Dive into the weird, spooky and supernatural with Wyrd Wessex, a podcast hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens. These self-proclaimed "wyrdo's" delve into the mysteries, myths, and legends of the world, focusing on the UK, but sometimes straying further afield. Expect to hear chilling ghost stories, explorations of unexplained phenomena, and even dabbles into true crime. Whether you're fascinated by hauntings, folklore, Ufology or cryptids, Wyrd Wessex has something for you. So, if you're ready to unravel the hidden weirdness of the world, "Stay Wyrd" and tune in!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dive into the weird, spooky and supernatural with Wyrd Wessex, a podcast hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens. These self-proclaimed "wyrdo's" delve into the mysteries, myths, and legends of the world, focusing on the UK, but sometimes straying further afield. Expect to hear chilling ghost stories, explorations of unexplained phenomena, and even dabbles into true crime. Whether you're fascinated by hauntings, folklore, Ufology or cryptids, Wyrd Wessex has something for you. So, if you're ready to unravel the hidden weirdness of the world, "Stay Wyrd" and tune in!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We are honoured to welcome Reverend Peter Laws, author, celebrated horror novelist, and host of the hit YouTube channel Into the Fog, to the show. Peter is an ordained minister, but he is known for his deep dive into the darkest corners of human fascination.
In this deep philosophical and psychological episode, we discuss the core thesis of his acclaimed non-fiction book, The Frighteners, and why our interest in the macabre, true crime, and horror films is not just acceptable, but actually a healthy way to process our mortality and fears.
In This Discussion, The Wyrdo's Ask Peter:
The Frighteners Thesis: Why being a "professional nice guy" who works in a church can also mean celebrating the darkness, and why that isn't hypocritical.
Horror and the Divine: Why Peter believes God is interested in (or even amused by) humanity's fascination with the dark, given how shocking and grotesque the Bible's own imagery can be.
The Paranormal is Real: Peter's conviction that due to countless witness accounts (including his own) and compelling historical cases like the Sauquhar Poltergeist (where a school desk allegedly levitated), we are genuinely encountering things that exist beyond material reality.
Faith vs. Ghosts: How the existence of ghosts doesn't necessarily contradict faith, exploring ideas like Catholic purgatory, the biblical appearance of the dead (Moses and Samuel), and the theory of seeing a glimpse of God's eternal mind (a religious take on time slips).
The Hyper-Reality of Heaven: The fascinating C.S. Lewis concept that heaven might be more real than our current world, explaining why a resurrected body could walk through walls because it was more real than the door.
The Importance of Humour: Why dark humour is a vital coping mechanism similar to horror, and why we can laugh in the face of anxiety to "domesticate and travel through the darkness."
Integrity and Exorcism: Peter's refusal to become a TV exorcist or paranormal investigator, and why he prefers the open-minded, journalistic approach of presenting witness accounts.
Peter Laws's Top 5 Horror Films
Peter shares his go-to films, including a few surprises that focus on psychological dread:
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The Changeling (1980)
Re-Animator (1985)
Night of the Demon (1957)
Repulsion (1965)
Where to Find Peter Laws
Website: peterlaws.co.uk
YouTube & Podcast: Into the Fog with Peter Laws (Also an expert on the BBC's Uncanny)
Podcast (Archive): Creepy Cove Community Church at https://www.google.com/search?q=creepycove.com
Join the Wyrdo's for a reassuring and insightful conversation that proves your love of horror is completely normal.
Stay Wyrd!
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Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome back to AfterWyrd, your regular dose of the weird news, strange history, and chaotic stories that don't fit anywhere else!
Andy and Craig dive into a chaotic mix of prophecy, AI, and misidentified animals, including:
The Lion-Mouse: A terrifying big cat sighting in County Clare, Ireland, is solved by the Gardai... and the culprit is not a lion, but a friendly dog named Mouse who had a bad haircut.
The Psychic Premonition: A family leaves their dream house after their young children declare it "extremely haunted," only for the house to be wiped clean off the face of the earth by a tornado.
The Alleged Act of Dog: A Pennsylvania man is hospitalised after his own dog, allegedly, fires a loaded shotgun into his back.
The AI Mind-Reader: Digital telepathy is here! We discuss the terrifying new AI that can read your thoughts using MRI scans and whether Minority Report is becoming a reality.
Chernobyl's Blue Dogs: The bizarre case of the dogs running around the exclusion zone turning an unnatural shade of blue.
Plus, we talk Marmite cups, porta-loo disasters, and the terrifying weaponisation of drones.
Tune in next week for our main episode where we have a fantastic, long interview with the Reverend Peter Laws, discussing the morbid desire for true crime and horror!
Thank you for listening!
"Don't blame the owls."
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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Did you know that Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, kept a calcified human heart wrapped in poetry in her desk drawer for decades?
In this episode of Wyrd Wessex, we uncover the dark, gothic, and completely unexpected history of the South Coast. Far from just being a seaside resort, this area was the playground of the "Smuggler King" Isaac Gulliver—a man so brazen he faked his own death to fool the authorities—and is now the final resting place of literary giants.
From the chilling ghost of a Headless Maharaja to the tragic lovers of Poole Harbour, we explore the strange folklore and history buried beneath the sand.
In this episode:
Stay Wyrd.
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Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Craig kicks off the show by proudly detailing his latest bookish adventures—a truly covetous purchase of a classic English folklore tome that he justified as a "medium rare" find. This segues perfectly into a spontaneous London trip that led to an encounter with disembodied footsteps in a dark room, and the cryptic message: "The owls are not what they seem."
Wyrd News: The Grab-Bag of the Inexplicable
Big Cat on the Line: We investigate the bombshell claim that Emma spotted a large black cat stalking the hedgerows near the railway line between Swindon and London on November 1st. Was it a genuine feral feline, or something far more legendary?
Future Memory Glitch: We look into the theory that your gut feelings and déjà vu are actually memories pulled back from the future, courtesy of non-linear consciousness theories.
Desert Dumping & Afterlife Woes: We tackle the dark news of 300+ piles of human ashes dumped in the Nevada desert, contrasting it with a deeply personal tale of a near-death experience involving a father who claimed heaven isn't real and that his grandson is his reincarnation.
USO Swarm: We look into reports of nearly 9,000 Unidentified Submersible Objects (USOs) operating off the US coastlines, moving at impossible speeds and threatening maritime security.
The Kevin James Imposter: We deep-dive into the TikTok phenomenon of art teacher Matt Taylor, who looks and sounds exactly like Kevin James, and whether this is a highly elaborate promotion for his new film, Solo Mio.
"Don't blame the owls!"
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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Did you know the King of Great Britain was personally convinced that Satan was sending assassins to murder him and his Queen?
In this harrowing episode of Wyrd Wessex, we dive into the paranoid mind of King James I and the destructive book he wrote, Daemonologie. Driven by his own trauma after surviving a supposed witchcraft attack at sea, James crafted a manual that turned folk healers into high-treason enemies and justified the use of barbaric torture. We track the dark, bloody legacy of his obsession from the North Berwick trials to the final days of the infamous Witchfinder General.
In this episode, we discuss sensitive historical details, including graphic descriptions of torture methods and executions.
The Horrors We Uncover:
The Royal Target: How the North Berwick coven’s supposed attack on the King and Queen's ship convinced James that the Devil was trying to seize his throne.
The King's Torture Chamber: The precise, graphic details of the torture used to secure confessions, including the pilliwinks (finger-crushers), the scold’s bridle, and the boot that broke bones.
The Devil's Kiss: The disturbing and degrading sexualised details forced from victims, such as the Osculum Infame (Kiss of Shame) and the search for the Witches’ Mark.
The Witchfinder General: The monstrous, exploitative career of Matthew Hopkins, who used James's laws to send hundreds to the gallows during the English Civil War.
The Final Victim: The incredible story of Helen Duncan, the last person jailed under the archaic Witchcraft Act in 1944, over three centuries after James I'd reign.
Did you know? James I’s book was written as a direct counter-attack against sceptical scholars who believed witchcraft was nonsense.
Listen to the full episode now to understand the terrifying human cost of one man's fear.
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Written by Emma & Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Wyrdo's are back with a bizarre, unholy, and downright weird edition of AfterWyrd.
Craig kicks off by proudly detailing his latest bookish adventures—a truly covetous purchase of a classic English folklore tome that he justified as a "charity donation." This segues perfectly into an eye-watering discussion on holy oil and the unusual history of Christian relics, including the rather infamous first-class relic, The Holy Prepuce.
"Don't blame the owls!"
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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode of Wyrd Wessex dives past the bonfires and Guy Fawkes effigies to reveal the true, dark, and desperate story of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. We uncover the horrifying religious persecution that turned a Protestant boy into a soldier prepared to commit high treason. We found enough gunpowder to blow up Parliament 25 times over...
In This Episode, The Wyrdo's Detail:
The Shocking Conversion: The horrific event that changed Fawkes's life: the public execution of Margaret Clitherow, who was publicly crushed to death under 800 pounds of stone for her faith.
The True Mastermind: Why Fawkes was not the architect of the plot, but an explosives expert hired by the radical Robert Catesby.
The Torture of 'The Devil of the Vault': The terrifying interrogation in the Tower of London, including the use of The Rack, which stretched Fawkes's body until his joints popped and sinews snapped.
The King's Sentence: The full, gruesome sentence for treason: being hanged, drawn, and quartered, and why Fawkes's final moments on the scaffold saved him from the worst of the torture.
History Written by the Victors: The fate of the conspirators, including the perplexing death of Francis Tresham, and why Fawkes remains remembered as a monster rather than a man of conviction, even inspiring the masked icon of V for Vendetta.
Join us as we explore the turbulent times of King James I, the Jesuit spies, and the religious fanaticism that nearly brought the entire government to ruin.
Stay Wyrd!
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Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, the Wyrdo's toss out the trick-or-treating in favor of a full-scale Cryptid Tournament, battling the world’s most dangerous and bizarre creatures against each other to crown a single champion.
Using a custom deck of cards (blame the manufacturer!), we dive deep into the stats and lore to decide who would win in a fight.
The chaos culminates in a shocking final round between the venomous Mongolian Death Worm and one of the biggest legends in American folklore. The battle ends in a dramatic tie—forcing us to bring in a secret, scythe-wielding Wildcard to decide the winner.
Was the final truly fair, or was the whole thing a plot to crown a certain, chaotic winner? We leave it for you to judge the stats.
Stay Wyrd!
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Written and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's the finale of Season Two and the Wyrdo's are fitting in all the wyrd news, strange stories, and other bits they couldn't squeeze into the main episodes!
We launch into a deep dive on Ghostwatch (1992), discussing how this unsettling BBC programme, inspired by the Enfield Poltergeist, masterfully used trusted presenters like Michael Parkinson and Craig Charles to blur the lines between reality and fiction.
We explore the tragic real-world aftermath, the 30,000 complaints (including Michael Parkinson's own mother!), the show's undeniable influence on the found-footage genre (right up to the acclaimed film Host), and Craig's efforts to track down Stephen Volk's elusive sequel short story, "31/10".
"Don't blame the owls."
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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, the Wyrdo's dive head-first into the most famous, controversial, and thoroughly documented haunting in British history: The Enfield Poltergeist of 1977.
We go back to the original source, Guy Lyon Playfair’s This House is Haunted, to track the phenomena right from the first knocks on the party wall in the Hodgsons’ quiet council house.
We discuss the desperate personal motivation of investigator Maurice Grosse, the bizarre spiritualists who offered diagnoses of leaking 'Orick Fields', and the undeniable truth that the haunting stopped the moment the family moved out.
Finally, we wrap up with the Block Universe Theory, suggesting that perhaps the living were haunting the past, caught in a shared, tragic loop with the deceased. Was it a genuine entity, the greatest hoax, or a tragedy of mass hysteria? We leave it for you to decide.
Stay Wyrd!
Buy our merch here
Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Wyrdo's kick off with a quick mention of Craig's recent birthday, which leads to a discussion of his weird-themed gifts. The segment wraps with a piece of personal Wyrd News: Craig’s daughter's early morning sighting of a shadow figure in the house, proving the strange is never far from home.
Andy concludes the episode with a triumphant, yet aggrieved, piece of news: an updated list of the most haunted counties in the UK by the Paranormal Database. Craig expresses outrage at Dorset's middling position and questions the methodology, arguing that crop circles and alien behaviour are simply not hauntings.
"Don't blame the owls."
Buy our merch here
Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Are monsters simply things to be feared, or do they hold a mirror to humanity? This week on Wyrd Wessex, hosts Andy and Craig sit down with acclaimed author and travel writer Nicholas Jubber, to discuss his latest book, Monsterland.
In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking interview, Nick takes us on a journey across a dozen countries to understand the true purpose of the creatures we fear.
Travel & The Serbian Vampire
Nick shares remarkable stories from his travels, including his chilling decision to spend the night in an abandoned mill said to be haunted by a Serbian vampire.
The conversation gets personal when the Wyrdo's share their own unnerving experience camping next to Vixen Tor on Dartmoor, a place steeped in folklore and a truly eerie mist.
Monsters as a Mirror
We explore how monsters are a reflection of our societal anxieties and our own inner psyche, from the ancient giant Humbaba to the terrifying legend of the Rougarou.
Evolution & Empathy: The discussion reveals a surprising sympathy for creatures like Frankenstein's monster and the Cornish giant Bolster, and we discover how our attitudes towards these creatures have evolved throughout history, from ugly devils to magnificent, aristocratic dragons.
Closing & Information
Find our bonus content on the AfterWyrd podcast!
Stay Wyrd!
Buy our merch here
Written & hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The show kicks off with Craig's recording space, dubbed The AfterWyrd Library, showcasing a new, custom-made owl. The talk quickly turns to Halloween, Craig's partner Becky's Ekba doll costume, and the creepy doll customisations in his window that are now terrifying local wildlife. The segment concludes with a discussion on the enduring, yet debunked, urban myth of razor blades in apples.
Andy introduces a topical, wyrd news story: President Trump's sudden move to declassify secret government records related to the 1937 disappearance of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. The Wyrdo's revisit the horrifying, plausible theory that Earhart survived a crash landing on a remote island, only to be consumed by giant land crabs.
Andy follows up with a related story, providing potential "smoking gun" proof: Aerial footage from 1938 that shows a "strange metallic object" in a lagoon on the island of Nikumaroro. An expedition is due to set off to investigate this object, believed to be the main body and tail of the legendary Lockheed 10E Electra.
Craig introduces a light-hearted, yet costly, story from South Carolina about a teaching assistant who was arrested for repeatedly using a fart spray in his high school. This leads to a bizarre historical footnote: the deadliest fart in history—a Roman soldier's indecent gesture in a sacred temple in 570 BC that triggered a riot and resulted in over 10,000 deaths.
Craig offers two quick-fire weird news items: an update on the menacing 31 Atlas Comet that is now confirmed to be much bigger than originally thought, and the shocking news that children's TV star Paul Chuckle (of the Chuckle Brothers) has gone hard man gangster, swapping slapstick for gruesome hits as "The Jackal" in a new mobster movie, Fall to the Top.
Andy’s final piece of weird news concerns a giant hairy object that smashed into a farm in Argentina. The carbon fibre cylinder, potentially space junk, baffled experts due to its peculiar covering of black, hair-like fibres.
Craig wraps up with a perfect spooky season story: the ghost of TV legend Sir Bruce Forsyth is allegedly haunting the London Palladium. A paranormal specialist named Brocard claims she heard his famous catchphrase echoing in the theatre. Craig triumphantly confirms that Brocard’s ghost husband, Edwardo (a 'devilishly handsome Victorian soldier'), had indeed been divorced after less than a year.
"Don't blame the owls."
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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ahoy there, Wyrdos! This week on Wyrd Wessex, we're casting off from the safety of the shore and sailing head-first into the chilling world of ghost ships. We explore the vessels that vanished without a trace, only to be found centuries later with their crews mysteriously gone.
We dive deep into historical maritime mysteries, including the eternally fascinating case of the Mary Celeste, the famed brigantine found sailing perfectly intact but utterly abandoned in 1872. We explore the fate of the unsinkable MV Joyita, and the bizarre story of a decades-long sailing "zombie ship" found far from its home port. We question the reasons behind these impossible disappearances and the disturbing clues left behind.
From historical facts, we move into the chilling heart of nautical legends and true folklore. We investigate the legendary curses of the Flying Dutchman, the tragic, repeating loop of the Lady Lovibond shipwreck, and the fiery phantom that has haunted the Northumberland Strait for over 200 years. Were these ships cursed by fate and the sea itself, or is there a genuine, though currently unexplainable, scientific phenomenon behind these repeated sightings?
Join us as we explore stories of phantom vessels, impossible vanishings, and chilling curses that will make you think twice about sailing the high seas.
Stay Wyrd!
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Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Andy and Craig (or are they two Mr. Ballens?) are back with another collection of strange news and oddities that didn't quite make it into the main Wyrd Wessex podcast. From East Yorkshire's Bermuda Triangle to prize-winning weird science, it's all here.
East Yorkshire's Triangle of Terror We investigate the Wold Newton Triangle, a small corner of East Yorkshire plagued by high strangeness. We discuss reports of werewolves, dragons, and a legendary screaming skull. Can Wessex compete with its own Bermuda Triangle of folklore?
Weird Science & The Ninja Squirrel The Wyrdo's celebrate the return of the Ig Nobel Prize, the annual award for truly bizarre scientific research. We find out which team won for painting zebra-like stripes on cows and explore the surprising link between booze and linguistics.
In the news in brief, we rapid-fire through headlines on massive Ozzy Osbourne tributes and the shrinking of British conkers. We also cover the brutal, out-of-nowhere attacks of an "evil ninja squirrel" that has terrorized a neighborhood.
Holy Water & UFO Mysteries Andy discusses the River Jordan water with a Catholic friend to determine if it is truly "holy water." The answer is complicated and leads to a discussion on blessings and flowing rivers.
Finally, we look at a compelling case of an unidentified falling object that smashed into a New Jersey building, caused a flash and a boom, and then vanished from the scene. What on Earth—or not on Earth—was it?
"Don't blame the owls."
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Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join Wyrdo's Craig and Andy for this special episode of Wyrd Wessex as they're joined once again by special guest and storyteller Eileen Budd. This is the unexpected sequel to our first werewolf episode, as the wyrdo's had far too many dark canine tales left to tell!
We delve into the dark and slightly ridiculous process of becoming a werewolf. Craig shares the chilling ritual from Elliot O'Donnell's book, involving chalk circles, a new moon, and a boiling potion of strange ingredients, including Asafoetida(aka "Stinking Gum") and cat fat. The importance of the magical girdle is highlighted in the dark tale of Peter Stubb (The Werewolf of Bedburg), who terrorised a region for 25 years before his capture.
Andy explores why the werewolf is less common in England, pointing to King Edward I's 1281 order to exterminate the wolf population, leading to the legend being replaced by spectral hounds like Black Shuck. Eileen notes that the Scottish 'werewolf' (werwouf) was often used to describe a wild or feral man. She also shares Jinty's Griddle story—a tale of a woman who fights a wolf, resulting in her children inheriting amber eyes. We discuss the strange Irish legends of the Werewolves of Ossory, where people are cursed to transform into wolves every seven years.
Eileen draws a powerful link between the terrifying sea-fiend, the Nuckelavee, and the Highland Clearances, suggesting the beast's noxious breath was an allegory for the toxic kelp fumes. Andy delves into the historical legend that King John of England himself was a werewolf. The discussion includes modern sightings of the Winter Werewolf near Windsor, showing the legend is still alive.
Finally, we explore the potential cure. The Wyrdo's discuss Boanthropy, a rare psychological delusion where a person believes they have turned into a cow or ox. Craig shares the ludicrously complicated cure for lycanthropy, involving a live snake, two live toads, a specific astrological time, and the final triple command: "Black evil devils from hell be gone!"
Guest and Production Information
To hear more of Eileen's work, check out her podcasts, Scottish Folk and At Home With The Picts. You can also find her on Instagram at @eileenbudds.
Stay Wyrd!
Buy our merch here
Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In a packed episode of AfterWyrd, your favourite Wyrdo's, Andy and Craig, delve into book collecting, religious relics, and the paranormal mysteries making headlines.
Craig recounts his trip to a Devizes book fair, including the hilarious story of a £1,500 Tolkien first edition and the surprising risk of devaluing it with just a little bit of spit. The hosts discuss the struggle between collecting rare books and the simple desire to use them.
Craig reveals his latest unusual purchases: Holy Land Earth and a vial of Jordan River water. This leads to a profound question Andy and Craig explore: Does water need to be blessed by the Church to be inherently holy, or does its sacred provenance imbue it with power?
"Don't blame the owls."
Buy our merch here
Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join Wyrdo's Craig and Andy for this special episode of Wyrd Wessex as they're joined by special guest and traditional storyteller Eileen Budd to delve into the fascinating and frightening world of werewolves and black dogs.
We explore chilling accounts from Scotland as Eileen shares the folklore of black dogs haunting a Glasgow prison and the tenement built on its foundations decades later, connecting the stories to modern phenomena and the historical folklore of rabies. Eileen also recounts the truly wyrd Scottish tale of David Sutter, a murderer whose spirit returns as a giant dog to haunt the first human he saw after his crime, serving as a powerful story of penance and curses.
Andy recounts the savage and terrifying tale of the Wolf of Wales, an 18th-century beast with hauntingly human-like blue eyes, a legend that has continued with startling modern sightings. Craig tells a frightening Christmas story from Elliot O'Donnell's book about a family haunted by a wolf-like spectre—the Phantom of Cumberland—and the dark secret found in a cave nearby. Andy presents a first-hand Hebridean account of a man who finds a werewolf skeleton, only for the remains to come back and haunt him.
The hosts discuss the strange and shocking European werewolf trials, where people would confess to being lycanthropes, and the theories behind these dramatic admissions. The Wyrdo's discuss why belief in these creatures is still surprisingly common, citing a recent YouGov poll. They explore how folklore is intrinsically linked to politics and societal fears, with Eileen revealing the metaphorical meaning of "werewolf" in Scots language. Craig ends with a final, fascinating modern story about the werewolf-like creature known as Old Stinker, which stalks the Yorkshire Wolds.
Guest and Production Information
To hear more of Eileen's work, check out her podcasts, Scottish Folk and At Home With The Picts. You can also find her on Instagram at @EileenBudd.
Stay Wyrd!
Buy our merch here
Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In a slightly shorter-than-usual but still packed episode of AfterWyrd, your favourite Wyrdo's, Andy and Craig, delve into the weird and wonderful with a focus on a rather talkative goat, a new BBC show, and a miraculous tree.
Andy and Craig discuss recent political events, including a political figure "defecting" to the Reform Party and a London march with an unnerving, Pagan-unfriendly tone.
Andy shares his thoughts on the latest instalment of The Conjuring film series, discussing the real-life Warrens and the controversy surrounding the sale of their haunted museum. Craig teases that the Warrens will be getting a very different mention in an upcoming episode of the main show on the Enfield poltergeist case.
The Wyrdo's kick off the news with a story about police investigating a screaming woman, only to find it was a noisy goat named Simon. This leads to a discussion about unsettling animal noises, including a throwback to a very creepy, "Mehh," from a previous job.
The conversation shifts to a new BBC ghost hunting series called Nightwatch, starring This Country's Charlie and Daisy May Cooper. This leads the hosts to muse about their own paranormal investigations and whether they could do a similar show called 'Daywatch'.
Andy shares an AP News story about a lightning-struck pine tree in a Bolivian cemetery that is now revered as a 'miracle tree', believed to bestow good fortune and psychic powers on those who touch it.
Craig shares a bizarre tale from The Sun about a widow who discovers her late husband's secret life and seeks revenge by mixing his ashes with dog mess and, ahem, consuming some herself.
The episode wraps up with a truly strange story about a Russian woman who sells her soul for a collection of 'Labubu' dolls and a concert ticket, exploring the dark side of consumerism and curses.
"Don't blame the owls."
Buy our merch here
Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Exceptional_3D - Unexplained mystery intro/outro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, the Wyrdos are joined by renowned paranormal author and researcher Mike Ricksecker—known for his work on shows like Ancient Aliens and The Alaska Triangle—for a truly wyrd discussion that spans dimensions! Mike shares how his own childhood experiences with a shadow person set him on a path of paranormal research.
We dive deep into the mysteries of the unexplained, exploring the difference between ghosts and shadow people. Mike shares his fascinating theory on why our eyes are hard-wired to see them, and how these figures may interact with our dimension. Andy and Craig share their own strange personal encounters that echo Mike's research.
Mike offers a new perspective on how time slips could be the genuine explanation for some of the world's most famous "ghost" sightings, providing a fascinating, science-based approach to the paranormal. The conversation turns topical as Mike discusses the pros and cons of paranormal TV shows like Most Haunted and reveals a recent, unbelievable UFO sighting he had right here in the UK.
To wrap things up, we find out Mike's incredible "Florida man" headline and hear his thoughts on ancient folklore, cryptids, and why he hopes Bigfoot truly does exist. Don't miss a minute of this mind-bending conversation!
Connect with Mike Ricksecker:
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Written & hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.