how do I sum this up? I was freewheeling a little today, but have I got a tale of resistance, and a weird little man for you all. Anthony Comstock was a weird, joyless guy - and his ‘Comstockery’ ruined many ordinary lives - but hell hath no fury like Margaret Sanger and Katharine Dexter McCormick - our heroines this week. Sources Includ…

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Admin: A Slight Change of Plans… 1:43

10M ago1:43

1:43

Hi there all, just dropping a quick note, before I return to the writing desk… USA I’m aghast… and worried, and saddened by recent turns of events. And tonight I just wanted to send you all my love (well, obviously not all of you… some of you voted for a fascist) and just explain why I’m pulling an upcoming episode… hit play, spoken me explains it …

1
Murder in Room 1046 25:22

10M ago25:22

25:22

This week, it’s Halloween! So, naturally I’ve got a tale of… well, historic hotel rooms in Kansas City, Missouri… And a notorious murder carried out in Room 1046 of the Hotel President.. Sources Include: This fantastic article by John Horner, which appears the font of a dozen or so other articles I read through. This post by the ‘Murder She Told’ p…

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The Missile Crisis - Part Two 43:54

11M ago43:54

43:54

This week we return to Cuba to conclude our miniseries on the Cuban Missile Crisis. This week we discuss arctic explorers, nuclear test sites, saboteurs, spy planes gone awry, submarines and why I think having such power out there in an age where a ‘mad king’ could come to power is still very disconcerting. Sources Include: One Minute to Midnight b…

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The Missile Crisis - Part One 30:17

11M ago30:17

30:17

On 16th October 1962, American President John F Kennedy was presented with three indistinct photos taken of several tubes laid out in a field in Cuba. Kennedy at first took the scene for a football field. His brother Robert, on viewing the scene, wondered if it depicted a farm house in mid construction. It was, of course, a nuclear missile site in …

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Pledge Week: A Nude Horse… 11:12

12M ago11:12

11:12

Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Tuesday through Friday I’ll be dropping on old Patreon minisode per day - today, after visiting the set of the Donohue Show, we ask the question… Is…

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Pledge Week: Does Anyone Live Beyond You? 6:39

12M ago6:39

6:39

Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Monday through Thursday I’ll be dropping on old Patreon minisode per day - today we’re going to meet a now obscure, but terrifying General named Uqb…

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Pledge Week: Captain Johnson 16:37

12M ago16:37

16:37

Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Tuesday through Friday I’ll be dropping on old Patreon minisode per day - today we’re discussing one of history’s stranger What if’s. Thomas Johnson…

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Pledge Week: The Devil Comes to Milan 11:45

12M ago11:45

11:45

Hi everyone, this week we’re doing things a bit different. I’ll be back from my mid year break with new episodes in two weeks’ time. In the meantime we’re running a pledge week for the Patreon channel. Tuesday through Friday I’ll be dropping on old Patreon minisode per day - today we visit Milan, the year 1630. A comet blazing across the sky spooks…

1
Re-Upload: The Max Headroom Incident 12:28

1y ago12:28

12:28

Hey all I’m on holiday, though I’ve got a few things programmed to drop while I’m away… including this; a re-upload of this episode from October 2021. “On 9:14 pm, 22nd November 1987, Chicago’s WGN TV was ‘zipped’ by a mysterious attacker - a figure wearing a rubber Max Headroom mask. The attacker would strike again, upsetting Whovians in the Windy…

1
Tycho Brahe’s Universe 14:06

1y ago14:06

14:06

Hey all I’m on holiday, though I’ve got a few things programmed to drop while I’m away… including this, my short ode to the astronomer Tycho Brahe. Sources include: Apologies all, this is from an old blog post where, now very much to my shame - I never noted my sources. If I’m recalling correctly I first heard the story of the moose/elk on a cracke…

1
The American Mafia - Three: The Castellammare War… 39:02

1y ago39:02

39:02

This week we conclude our mob Tale. With the bosses banged up, the Morello family must do their best to navigate a rapidly changing world - and several vicious wars. How will they deal with upstarts, Kings, The Camorra, prohibition - and the arrival of a Fifth Family? Admin Note: Apologies for the messy scheduling of late. I’ve been a little worn o…

1
The American Mafia - Two: The Ballad of Antonio Comito 39:49

1y ago39:49

39:49

This week, (sorry all, please bear with me- day job’s running me a little ragged, but I should be on track again in August) we’re returning to our mobsters - Giuseppe ‘The Clutch Hand’ Morello and the 107th Street Gang. In part two of this three parter we discuss the rise of the professional hitman, the first Capo de Tutti Capi - and the ballad of …

1
The American Mafia - One: The Clutch Hand 36:05

1y ago36:05

36:05

This week, (apologies for the delay all, I’ve been an absolute wreck the last couple of weeks) we’re returning to Little Italy; the year 1903. In part one of this two parter we discuss the early life of America’s first Capo di Tutti Capi, Giuseppe ‘The Clutch Hand’ Morello. Sources Include: The First Family; Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the A…

1
Temujin (an Origin Story) 25:51

1+ y ago25:51

25:51

This week, we take a magic carpet ride into the wilds of the Central Asian Steppe - timeframe? the mid 12th Century. Today we’re taking a (rather hagiographic) look at the early life of a young man named Temujin… Sources Include: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford Empires of The Steppes by Kenneth Harl The Silk Road…

1
Murder in Hartlepool… 14:00

1+ y ago14:00

14:00

This week - we travel to the British Seaside town of Hartlepool. The date?? Sometime around the Napoleonic Wars. A French ship has run aground, leaving bodies strewn across the beach. Legend tells one survivor was found - a small, hairy man - subsequently hung by the locals. Did the people of Hartlepool really hang a monkey, mistaking the animal fo…

1
Adrian Carton de Wiart 36:31

1+ y ago36:31

36:31

This week - Adrian Carton de Wiart was a lifelong soldier; acknowledged for his bravery across the 2nd Boer War, the Somaliland Campaign, Poland’s several wars for independence - and both World Wars. The man started out with a cavalry sabre, and was still writing reports back to high command in the Atomic Age - advising of the risk of a war in Viet…

1
A Dangerous Liaison 24:57

1+ y ago24:57

24:57

This week we travel to the Germanic Duchy of Hannover, the year 1694. Under cover of darkness, a dashing, aristocratic young soldier named Philip Christoph von Konigsmarck makes his way to an illicit meeting with his lover; the deeply unhappily married Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Before the night is done one of the lovers will disappear myst…

1
The Triptych 24:21

1+ y ago24:21

24:21

Trigger Warning: Death by misadventure, and an execution by guillotine. I make no concessions for calling Aotearoa… Aotearoa. I mention this as in Aotearoa (New Zealand) news sites are having to shut down comment sections on Maori language, Maori achievement and Maori culture over racist morons getting upset by this news. If the use of Te Reo names…

1
The Secret Path 23:01

1+ y ago23:01

23:01

Trigger Warning: Talk of executions, religious extremism and cannibalism. This week we return one last time to the city of Münster. With everything going to hell in Münster, Henry Gresbeck risks his life in a dash for freedom. The Prince Bishop has given orders to kill all men who show up at the wall - but Gresbeck has a secret that may just unrave…

1
The Tailor King 29:08

1+ y ago29:08

29:08

This week we return to the city of Münster, in the Holy Roman Empire. Now we’ve got all the context out of the way - let’s discuss the war between the Prince Bishop, and the city’s new rogue Prophet - the Tailor, Jan of Leiden. This is Part Two of a Three Parter. Sources Include: There are very few book out there on this topic so I mostly worked fr…

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Jan Matthias Rides Out… 30:18

1+ y ago30:18

30:18

This week we travel to the city of Münster, in the Holy Roman Empire. The year, 1534. Tensions have ratcheted up between the City’s Prince Bishop, the City Council and a rogue preacher to the point where the people have gone rogue - having rebelled, locked the gates and set up the cannons for war. Over the following two episodes we’ll break down wh…

1
Charles Lightoller’s Worst Day Ever 8:13

1+ y ago8:13

8:13

Hi all, I’m technically still on holiday (Tales will be back for Season 5 on 1st February.) - but I was on the mic on Sunday, and had a little downtime … and a spare script or two. This week we meet Charles Lightoller, a remarkable sailor, on what I believe must have been his worst day ever? Sources Include: I wrote this to the blog in early 2020… …

1
The Stone of Destiny 27:51

1+ y ago27:51

27:51

Happy Holidays all! This week we travel to Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1950. It’s four in the morning when a policeman comes across a young couple huddled together in their car. Like another young couple a few millennia before, they tell him they have come to town, only to find no room left at the inn. Little does the officer know, but he’d …

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Pope Joan 27:20

2y ago27:20

27:20

Hi all apologies for the delay. I’ve been unwell for a couple of weeks, and am only just bouncing back now. This week, on what was originally planned for Transgender Day of Remembrance (two weeks ago) we continue my annual Trans history episode. In 2022 I started this series replying to a foolish claim Trans people were a recent phenomenon. My take…

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When Prophesies Fail 28:41

2y ago28:41

28:41

This week we meet two prophets, separated by half a world, and three centuries. One is the self appointed son of God, the other talks with Aliens. What happens to prophets, and more importantly - their followers, when prophesies fail? (This episode is a re-do of 2021’s Dorothy Martin’s Flying Saucer.) Trigger Warning: I hadn’t scheduled this with t…

1
The Monstrous Life of Zana of Abkhazia 20:28

2y ago20:28

20:28

This week we travel to the Kingdom of Abkhazia, a Black Sea land nestled amongst the Caucasus. At a date lost to history, but believed to be around 1860 - hunters trap what they believe is a monster in their bear pit. The creature is shackled and brought to a nobleman named Edgi Genaba. This week is all about monsters - but the monster may not be w…

1
The Bagradas Dragon 13:51

2y ago13:51

13:51

This week we travel to the Bagradas River, Tunisia in 256 BC. Rome are in the midst of the Punic wars against Carthage, and are in the process of launching an all out invasion on the Carthaginians. As 14,000 Legionnaires, led by Marcus Attilus Regulus make their way towards the capital, they encounter a foe they were not expecting. Just what was th…

1
Hereward the Wake: The Conqueror 33:32

2y ago33:32

33:32

This week we return to medieval England for part two of our two parter. We finally get to Hereward, but first let’s talk a little about William the Conqueror and the final years of Edward the Confessor’s reign. Welcome to Hereward the Wake: Part Two - The Confessor. Sources this week include: I promise I’ll get this done in the coming days… A lot o…

1
Hereward the Wake: The Confessor 24:22

2y ago24:22

24:22

This week we go back to medieval, Anglo Saxon England for a two parter. I’ve got a Tale to tell of an outlaw, a resourceful Wolf’s-head who leads a guerrilla war against a cruel, unjust King - a man some might say robbed from the rich to give to…. Well, we’ll get to that - but before we do we have a Confessor, a Bastard… and a slew of other charact…

1
What Happened to Richard Cox? 23:51

2y ago23:51

23:51

This week Tales goes true crime - as we travel West Point Military Academy, January 1950. Cadet Richard Colvin Cox receives a mysterious visitor identified only as ‘George.’ A week later, Richard would disappear without a trace. The investigation would uncover several intriguing scenarios, but ultimately are we any closer to knowing what happened t…

1
The Poe Toaster 17:17

2y ago17:17

17:17

This week, we travel to Baltimore’s Gunner’s Hall - the date October 3rd 1849. A disheveled man is found outside the bar “…in great distress and… in need of immediate assistance.” It turns out the man is none other than the horror and detective fiction pioneer Edgar Allan Poe. Today we discuss Mr Poe’s passing, and the case of the mysterious ‘Poe T…

1
The Mysterious Mister ZedZed 32:00

2y ago32:00

32:00

This week on Tales we return to Infernal Machines and a shadowy merchant of death who sold them - a man who built a great fortune on the death and suffering of millions. What can we actually say on the life of the mysterious Sir Basil Zaharoff? Sources this week include: Man of Arms; The Life and Legend of Sir Basil Zaharoff by Anthony Allfrey This…

1
Animals 25:14

2y ago25:14

25:14

This week on Tales of History and Imagination, we travel from The White House to Coney Island’s Luna Park, from the jungles of Cameroon, to the Bosphorus Strait in the age of Justinian… to the battlefields of World War One - to tell five short tales of animals who also inhabit this world. Sources this week include: The Periplus of Hanno the Navigat…

1
The Namamugi Incident 11:59

2y ago11:59

11:59

In June Tales of History and Imagination is on holiday… Well, technically I’m writing new scripts for the second half of the year. In the meantime I’ve recorded a couple of minisodes, the second on Charles Lennox Richardson and The Namamugi Incident. Sources? Honestly, I never noted them when I wrote this in 2019, sorry. Support the show on Patreon…

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Frau Troffea’s Dance With The Devil 7:51

2+ y ago7:51

7:51

In June Tales of History and Imagination is on holiday… Well, technically I’m writing new scripts for the second half of the year. In the meantime I’ve recorded a couple of minisodes, starting with the Tale of Frau Troffea and Medieval Dancing Plagues. Support the show on Patreon for just $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content. Not sure …