Podcasts about thames

Amélie Ravalec is a London-based Parisian film director, photographer and DJ, known for her documentaries on avant-garde and underground music and art, including Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers (2025), Art & Mind (2019), Industrial Soundtrack for the Urban Decay (2015) and Paris/Berlin: 20 Years of Underground Techno (2012). The first episode of her series Solstice, Sumarsólstöður, won 25 awards and 15 nominations in 2025. She is also the author and designer of Japan Art Revolution: The Japanese Avant-Garde from Angura to Provoke, published by Thames & Hudson in 2025. She began her career in electronic music, co-founding record label and events platform Fondation Sonore in 2011, and has since released DJ mixes for The Quietus, The Brvtalist, XLR8R and others. Her latest DJ set, A Realm of Impossible Intensity, moves through cinematic soundscapes and heavy electronics, from ritual chanting to martial industrial, dark ambient textures and modern classical strings, weaving soundtrack extracts from her own films alongside tracks by Nick Cave, David Lynch, ANOHNI, Hildur Guðnadóttir and Kangding Ray.

An actress found with her throat cut on Christmas morning, a socialite on trial for arsenic, a child butchered in Bradford, and not one of the cases found the end of the rope.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HorrorByGaslightREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/489cffteFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE:Nine murders from the reign of Queen Victoria, and the hangman went home after every one of them. In April 1891, a janitor at a Manhattan waterfront hotel opened the door to room 31 and found a woman the neighborhood called "Old Shakespeare" strangled and cut open, and within a day the New York papers were asking whether Jack the Ripper had crossed the Atlantic. In London, while the Ripper hunt filled the front pages, someone else was dropping the dismembered pieces of women into the Thames, one of them on the construction site of Scotland Yard itself. A Glasgow socialite stood trial for lacing her lover's cocoa with arsenic, barrister Charles Bravo lingered for days in his Balham mansion with antimony in his body and a household full of suspects, and Adelaide Bartlett walked out of court with liquid chloroform in her dead husband's stomach and no explanation of how it got there. Add a young Bradford boy whose mutilated body drew the Ripper's name north, a murdered London prostitute whose death gave Charles Dickens the killing of Nancy in "Oliver Twist", an actress found on Christmas morning with her throat cut and her door locked from the outside, and three siblings laid out in a Queensland paddock with their feet pointed west, and you have nine cases closed by verdict, by acquittal, or by nobody at all, with the questions still sitting open more than a century later.CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = East River Shadows00:07:15.256 = Show Open00:10:36.687 = The Gruesome Murder Of Shakespeare: Jack The Ripper In America?, Part 100:25:21.616 = The Gruesome Murder Of Shakespeare: Jack The Ripper In America?, Part 2 ***00:38:58.221 = The Gruesome Murder Of Shakespeare: Jack The Ripper In America?, Part 3 ***00:50:06.531 = The Thames Torso Murders: Victorian London's Forgotten Serial Killer ***01:13:04.687 = The Balham Mystery: The Inexplicable Poisoning of Charles Bravo ***01:35:52.584 = Blood On Boxing Day: The Gatton Murders ***01:48:01.563 = The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith: Love, Poison, and Mystery02:02:16.844 = Bradford Butchery: The Tragic Case of John Gill ***02:19:36.644 = The Grimwood Murder: The Real-Life Crime Behind Oliver Twist's Darkest Scene02:34:13.930 = Christmas Murder Of A Forgotten Actress: The Case of Harriet Busman ***02:49:05.581 = The Pimilco Poisonings: Marriage, Minister, Murder, and Mystery ***02:59:24.285 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*

What a week it has been for Doomsday warnings around AI. A researcher resigned from the AI company Anthropic saying colleagues across the industry believe artificial intelligence could kill us all by the end of the decade. Then the boss of Anthropic called for the pace of development of AI models to slow down and to be closely monitored. It's prompted calls for action towards an international treaty to regulate their growth. What role should faith leaders be playing in that regulation? We speak to Dr Steven Croft, the former Bishop of Oxford, who spent years advising the Church of England on the ethics of AI.The decision by the UK government to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank prompted a strong response from the UK's Chief Rabbi who called it a 'truly dark day for British Jews' that would 'succeed only in bolstering the very extremism they seek to target'. But other rabbis have supported the action, designed to curb settler violence. We hear from Rabbi Jeremy Gordon from the New London Synagogue.Plus, we find out about Ganga Aarti on the Thames, a Hindu ceremony of light, traditionally performed on the River Ganges in India, now being staged in Greenwich on a scale rarely attempted in Britain before. And, we learn more about how faith propelled the career of Irish world champion boxer Katie Taylor.Presenter: William Crawley Producers: James Graham and James Leesley Studio Managers: Kelly Young and Nathaniel Danter Editor: Catherine Murray

A book that traumatised a generation of CBSE students but it's been one of the funniest books I've ever read. Packing was a part of our syllabus in school and I absolutely loved the humour of the writer. Jerome K Jerome ‘s book was also responsible for the tourism around Thames river that following year. I hope you will enjoy it.I directed a mini drama named - Uncle Podger hangs a picture which is also an excerpt from the book

Daniel Farrand sits down with Brett Thorn, Keeper of Archaeology at Discover Bucks Museum, to explore their landmark exhibition, The Saxons.The discussion centers on two extraordinary early medieval burials: the 6th-century "Marlow Warlord"—a solitary, 6ft 4in warrior buried overlooking the Thames with an intact pattern-welded sword, broken spears, and continental bronze feasting cauldrons—and the 7th-century Taplow Princely Burial, Britain's richest pagan grave before the discovery of Sutton Hoo. ​Thorn explains how sentinel burials marked volatile river borders, how micro-foil waffle stamps gave garnet jewelry its luminous sparkle, and why delicate blown-glass cone beakers dismantle the myth of the crude "Dark Ages." ​Unlock our complete back-catalogue of 300+ episodes and the exclusive bonus Q&A covering the 144-grave Wendover cemetery on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcast | Handcrafted historical goods: https://www.hornsofodin.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to a brand new season of The Travel Diaries. It's great to be back!I couldn't think of a more joyful guest to kick off the season than Nisha Katona. A former child protection barrister turned restaurateur, food writer and TV presenter, Nisha is the founder of the hugely successful Mowgli Street Food restaurants, the author of several cookbooks, including her newest release, The Curry Bible, and was a judge on the BBC's Great British Menu. In this episode, Nisha describes herself as a “culinary evangelist and anthropologist”, and food is the thread running through her extraordinary Travel Diaries. We journey from childhood holidays in Mallorca and the tastes that first awakened her curiosity, to Beijing, her ancestral home of Varanasi, the temples and night markets of Cambodia, and her love for the Amalfi Coast.Our conversation travelled far beyond holidays, taking in family, identity, faith, grief and the ways in which travel helps us understand both the world and ourselves.Destination Recap:Mallorca, SpainTaunus Therme, Bad Homburg, GermanyBeijing, ChinaForbidden City, Beijing, ChinaVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaRiver Ganges, Varanasi, IndiaSiem Reap, CambodiaAngkor Wat, Siem Reap, CambodiaJeju Island, South KoreaAmalfi Coast, Campania, ItalyMount Vesuvius, Campania, ItalyPompeii, Campania, ItalyHerculaneum, Campania, ItalyParco dei Principi, Sorrento, ItalyPositano, Campania, ItalyRavello, Campania, ItalyCapri, Campania, ItalyLloret de Mar, Catalonia, SpainBlanes, Catalonia, SpainIbiza, SpainChinaJerusalem, IsraelNisha's fabulous new book, The Curry Bible, is out now. Today's conversation was filmed earlier this summer at the beautiful London Marriott Hotel County Hall, in the most spectacular room - The Big Ben Balcony Suite - overlooking the Thames and the Houses of Parliament.I'll be back on Sunday with our first episode of The Travel Diaries: Unpacked with travel editor John O'Ceallaigh.If you'd like to find out who's joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I'm @hollyrubenstein and I'd love to hear from you. With thanks to...Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/hostCitalia - Discover the real Italy with Citalia, the UK's leading Italian holiday specialists. Let the Italy Experts craft the perfect holiday for you and experience Italy like a Citalian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest BioAlice Todd is the co-founder of SwimQuest, a company specializing in open water swimming holidays and events. After leaving a career in media, she committed herself to sharing the experience of swimming in natural waters, combining adventure, fitness, and personal growth. Over the past decade, Alice has helped guests from around the world improve their swimming skills, overcome fears, and connect with nature. Beyond swimming, she is an avid runner and cyclist, as well as a creative spirit involved in writing, DJing, and art. Alice also balances her professional life with raising twin boys and caring for two Siberian huskies, embracing a vibrant, full-color approach to life.Show SummaryIn this episode of the Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Podcast, host Jason Elkins speaks with Alice Todd about her unique role as co-founder of SwimQuest, a company that offers open water swimming holidays and events. Alice explains how SwimQuest creates inclusive experiences where people of all swimming levels can enjoy coastal and island swims around the world, from the Arctic Circle to the Maldives. She highlights the non-competitive nature of their trips and events, emphasizing community, support, and personal progression.They discuss the growing popularity of open water swimming, particularly in the UK, and how SwimQuest caters to a diverse range of guests, including non-swimmers and families. Alice shares insights into the challenges and rewards of building SwimQuest from the ground up, her creative connection to color inspired by early travels, and the company's approach to guiding and safety. The conversation also touches on the appeal of swimming in urban waterways like the Thames and the inspiring atmosphere of cold water swims in Norway's Lofoten Islands.Alice's story reveals how she transitioned from a media career to an outdoor-focused business and how SwimQuest continues to evolve with new trips, workshops, and community-driven events designed to welcome anyone curious about open water swimming. Big World Made Small guest features are invitation-only and selected based on story, experience, and fit with the show. Guest support helps make the episode possible, but it does not determine who is featured. This helps keep the show free of third-party ads and interruptions while keeping the focus on real, story-driven conversations.Learn more about the Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Podcast and join our private community to get episode updates & special access to our guests.Are you a tourism expert with a story to share? Let's connect.

London. September 1666. One spark in a bakery on Pudding Lane helps ignite one of the most devastating fires in history.This week on The Willie Jackerson Experiment, we're heading into the flames of the Great Fire of London—four terrifying days that ripped through the medieval city, destroyed thousands of buildings, and transformed London forever.Using audio from Weird History, we'll explore the chaos behind the disaster: timber buildings packed together, powerful winds, desperate firebreaks, fleeing residents, and an inferno that eventually reached the heart of the city.And this episode comes with a serious dose of METAL.

One of the best things you can do with your time is hire a boat that you can sleep on and float up a river for a few days.Time stops.Absorb the weather, whatever form it takes, but sunny is best. Breathe in the air. Sleep as the boat gently bobs up and down. Contemplate. Talk. Play games. Eat. Swim.Peace descends and nothing much matters any more.I've done this several times on the Thames and, having just spent a few days in Serbia, I now plan to do the same thing on the Danube. I just had a little taster. I flew out to Serbia because I was speaking and performing at Liberpulco, the European brother of Anarchapulco, an anarchy meet-up - I hesitate to call it a conference - held every year in Acapulco. The idea is that the European version should take place in Liberland.Wait! What? Where?Gornja Siga is a small area of river islands and floodplain in the Danube about three square miles in size (more when the river is low). For some context, it would be about the size of Gibraltar.The Danube forms the border between Serbia and Croatia. Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, there was no agreement as to who owned this floodplain. It was terra nulla.Enter Vít Jedlička, a Czech politician and entrepreneur, who declared the territory the Free Republic of Liberland and has been trying to establish his own micronation ever since. “We are building the greatest tax haven the world has ever seen,” I once heard him declare in a presentation.Jedlička is a wonderful speaker, a great publicist and highly entrepreneurial. For obvious reasons, the project appealed to alienated libertarians around the world.He began selling passports and citizenship. He appointed various ministers. The nation's coffers were held in bitcoin. The nation even declares an annual profit.However, he needs another nation to recognise Liberland, which no one has yet done (despite, I gather, Argentine president Javier Millei being a citizen), and of course the idea has gone down like a bucket of sick at the UN.You also can't currently access the island by boat from Serbia without running into the Croatian police. If you should attempt to dock your boat, the police will arrest you. I think the grounds are entering the EU illegally. I swam to within about 5 feet of depth but then lost my nerve as the Croatia police boat approached and swam back into deeper water. Keeping a boat permanently stationed there is costing the Croatian police millions. Most days nothing happens. The police just sit there bored. What a waste of a life.You can access Liberland from the Croatian side, and some settlers live there in tents. Might for fun for a bit, but probably not a long-term option except for the most dedicated.Jedlička has now bought a plot of land beside a lake in the nearby Serbian town of Apatin, called it Ark and declared a government in exile. They have built a campsite, a small conference centre and various other facilities. It feels as much like a holiday resort as a country.Here is your author by said lake giving his best salmon impersonation.I don't know the ins and outs of the whole thing, but the project appeals to me if only because I find its sheer irreverence very funny. And because everyone wants to start their own nation. Who actually does?So that was what brought me to Serbia. And I am most grateful to the organizers for having me.Dogs and cigarettesWe flew into Belgrade, which itself is a tricky place to get to (try getting there from the south of France) and from there drove three hours to the town of Sombor and our hotel.I loved Sombor.I felt as though I had gone back in time to how European cities used to be: sleepy, friendly and safe. The country is 99% Christian Orthodox, and, from what little I experienced, both there and in Belgrade pretty monocultural. Serbs mostly seem to speak very good English. They are shy, polite, respectful, ambitious, hard working, driven and they take whatever they are doing very seriously.It's not like many other countries I could mention where you get accosted everywhere you go. People mostly left you alone to get on with whatever you were doing. But if you needed anything, they couldn't have been more helpful.In Belgrade, for example, taxis don't seem to stop on the street and there is no Uber. It took me more than 24 hours to work this out. But randoms on the street were more than happy to stop, get their phones out and call a taxi for me. If I asked a random in London to call me a taxi, Lord knows where that would end up.The food was delicious. Lots of trout, catfish and pork. Not particularly cheap.People looked pretty healthy, I must say. No rampant obesity. Although there were plenty of older men who looked as though they had drunk their fair share of beer over the years.That was another thing that took me back in time. Everybody smokes. Lots of sitting around in cafés, smoking and presumably discussing existentialism. You go into restaurants and there is a smoking area and a non-smoking area, and the smoking area is often more crowded. I'm so used to non-smoking restaurants that I have to say I didn't particularly like the smell.Belgrade was the same. Not particularly cheap. Some excellent food. As good a steak as I have ever eaten.Av ery high dog per capita ratio too. Everyone seems to own a dog and, what I liked, even in the capital many seemed to walk their dogs off a lead. Like the UK in the 1970s early 80s before pitbulls, health and safety arrived.Belgrade's location where the Danube and Sava rivers meet means it has been enormously important strategically. How about this for a stat? It has been fought over in 115 wars and razed 44 timesLots of splendid Orthodox churches. Look at all that gold leaf.Quite a bit of graffiti too. I couldn't understand what it said, but presumably something to do with the war. It has an unpopular and corrupt government that faces weekly protests. According to one taxi driver, always a reliable source of political opinion, it promises to join the EU and never does. Like somewhere else I could mention, the population is split 50:50 as to whether joining the EU is a good idea or not. A beautiful central park with a fortress that looks like Helms Deep. Lovely walks along the Danube. Lots of views. Here's one of them.I managed to rupture a tendon in my knee playing pickleball a month back, and this gave me an unexpected insight into the Serbian healthcare system. My knee was hurting so I took to google and got an appointment that same day with an orthopaedic surgeon. The clinic was not in the centre of town so we got some insight into ‘the real Belgrade”. What struck me was the relationship between the doctors and their patients. It seemed so good. They all seemed to know each other. There was affection. They seemed to feel part of the same community. It was so good to see. I then had an MRI the following day, all for about a quarter of what I would have expected to pay in the UK. That was a good experience too.I liked Serbia and will go back. Next time I am going to get a boat and drift up the Danube for a few days. There is something about being on a river that strips life down to its essentials. For a few days at least, I will drift, gently sway, bob up and down and nothing much will matter any more.Here is this week's commentary, in case you missed it.Until next time,Happy Sunday,DominicIf you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Billy The Bee Grant and Dave “Laney” Lane continue the build-up to Brentford's home clash with Sunderland in the second part of a two part Sunderland Preview podcastThe Bees look to take out the Black Cats as Billy and Laney preview the game, discuss the plans for the big flag display in the ground pre-match, discuss

In this special episode of The Conversation series Grant Scott speaks with award winning photographer Marc Asnin. In an informal conversation they discuss photography in the first twenty-five years of the 21st century based on his project Act One: A Century in the Making. Act One: A Century in the Making Act One: A Century in the Making is a major new photography publication and exhibition examining the first twenty-five years of the 21st century that brings together the work of more than one hundred internationally recognized photographers alongside leading scholars, journalists, historians, writers, and public intellectuals to examine the defining political, cultural, emotional, and social realities of the first twenty-five years of the 21st century. Published by Other/Side Editions, the project positions photography not simply as documentation, but as a form of cultural memory, inquiry, and artistic testimony. Through themes including war and conflict, migration, race in America, political division, technology, identity, and environmental crisis, the publication reconstructs context around images at a moment when photography is increasingly experienced in fragmented and decontextualized ways. At a moment when images are increasingly consumed out of context and historical memory exists under constant pressure, Act One seeks to create a space for reflection, connection, and deeper public understanding. Contributors include photographers such as Andrea Bruce, David Maisel, Eugene Richards, Ken Light, Martin Schoeller, Peter van Agtmael, Platon, and Stephen Dupont, alongside essays by scholars including Joia Mukherjee, Lizabeth Cohen, Mark Danner, Nikhil Pal Singh, and Fred Turner. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/68b6bf3489b2866ff94dab74/t/68b748b17606c33219faf40a/1756842161214/Act+One+Project+Summary.pdf Marc Asnin Known for his long-term documentary work exploring memory, family, identity, and American life, Asnin is the author of Uncle Charlie and Final Words. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous honors, including the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award, the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant in Humanistic Photography, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. www.marc-asnin.com Dr.Grant Scott After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby's, art directed foto8 magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), and What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006) and Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018. ©Grant Scott 2026

Recorded on location in Hammersmith at Emery Walker's House — the best-preserved Arts and Crafts interior in Britain, packed with original William Morris wallpaper and once home to William Morris's great friend and collaborator, the printer Emery Walker — this is the September edition of What's On in London. Jonathan makes the case that September might be the single best month of the year to visit London: the summer crush lifts as families return to school, everything is still open on summer hours, the weather turns crisp and golden, hotel prices drop, and the cultural calendar goes into overdrive. He covers Open House Festival (September 12–20, free, 621 listings including 10 Downing Street), Heritage Open Days across England, Totally Thames across twenty riverside boroughs, the London Design Festival in its 24th year, and the Last Night of the Proms — including the trick to getting in for eight pounds on the day. He then runs through the autumn's blockbuster exhibition openings, led by the Bayeux Tapestry's arrival at the British Museum (and the British Museum membership workaround for anyone who missed the sold-out ticket release), Nature and Us at the Natural History Museum in a gallery closed since 1943, the Burberry Trench at the V&A, and How We Lost America at Hogarth's House — curated by the very person who let him record this episode. Plus what's closing and when, live music and theater, family activities, the September weather outlook, and Jonathan's own remaining London itinerary. Not for members and listeners: Due to the timely nature of this episode, I'm releasing it to members and general listeners on the same day, so there won't be a new episode Friday. This is this week's episode. Links Where This Episode Was Recorded Emery Walker's House, Hammersmith — Book a Tour Londontopia's Hammersmith Neighborhood Guide The Londontopia Events Calendar

After a summer when hot weather has drawn many of us towards the water, we explore its pull as a place of freedom, adventure and friendship, as well as the risks it can pose.Writer and wild swimmer Brigid Lowe tells us how swimming in Scotland's lochs gave her a sense of freedom, a journey she charts in her new memoir, Shiver: The Lessons of the Lochs. Musician Tricia Duffy explains how rivers and the sea flow through her songwriting, including her recent EP, River Stories.Seren Jones, co-founder of the Black Swimming Association, joins us to discuss who feels able to enjoy the water, why some communities face greater barriers to swimming and how we can all enjoy open water more safely.We also meet some of the women whose working lives depend on water. Ivana-Maria Carrioni-Burnett, a former Royal Navy officer who now works as a sea pilot on the Thames, describes climbing aboard huge vessels and taking control of their navigation. Plus Sara Barsley and Hayley Garrod from the Canal and River Trust reveal the work that goes into keeping Britain's waterways flowing.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Simon Richardson

In March 2003, Sara Niethe drove out to a property at Kaihere, on the Hauraki Plains, and was never seen again. She was 32 years old, a mother of three. Neither she nor her car has ever been found.Twenty three years later, the man at the centre of it has told four different versions of that day, has served his sentence, and has never said where she is.In season seven of Guilt, Ryan Wolf takes up the search for Sara Niethe. New episodes coming very soon.WE NEED YOUR HELPThis season is an active search, and the people who can end it are almost certainly reading this.We want to hear from you if:You knew Sara Niethe, or knew Mark Pakenham, or knew anyone around him in 2003You lived, worked, farmed or hunted around Kaihere, Ngatea, Patetonga or the wider Hauraki and Thames districts in 2003You saw a light green 1987 Honda Civic hatchback, registration NH4050, in 2003 or at any time sinceYou know of ground that was dug, filled, drained or built over around that time, or of a digger being used somewhere it had no reason to beSomebody once told you something about this, and you have carried it sinceHow to reach usWebsite: www.theguiltpodcast.comEmail: brevitystudiosnz@gmail.comYou do not have to give us your name.THE CASE, IN BRIEFSara Niethe was last seen on Sunday 30 March 2003, having driven to a property at Kaihere in the Hauraki district. Her light green 1987 Honda Civic hatchback, registration NH4050, disappeared with her and has never been located.In 2011, Mark Pakenham was charged with her murder. In February 2013 he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, on the basis that he administered methamphetamine to Sara and that she died. He was sentenced in August 2013 to six years and seven months, and released on parole in 2016. He has never disclosed the location of her body or her car.Please note: Mark Pakenham was convicted of manslaughter, not murder.CREDITSWritten and presented by Ryan Wolf and the Brevity Studios Team.A Brevity Studios production.Guilt, season seven: Searching for Sara.Contains references to drug use and the death of a woman. Please take care while listening.Guilt is a 100% Independent Podcast. Support the Podcast by becoming a Brevity+ subscriber. For a small monthly or annual fee you can both support the show and get a ton of amazing features, including Early Episode Release, Bonus Episodes, Ad Free Listening and exclusive access to the Guilt Podcast 'War Room' on www.theguiltpodcast.com where you'll find timelines, maps, case files, exclusive episode video content and more!Subscribe today on Apple or Spotify (Supporting Cast). For details on how to subscribe please visit our website www.theguiltpodcast.com/how-to-subscribeIf you have information about any of our cases or you would like to suggest a case or a story, please visit our website www.theguiltpodcast.com and use our contact form to contact us.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/guilt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new book “London Falling” tells the true story of Zac Brettler, a 19-year-old Londoner who falls to his death in the Thames after living a double life pretending to be the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. We speak with bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe about mystery, money and police inaction as he searches for answers about Zac's death.

PACIFIC WATCHJeff Bliss, "Pacific Watch," and Michael Vlahos ("Germanicus"), join John Batchelor in a combined Pacific Watch and Londinium Chronicles session. Bliss reports on Southern California's intense high-pressure ridge and tropical moisture pushed up by storms off Mexico, creating a highly humid, Florida-like climate with inland desert temperatures consistently reaching 110 to 115 degrees. Off San Diego, ocean temperatures have surged to an unprecedented 79 degrees, sparking explosive growth in the stingray population, drawing in numerous great white and hammerhead sharks, and prompting massive tuna runs unlike anything in recent memory. At the Newport Harbor entrance, southern storms are generating massive swells that bounce off a stone jetty to create "the Wedge"—a notoriously dangerous surf spot where waves abruptly swell from 4-foot faces into towering 20-to-25-foot walls that break directly on the shore. Bliss then describes "dystopian" homeless encampments in Berkeley and Los Angeles that resemble scenes from Mad Max, enabled by local policies that do not roust campers and provide clean needles and meth pipes. Organized crime syndicates have begun controlling some of these spaces, renting out tent plots and broken-down RVs to the vulnerable, and the extreme lack of sanitation has triggered a modern typhus outbreak—prompting Bliss and Vlahos to compare the camps to ancient leper colonies and disease-ridden medieval crusader camps outside Constantinople. (1)LONDINIUM CHRONICLESGaius (John Batchelor) and Germanicus (Michael Vlahos): Meeting at their expanded wine bar by the Thames in 92 AD Londinium—amid first-century trademark disputes, Greek vintners, and the Eighth Legion—the hosts dissect contemporary international conflicts, arguing that the modern "emperor" is actively exacerbating chaos. They analyze the "phony war" dynamics of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pointing to CIA Director Ratcliffe's unacknowledged mission to Moscow, Belarusian combat readiness drills, Polish tank movements along the Kaliningrad border, and Ukraine's severely depleted military budget. Germanicus predicts that the current global tension will not escalate into a global death spiral, but will instead end "not with a bang but a whimper" via the collapse and humiliation of American global power—much like the sudden and abrupt collapse of British imperial power in 1948. (2)

1 Jittered sparkles-Filaments 2 Hey! This is Brad - Leave the Trumpet Alone!  3 Loopcrashing - In My Bound  4 Cellardore - Power To The People 5 Chromatic-Bowser 6 Good_Morning_Breakbeat-Digital Base and Andy Vibes 7 K5 - Passion (ANUSCHKA & DJ WAVS Remix) 8 Crispy, Mc.Crus - All You Need 9 Vital Drums - Bass Flow  10 Ctrl-Z - Watt A Key 11 SubKillers - Ticking Clock  12 Ctrl-Z, Jackson Mathod - Bullet to My Heart Ft Jackson Mathod  13 Afghan Headspin - Need To Believe 14 Ctrl-Z - Temporary Situation  15 KMK, FM-Bonfire  16 WelderB - Radar 17 Etienne-de-Crecy---Scratched--DJ-Hype--Kill-the-Purists--remix 18 Loopcrashing - You Want Jungle  19 Aspect One - 4am  20 GunLock - Cut Sharp  21 Novelist, SKALAH - South of the Thames 

** Thanks to Davis Balestracci for identifying the unknown Vic Hammett track, "Little Bird, Little Bird". Start Name Artist Album Year Comments Down Yonder Vic Hammett Sentimental Gentleman From Tooting [Amberlee AML 311] 1972 4-14 Wurlitzer, Granada Theatre, Tooting, London (1931) 3:00 I'll Always Be In Love With You Vic Hammett At The Wurlitzer Organ [Saga Society SOC 1037] 1967 3-10 Wurlitzer, Town Hall, Buckingham; ex-Metropole, Victoria 6:16 If I Were A Rich Man Vic Hammett Concert: Dendy Theatre, Brighton, Melbourne 1968-07-28 1968 3-15 Wurlitzer, Dendy Theatre, Brighton, Victoria, Australia; from and returning to Capitol Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria 9:54 Little Bird, Little Bird (Man Of La Mancha) •• Vic Hammett Concert: Dendy Theatre, Brighton, Melbourne 1968-07-28 1968 3-15 Wurlitzer, Dendy Theatre, Brighton, Victoria, Australia; from and returning to Capitol Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria 11:26 Morning, Noon And Night In Vienna Douglas Reeve Brighton Brassy [Concert Recording CR-0020] 4-42 Hill, Norman and Beard (Christie), The Dome, Brighton 18:29 Forgotten Dreams Douglas Reeve BBC Popular Organ Music Recital 1990-05-12 1990 4-49 Christie/Hill, Norman & Beard, Dome, Brighton, Sussex 21:10 The Maid Of The Mountains - selections Douglas Reeve Pack Up Your Troubles 1975-07-20 1975 3-13 Wurlitzer, BBC Playhouse Theatre, Manchester; ex-Empress Ballroom, Blackpool 26:04 Manderin' Armsbee Bancroft The Theatre Organ Club presents Armsbee Bancroft at the Wurlitzer [CLC 8514] 1985 3-8 Wurlitzer, Town Hall, Burton-On-Trent 30:11 Summertime In Venice Armsbee Bancroft Remember Me? [NTOT NLS 106] 1981 3-13 Compton-Christie; Ossett Town Hall, Yorkshire 33:52 Bideford Quay Armsbee Bancroft Dream A Little Dream Of Me [Audicord ACD 225] 1983 3-15 Marshall Sykes, Cecil Theatre, Hull, England 37:03 The Dream Of Olwen Joseph Seal At The Wurlitzer Encore [Pye NPL 18147] 1966 3-12 Wurlitzer, ABC Cinema, Kingston-upon-Thames 40:58 Melody in F Joseph Seal Family Favourites [Marble Arch MAL 1131] 1969 3-12 Wurlitzer, ABC/Regal Cinema, Kingston-Upon-Thames 45:11 Wood Nymphs Joseph Seal Wurlitzer Wonderland [Golden Hour GH 609] 1975 3-12 Wurlitzer plus grand piano, Musical Museum, Brentford, Middx; ex-Regal, Kingston-upon-Thames (2445 seats) 48:43 I've Got the World on a String Bryan Rodwell BBC Broadcast: Odeon Leeds 1967 1967 3-19 Wurlitzer, Paramount/Odeon Theatre, Leeds 52:24 Don't Blame Me Bryan Rodwell At Tooting With Rodwell [Ventures In Sound VIS B-3] 4-14 Wurlitzer, Granada Cinema, Tooting, London 57:16 Samun (Symphonic Foxtrot) Bryan Rodwell Cinema Organ Encores Vol 5 [Deroy 870] 1955 3-8 Wurlitzer, Granada Cinema, Clapham Junction, London 18/9/37; remastered stereo from mono tapes (by Deroy)

New episode! Jay welcomes aboard Aaron Neuwirth (@aaronsps4) to ride the rails with the Snakes on a Train, a film featuring far more magic and snake vomiting than anyone expected! On this episode they discuss sharks in the Thames, knockout dust and swamp puppies!

In the fourth and final part of our 'Summer Special Series' Grant Scott revists photographer contributions answering the question 'What Does Photography Mean to You? Dr.Grant Scott After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby's, art directed foto8 magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020) and Inside Vogue House: One building, seven magazines, sixty years of stories, (Orphans Publishing 2024). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006) and Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018. © Grant Scott 2026

Pride is moving down the Thames after its National Theatre run! We talk to director Matthew Warchus and writer Stephen Beresford about the musical's sell-out success and what the future holds as the production continues its life. Based on the true story depicted in the 2014 film Pride, the musical is set during the 1984 miners' strike. The story follows a group of lesbian and gay activists who form Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM), an alliance which sees them support a small mining community in South Wales. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

God has an amazing plan. He blesses us so that we can be a blessing in the world. The question is – how? How do we take what God's given us and share it around.   Let's Get it Straight It is great to be with you today. This is the third message in a series that I've called "Blessed to be a Blessing". I think it's important for us to take a really deep look at God's way of blessing us because when we understand that; when we know how God's working and operating in our lives, it's such a wonderful thing to see His blessing flow. Over the last couple of weeks we have seen that we often get things the wrong way around when it comes to God's blessing. I mean, sure, God is a God of blessing; we want to be blessed but what we often don't come to grips with in our hearts, is how God wants to multiply His blessing through us. To have a flood tide of blessing go out to a parched and dry and hurting world. For His blessing to flow into our lives from God and out through us to other people. Last week we particularly looked at two verses that made that abundantly clear. The first is John chapter 7, verse 37: On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty let them come to me and drink, and whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow out from within them." By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. You see, it's in and out. If anyone is thirsty, come to Jesus and drink. If you're looking for something and you're parched and needy, come to Jesus to drink. Put your faith in Him and rivers of living water will flow out. It's in and out. It's one of the greatest passages in all of the Bible. It's powerful. It's the crux of being a disciple. We are blessed to be a blessing – rivers of living water. Remember, we looked at it – Nile, Ganges, Murray and Mississippi and Thames and Rhine and Yangtze and Amazon and again – rivers of living water. The other thing He said was: Give and it will be given to you, of good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure that you use, it will be measured to you. We are going to expand on that theme today and get really practical. If God's blessing is something that flows through us, if that's a part of how He works, how should that happen? Because if all those rivers head in and none of them head out, we're going to end up being like the Dead Sea – dead. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to a man called S.D. Gordon. Sometime in the late eighteen hundreds or nineteen hundreds, he wrote that book called, "The Quiet Talks on Power". And in that book he uses the simple and powerful example to describe the consequences of expecting all of God's blessing to flow into our lives but not letting any of them flow out. He uses this picture of the Dead Sea. Now the Dead Sea is exactly that; a body of water where all the rivers flow in and none flow out and as a result, it is dead. Nothing lives in it. Not a thing. No fish, no plants, no birds and the water is incredibly hard and brackish. He makes this point in his book; that if we expect all of God's blessing to flow in and none of them to flow out then our lives become like the circumference of the Dead Sea. Now it's a big turn-around for us because we are programmed to think that blessing is all about me. It should all flow into me, right? But that's not it in God's economy. Blessing is really only a blessing when it flows out through us again. Think about it, a material blessing like a home … isn't the joy, the real joy of a home, sharing it with your family? It's a natural thing! In Acts chapter 20 and verse 38, it says this: The Lord Jesus Himself said, "It is more blessed to give that receive. That is so profound – "It is more blessed to give that to receive." See Jesus is throwing our whole idea of blessing on its head. And He's saying when the blessing flows out through you, you'll be more blessed than when it flows into you. Do you get it? God's way of blessing is the blessing flows down from Him and out through us and in that process, standing in the middle of His great river of blessing, we to are blessed. That's it! The world's dropped this notion into our heads that it's all about us – me, me, me – and we end up twisting and perverting God's plan. We end up thinking God's blessing is about the next "this thing" for me or "that thing" for me. Now He loves to do those things, but principally, God's blessing is the thing that flows out of us to the rest of the world. What if Jesus, the Son of God, had come to earth and said to Himself, "You know something, it's all about me." No, the Son of Man didn't come to be served but to serve. See, in and out. Now, Berni Dymet, the business man: I tried so hard to get everything to flow into me, with a huge house and gold plated taps and a car worth so much, just thinking about it now makes my toes curl. You know, the blessing of 'me' became an art form. That's what my whole life was about and it never, never, never satisfied me. And when God got a hold of me a dozen or so years ago, over several years He changed me to the point where He trusted me to do what I'm doing now. And I walk with Him in the quiet, cool hours of the morning and experience Him and delight in Him and hear Him and spend time in His Word, and then prepare these programmes and sit here and spend time with you and the blessing flows in and out again. Today, I'm one of the most deeply satisfied people you will ever come across, even though the way God has chosen to bless me is different from what I would have planned. I had to re-learn what it meant to be blessed by God. And it's in this serving and using our gifts and skills, abilities and resources as channels of God's blessing, that we discover blessing. A close connection with God – it's a two sided transaction – intimacy with Jesus and then letting Him use us … us whom He's made what we are meant to be, to let Him flow out through us into the parched, dry land around us. You and I are blessed to be a blessing. "It is more of a blessing to give than to receive", is what Jesus said. Now, maybe you're listening to this and you are thinking, "Ok, I get the theory; I believe that; I understand it, but what about the practice? How can I be a blessing?" Well, that's what we are going to look at through the rest of this programme.   What Gifts do I have? It's so easy for us to think, "Well, I don't have anything to bless other people with. How can I be a blessing?" The "how" is so important. It's about making the rubber hit the road and about getting our lives aligned to God's way, so that we are working with Him and not against Him. We talked before about the fact that God's blessing is a two-sided transaction – in and out. You can't do the "out" without the "in". Jesus said in John, chapter 15, verses 4 and 5: Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me - I am the vine and you are the branches. If anyone remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing. See, this talks about the "in" and the "out" again. We need to be close to Jesus, we need to be grafted into Him; He is our life blood. And when we set our hearts on Him; when we spend that time with Him, His Spirit flows into our lives and we can't help it, we just end up bearing fruit – He bears fruit. And who's the fruit for? It's not for the vine, no, it's for other people … in and out. Isn't it amazing how this theme recurs over and over again through the Scripture? How easy it is for us, though, to miss it, to pervert it to the "me, me, me" thing. We'll look at that a bit more next week; how we are prone to twist and pervert God's plan for blessing. If we think for one minute that we can peddle and peddle and peddle hard on the outside to make things happen, whilst our relationship with Jesus on the inside is in tatters, we are kidding ourselves. The only way I know of having that relationship with Him is to lay down my life and to spend time with Him. I was speaking a while ago at a Christian leaders conference about our priorities, about God being first and a lot of the people there were very well known leaders of Christian ministries. And one by one they came up to me afterwards and said. "You know, this is an area I struggle in. I'm busy doing ministry and somehow I don't have time to spend with God." So a lot of people struggle with the "in" side of the equation but others struggle with the other end. They have a relationship with Jesus; they have time with Him but they become what I call a Spiritual couch-potato – they don't do anything with that. And the Bible says that faith without works is dead. Now you might say, "Berni, that's unfair; I just can't do any of that 'out' stuff." Have a listen to what Paul wrote. Romans chapter 12: Therefore, I urge you, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is you Spiritual act of worship. Don't conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good and pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given to me, I say to every one of you, don't think of yourselves more highly that you should. But rather think of yourselves with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith that God's given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members and these members don't all have the same functions, so in Christ, we who are many from one body and each member belongs to all the others – we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy according to your faith; if it's serving then serve; if it's teaching, well, teach; if it's encouraging, encourage people; if it's contributing to the needs of others, give generously to them; if it's leadership, govern diligently and if it's showing mercy, do it with cheerfulness. See, God calls us to be living sacrifices. Last week on the programme we saw how Abraham was blessed to be a blessing and he spent twenty five years on a painful, uncomfortable journey. He was a living sacrifice. If we are going to be blessed to be a blessing, if the blessing of God is going to flow into our lives and out again, there is a cost. It is not always convenient; it's not always fun; it doesn't always look like a blessing. We are called to be living sacrifices. And then we shouldn't let the world squeeze us into its mould. Don't conform any longer to the pattern of this world. See "world" says it's about you and me and Jesus is saying, "No it's not! Die to yourself! Sacrifice your life!" And it turns everything on its head. With sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith that God has give you, exercise the gift that is given. See we make two equal and opposite mistakes here. Firstly, some people embark on things that they were never cut out for by God. You know, that never, ever works. People operating outside their gifting are really ugly, with a capital 'UG'. Some people have said to me, "Berni, you should be a pastor". UG! You know it's not going to happen – I'm not pastorally gifted. It would be like dragging my wife Jacqui in here, who is pastorally gifted, who in fact, is wonderfully gifted in the area of service. And if you are in Australia and you ring our ministry, chances are, you'll talk to her. And if someone rings and they order a CD or they do this, she wants to get it out today. She's just gifted to do that but if you dragged her here in front of the microphone, all you would get is this … dead silence, because she'd be petrified. Or if you put me into her job, you probably wouldn't get your CD because that's not what I'm motivated to do. Let's start doing what God has made and gifted us to do. We're all different so let's not compare; that's so dumb. There is something that God made in you that is uniquely you, it's special; and when we compare that with others, we're missing the point. The gifts we have are given according to the grace of God. Prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing to the needs of others, giving, leadership, mercy – they're motivational gifts. They're things that God has birthed in us and there are all sorts of different manifestations of this. We all have something, we all love doing it, and it's unreal when we're flowing in that; when the blessing of God is manifest through us doing the thing that He made us to do. And it's terrible when people aren't working in that gifting. You see it in business. You get served by a waiter in a restaurant, and they just don't have the gift of service and it's terrible – it doesn't work. "Aw, you don't understand Berni. I'm a mum with a screaming baby, I can't do anything; I'm stuck at home". And there's probably a mother's group somewhere with other mum's in it who are just dying for your gift of encouragement. If only you would see it as an opportunity for God's blessing to flow through you. Blessing and service go hand in hand. You can't separate them. God's blessing comes in and it flows out. The problem is can I tell you this? – the problem is that so many Christians allow themselves to be stuffed into the world's mould and they still think, "It's all about me." "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." God has given you a gift. "Aw, Berni, that is so spiritual. I work sixty hours a week in business and I have a lot of money but it don't have time to do this stuff; this giving," and all along God is giving you a heart of generosity and there's some young evangelist in your church, who if someone funded them for just a day and a half a week, they would be able to touch so many people with the love of Christ. Do you get it? We all have something that God has put in us, through which His blessing will flow to a lost and hurting world.   Putting First Things First I guess this message of being blessed in order to be a blessing is a bit "in your face", but I think God is doing an exciting thing. I think sometimes He wants to challenge us through His Word. I don't know about you but I want to be transformed by the renewing of your mind and I grew up with a very selfish "me, me, me" attitude – straight out of the world's mould. Maybe you are like that too and today is a day where we decide to put first things first. To get our priorities in life straightened out. To stop thinking about God's blessing as material blessing only. He does bless us with material things and people who don't have enough food, have to rely on God for His blessing. But listen to what Jesus said: Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life; what you'll eat or what you drink or about your body, what you'll wear. Isn't life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air – they don't sow or reap or store things in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you much more valuable than them? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about your clothes – look at the lilies of the field – see how they grow – they don't labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even King Solomon, in all of his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow in the fire, won't He clothe you much more - you of little faith. So don't worry saying, "What will I eat or what will I drink or what will I wear – the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them, but first seek His Kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow – tomorrow will worry about itself – each day has trouble enough of its own." See, the context here is a bunch of people who are worrying about their own needs and whether you are poor and you have genuinely a cause to worry about your own needs or whether you're wealthy and you are racing after God's blessings for a bigger car and a bigger house, the same truth applies. Jesus is saying here, "Get your priorities right." Get a deep abiding, enduring, intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Spend time in prayer and in God's Word and then let Him use us as His fountain of blessing, a flood tide of life and all the other things will get added to us. God knows what we need and you know something, God knows the things we want too. God is a wonderful God to come along and bless us with just little things along the way that we didn't even think for; didn't even ask for, but God thought of them. You know, He's worried about the little things in our lives as well. It is so crazy for us to reduce the blessing of God down to just material blessing. "First seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Now this is counter-intuitive. It's a deep ask. God is asking us today – you and me – to trust Him and to do it His way. Why does He do it this way? Why does He say, "Look, bow your life down to Me first and then get the blessing?" Why do we have to die before we can live? Why does He ask us to step out and start serving in order to be blessed? Why did Jesus say, "Give and it will be given to you – a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap, for with the measure you use in your giving, it will be measured to you." Why did He do that? Because that requires faith and God wants us to be a people of faith, completely dependent on Him. And when we do that; when we step out with our gifts – meagre as they might seem in our eyes – when we live the struggle and the rejection and the disappointments for Him, He honours that. We are blessed to be a blessing. You have incredible abilities and gifts and talents and motivations that God has planted in you, worked into your very DNA, that God prepared and nurtured through the experiences of your life, even through the hurts of the past – especially through those. When we put those in His hands; when we let Him use them to be a blessing to others; when we draw so close to Him that no one else could ever understand what's going on in our relationship between us and our Master – then we see what happens. I am never as blessed as I am than when I'm right here with you now, doing what God crafted me to do. That's His plan. And it's a phenomenal plan and He has the same plan for you, with your gifts and your talents and abilities and your motivations. You are blessed to be a blessing. Go on! Let the blessing flow through you to other people, no matter what the cost – let God use who you are for His glory and you will be blessed beyond anything that any words can describe. You and I are blessed to be a blessing.

Lucy Tobin looks to the future of the River Thames. From climate change and population growth to water shortages, pollution and emerging contaminants, she explores the challenges facing one of Britain's most important waterways. Hearing from scientists, campaigners, politicians and water industry experts, Lucy asks what needs to happen next to protect the Thames for future generations — and whether the decisions being made today will be enough to secure the river's long-term health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Friday we delve into the mysterious .. the unexplained .. the stories that send a shiver down your spine .. the stranger the better. If you've got a Freaky Friday story you'd like to share - or a really good one you don't want to share, but could be persuaded into - let us know 2101 or Jesse@rnz.co.nz Today's twisted tale takes us to the base of the Coromandel and Christine in Thames. [picture id="4JUCJCT_afternoons_spooky_thumbnail_png" crop="16x10" layout="full"]

The future of construction depends on more than projects—it depends on people.In this episode of The Mobilization Mindset, Scott Peper sits down with Joel Thames, Vice President of Health, Safety, Environment & Workforce Development at Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), to discuss America's Workforce Academy—a groundbreaking partnership between ABC and Meta designed to recruit, train, and place the next generation of skilled construction professionals.Together, they discuss:How America's Workforce Academy is helping address the construction labor shortageWhy recruiting, training, and placing workers must happen together—not separatelyHow contractors of every size can strengthen their own workforce pipelineWhy financial literacy and career development are essential to long-term retentionHow investing in people creates stronger businesses and a stronger industryJoel also shares why workforce development isn't just an industry initiative—it's a competitive advantage. From reducing turnover and improving safety to creating long-term career opportunities, investing in people is one of the smartest investments a contractor can make.Learn more about America's Workforce Academy:https://www.abc.org/AWAApply for America's Workforce Academy:https://cbreglobal.avature.net/AmericasWorkforceAcademyFormContact Joel:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-thames-548bb5104/Learn more: https://mobilizationfunding.com/Subscribe to the Mobilization Minute newsletter:https://mobilizationfunding.com/newsletter-subscriptions/

The discovery of a child's torso in the Thames leaves detectives with almost no clues to his identity. An international investigation begins, uncovering increasingly disturbing possibilities…*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane.Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.Audio editing by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.Narration, additional audio editing and mixing, additional writing, and script editing by Benjamin Fitton.To get early ad-free access, including Season 1, sign up for They Walk Among PLUS, available from Patreon or Apple Podcasts.More information and episode references can be found on our website https://theywalkamonguspodcast.comSOCIAL MEDIA: https://linktr.ee/TheyWalkAmongUsWe're running a brief listener survey. As a thank you, completing it gives you the chance to win one of three signed copies of the They Walk Among Us book: https://bit.ly/theywalkamongussurvey2026 Thanks!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

⚡️FREE RESOURCE:

In the third of a four part 'Summer Special Series' Grant Scott revists photographer contributions answering the question 'What Does Photography Mean to You? Dr.Grant Scott After fifteen years art directing photography books and magazines such as Elle and Tatler, Scott began to work as a photographer for a number of advertising and editorial clients in 2000. Alongside his photographic career Scott has art directed numerous advertising campaigns, worked as a creative director at Sotheby's, art directed foto8 magazine, founded his own photographic gallery, edited Professional Photographer magazine and launched his own title for photographers and filmmakers Hungry Eye. He founded the United Nations of Photography in 2012, and is now a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, and a BBC Radio contributor. Scott is the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019), What Does Photography Mean To You? (Bluecoat Press 2020) and Inside Vogue House: One building, seven magazines, sixty years of stories, (Orphans Publishing 2024). His photography has been published in At Home With The Makers of Style (Thames & Hudson 2006) and Crash Happy: A Night at The Bangers (Cafe Royal Books 2012). His film Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay was premiered in 2018. © Grant Scott 2026

Have a comment? I'd love to hear from you! S.4 Ep.13 - SAUNA FOR HEALTH PART 1: FINNISH SAUNA. With: Eloise DesoutterThis is Part 1 of a 2 Part podcast on the benefits and effects of all the main types of sauna; Finnish, Steam, Red light and Infrared. Elouise own and operates Soala in Henley on Thames. She has a great set up on the banks of the Thames, looking out onto the river. She has a great scientific knowledge about the subject, but is also very aware of the holistic effects and is very open minded about the application of sauna use. She gave me some great links to studies we discussed in the episode.If you would like to find out more about Eloise, and/or Soala Sauna - follow the links below: Soala Sauna (website)InstagramStudies referenced:Temperature and humidity independently influence thermoregulatory responses during Finnish sauna bathingEffect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runnersJoint associations of sauna bathing and cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risk: a long-term prospective cohort studyA fantastic resource for people who want to know more about what we discussed is Rhonda Patrick's page on Sauna on her website - Found my Fitness. It's an excellent sauna bible.I hope you find this useful and enjoyed the podcast. Watch for the next episode soon, please subscribe when you can and please leave us a rating or review. It would really help if you shared this or any of these podcasts, with anyone who might find it useful. Click the link highlighted to find out more about Lee here.Please also join the Mature Muscle Podcast  Facebook Group for the latest info.

Newly clean-shaven host Matt Trump (yes, he shaved the beard) delivers part four of his summer abroad walking tour, back in London as the self-described Rick Steves of Badlands. After brief detours on odd Wisconsin election results and AI watermarking, he cues up the 1953 Ivanhoe trailer and walks you upstream along the Thames, past Blackfriars, to the round Temple Church at the heart of the medieval Inns of Court. The main event is the Knights Templar. Framed archaeologically rather than as pure conspiracy fodder, he traces their origins as pilgrim-protecting warrior monks headquartered at the Temple Mount, their surprising role as the inventors of international banking and letters of credit, and their later life as lawyers. The through line ties this fusion of military, finance, and intelligence to modern parallels, from the CIA to globalist power. Expect crusades history, a promised pub stop, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek asides.

Today we are visiting Holland Park in west central London. But before we do, let's zoom out. If you look at a map of central London you'll see, within the spiderweb of roadways fanning out from the Thames, hundreds of small green rectilinear plots. Where I live, on the west coast of the United States, this symbology tends to translate as parks or open spaces, accessible to the public. Not so in London. The majority of these smaller bits of green are private parks; fenced, gated and surrounded by tall hedges. You need a key to get in.Thankfully the much larger green spaces, including the Royal Parks, are open to the public. The Royal Parks trace back to Henry VIII seizing land for royal deer hunting. In Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park, and five others you'll find a mix of woodlands and meadows, where Londoners now gather to commune with the naturalistic landscape in genuinely massive numbers. Holland Park is something of an outlier in this mix. The 54 acre site dates back to the 1600's as the private gardens of Cope Castle, a mansion originally built on a 500 acre estate for Sir Walter Cope. The Youngest of Cope's daughters married Henry Rich, who became the 1st Earl of Holland in 1624, giving the house, and eventually the park, its name. Much of Holland House was destroyed in Blitz bombing raids. An Act of Parliament in 1953 finalized the sale of the estate to the government, with part of the grounds opened to the public that year.Holland Park feels smaller and more intimate than its acreage suggests. It's quiet. Its few discrete entrances contribute to this feeling of privacy and intimacy. It's also compartmentalized. It's rigidly formal in the Dutch Garden;While woodlands sprawl on the north side;And a unique blend of the two near can be found near the center, in the Kyoto Garden:And so, it does not sound like the Royal Parks. There are far less visitors, more wildlife density, and less traffic noise from boulevards on the margins. To put it plainly, it's my kind of city park.For my soundwalk score, I sought to capture the relaxed and hushed feel of the park in musical movements using electric piano, synthesizers, tuned percussion, electric bass, and woodwinds.Thanks for reading along and listening. Holland Park Soundwalk is available on all music streaming services August 21st, 2026. Author's Note: I mixed up my dates, so this post arrived one week early. My new release for this week is Amsterdam Dusk, available under the artist name Listening Spot, on all streaming platforms today, Friday, August 14th. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadcrouch.substack.com/subscribe

We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. In the fourth episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin investigates the Tideway Tunnel — the vast engineering project built beneath the River Thames to tackle London's sewage pollution problem.Following decades of sewage spills into the river, the £4.6 billion "super sewer" was designed to capture millions of tonnes of wastewater that would otherwise overflow into the Thames during heavy rainfall.But while the tunnel is reducing pollution, can it protect London from the increasing threat of flash flooding?This episode features interviews with Thames Water's Head of Waste Operations Tim Davies, catchment management expert Alex Nickson, seventh-generation waterman Chris Livett, and Sir Peter Bazalgette.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: Lucy puts Thames Water director, Cathryn Ross, in the hot seat. She asks the questions Londoners want answered: bills, bonuses, sewage, and the future ownership of the company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. In the fourth episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin investigates the Tideway Tunnel — the vast engineering project built beneath the River Thames to tackle London's sewage pollution problem.Following decades of sewage spills into the river, the £4.6 billion "super sewer" was designed to capture millions of tonnes of wastewater that would otherwise overflow into the Thames during heavy rainfall.But while the tunnel is reducing pollution, can it protect London from the increasing threat of flash flooding?This episode features interviews with Thames Water's Head of Waste Operations Tim Davies, catchment management expert Alex Nickson, seventh-generation waterman Chris Livett, and Sir Peter Bazalgette.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: Lucy puts Thames Water director, Cathryn Ross, in the hot seat. She asks the questions Londoners want answered: bills, bonuses, sewage, and the future ownership of the company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Local news is in crisis. Newsrooms have shrunk, newspapers have closed, and communities across the country are increasingly becoming news deserts. In his new book, “Why Local News: A Memoir and Plea for an Endangered Form of Journalism,” Rick Thames argues that strong, local journalism remains essential for informed communities and democracy.

Bex sends Dan to Greenwich for a face your fears challenge, and he turns up on the riverside with no idea what is coming. Inside his envelope is the mission: climb to the top of the Cutty Sark, the famous tea clipper that once raced tea leaves from Asia to Europe and now sits in dry dock in south London. The problem is that Dan is terrified of heights, and so is producer Paul! Strapped into harnesses, safety lines and heart rate monitors, they head up the ratlines, the rope ladders that sailors once climbed with nothing attached to them at all. The Cutty Sark Rig Climb Experience takes you to the tops platform and then out along the lower topsail yard, around 21 metres above the main deck, with huge views across the Thames and London. Getting down is the strangest bit, because you lean back, take your hands off the ropes and get winched gently to the deck. Does Dan's heart rate survive? Climbers need to be at least 8 years old, and you can find out more by searching for Cutty Sark Rig Climb Experience. Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Matt Trump powers through a technically cursed evening (broken mic cord, dead camera, "wading through mud" all week) to deliver part three of his summer abroad walking tour as the self-styled Rick Steves of Badlands. After a detour on reactivating a decade-old Facebook account and how he tries to explain his politics to liberal friends, he crosses the Thames to the Tower of London and its Norman builders. The through line is a provocative analogy: the Norman Conquest of 1066, in which a small ruling class dominated England without replacing its people, framed as a template for how he views globalist or "deep state" control of modern America. Expect the White Tower, Traitor's Gate, the scaffold site, a Robin Hood tie-in, a space-alien thought experiment, and a Federal Reserve comparison, all wrapped in his usual history-meets-geopolitics musing. The Romans built the bridge; the Normans, he argues, still run the place.

We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. In the first episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin asks the question:How healthy is the Thames today?Since being declared biologically dead in the mid-20th century, we explore the state of the Thames today, and who and what will impact its future.We examine the role of Thames Water, the impact of climate change and population growth, the importance of the river's tributaries and ecosystems, and whether major projects like London's £5 billion “super sewer” - the Tideway Tunnel - can help secure the river's future.As the debate over Britain's waterways intensifies, this episode sets the scene for a series exploring one of the country's most important rivers—and everything that depends on it.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: What exactly is in the Thames? We investigate the pollutants, runoff and hidden contaminants affecting river health, and ask what "clean water" really means.We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. In the second episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin asks the question:What does clean really mean?The River Thames is healthier than it was decades ago, with wildlife returning to parts of the river once declared biologically dead. But beneath the surface, the picture is far more complicated.In this episode, Lucy speaks to scientists, campaigners and conservationists about how river health is measured.From real-time sewage maps and wet wipe pollution to seahorses, porpoises and harbour seals, we discover that a healthy Thames isn't necessarily a pristine one — it's a living, thriving ecosystem.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: We go inside Abbey Mills pumping station — London's historic "Poo Palace" — to explore the Victorian engineering miracle that transformed the capital and still carries its waste more than 150 years later.We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. In the first episode of Thames Unfiltered, host Lucy Tobin asks the question:How healthy is the Thames today?Since being declared biologically dead in the mid-20th century, we explore the state of the Thames today, and who and what will impact its future.We examine the role of Thames Water, the impact of climate change and population growth, the importance of the river's tributaries and ecosystems, and whether major projects like London's £5 billion “super sewer” - the Tideway Tunnel - can help secure the river's future.As the debate over Britain's waterways intensifies, this episode sets the scene for a series exploring one of the country's most important rivers—and everything that depends on it.Listen to Thames Unfiltered, brought to you by The Standard, in association with Thames Water. All content has been created under The Standard's editorial control.Next episode: What exactly is in the Thames? We investigate the pollutants, runoff and hidden contaminants affecting river health, and ask what "clean water" really means.We hope you enjoy this new series from The Standard. To listen to more episodes now, check out Thames Unfiltered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Those cheeky young dudes are back to their antics and we're back to discuss them! This week, we're covering chapters 109-111 of All the Young Dudes and it has us dissecting Dumbledore The Birthday Ruiner, getting teary (and a bit worried) over a very sweet gift, and unfortunately giving a ridiculous new voice and persona to a well-established character. See ya in there! Support the showSupport FFH on Patreon: patreon.com/thefoxandthefoxhoundFollow us!IG: @thefoxandthefoxhoundTikTok: @thefoxandthefoxhound

Rob runs with Adam Pope, the author of Run For All Seasons and a man who accompanied him for a great deal of the coast to coast, on a loop around the Thames in the heart of London. Featuring cabbie's shelters, ancient Egyptian obelisks, the Artist's Garden, mudlarking and mudlarkers, the London Marathon's final hill, Ben Wilson's chewing gum art, Adam's next book, and Rob's lovely wife. Subscribe to the Fan Feed at ⁠⁠https://runcompod.supercast.com/⁠⁠ to hear Adam answer our bonus questions -  plus get early access, ad-free listening, and all manner of exclusive content.BUY OUR BOOKS; you can get Paul's NEW BOOK Running Through Sand here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/running-through-sand/paul-tonkinson/9781399404013, you can get Rob's book Running Tracks here - ⁠https://www.waterstones.com/book/running-tracks/rob-deering/9781800180444 Thanks for listening, supporting, and sharing your adventures with us. Happy running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who should control Britain's biggest water company? Chris Weston, the chief executive of Thames Water, says he "completely agrees" with the Prime Minister that the industry, and Thames Water, needs greater public control. But he draws a clear distinction between stronger public accountability and public ownership, arguing that nationalisation or special administration could delay investment, increase uncertainty and ultimately leave taxpayers carrying the financial risk.Thames spent more than £1bn more than it received last year, with the shortfall currently funded by creditors. Under special administration, Weston says that funding would instead have to come from government while a new owner was sought. Full nationalisation, he argues, would place Thames Water's decade-long infrastructure programme on the public balance sheet alongside defence, health and education. His preferred solution is the proposal from more than 100 creditors to write off around £9bn of debt, inject fresh equity and rebuild the company under a model that promises no dividends for at least ten years. He argues this private-sector restructuring can sit alongside stronger public oversight, clearer government direction, greater regional representation and a more company-specific regulatory regime.The debate over ownership comes as Weston warns Britain faces a much bigger challenge. Drought, he says, is no longer an exceptional event but "the new normal". Despite an unusually wet January and February, no rain fell across the Thames Valley in July, exposing a shortage of water storage across the South East.Thames has not built a reservoir since Farmoor B in 1977. A replacement scheme proposed around 2010 was rejected after the company failed to make its case successfully, and Weston believes the region would not be facing a hosepipe ban today had it been approved. The proposed Whitehorse reservoir near Abingdon remains in the planning process and is not expected to begin filling until 2038, with another three years needed before it reaches capacity.Population growth, government housebuilding targets and the rapid expansion of data centres will place even greater pressure on supplies. Weston questions whether data centres should rely on drinking water for cooling, suggesting treated effluent from sewage works could provide an alternative. He also says households will need to become more mindful of how they use water, with government playing a greater role in encouraging behavioural change.Weston also makes a notable concession about how the industry reached this point. Customers, he says, have "paid too little for water for too long". Thames operates 440 treatment works and a network stretching four times around the circumference of the Earth. Keeping bills low, he argues, meant insufficient investment in maintaining and modernising ageing infrastructure, although he accepts the company's current debt levels are unsustainable.On pollution, Weston accepts Thames must improve but refuses to promise sewage incidents can ever be eliminated entirely. The company treats around 4.3 billion litres of wastewater every day and, he says, succeeds 99.5% of the time on average. Extreme weather, ageing infrastructure and illegal connections mean completely eliminating pollution incidents remains "very, very slim".Presenter: Simon Jack Producer: Olie D'Albertanson/Ollie Smith00:00 BBC Editor, Simon Jack introduces podcast 03:09 Chris Weston joins pod, explains Thames Water's situation 06:18 Bills were too low for too long. 09:32 Unrealistic targets, swage and pollution 12:31 Privatisation of Thames Water 14:50 What's on the table now? 17:28 Greater public control, special administration and nationalisation 28:41 Drought, reservoirs and the new normal 34:29 Staff abuse and his own pay

688. Joining us today are Johnette Downing and Scott Billington. Combining Johnette's celebrated career as a children's author and musician with Scott's background producing over 100 roots, blues, and Louisiana heritage albums, this powerhouse couple celebrates regional music through their children's duo program, Swamp Romp, and their broader archival and biographical projects. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. "Life on the Mississippi." Mark Twain. The Mississippi is well worth reading about. It is not a commonplace river, but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable. Considering the Missouri its main branch, it is the longest river in the world—four thousand three hundred miles. It seems safe to say that it is also the crookedest river in the world, since in one part of its journey it uses up one thousand three hundred miles to cover the same ground that the crow would fly over in six hundred and seventy-five. It discharges three times as much water as the St. Lawrence, twenty-five times as much as the Rhine, and three hundred and thirty-eight times as much as the Thames. No other river has so vast a drainage-basin: it draws its water supply from twenty-eight States and Territories; from Delaware, on the Atlantic seaboard, and from all the country between that and Idaho on the Pacific slope—a spread of forty-five degrees of longitude. The Mississippi receives and carries to the Gulf water from fifty-four subordinate rivers that are navigable by steamboats, and from some hundreds that are navigable by flats and keels. The area of its drainage-basin is as great as the combined areas of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Turkey; and almost all this wide region is fertile; the Mississippi valley, proper, is exceptionally so. This week in Louisiana history. July 24, 1769. Alejandro "Bloody" O'Reilly reclaimed New Orleans for Spain. This week in New Orleans history. July 24, 1947: The first streetcar on the St. Charles line was fitted with air conditioning, a welcome relief during the peak of the New Orleans summer. This week in Louisiana. COOLinary New Orleans ' Month‑Long Restaurant Specials August 1'31 Citywide New Orleans, LA Website: neworleans.com/coolinary New Orleans restaurants launch their annual COOLinary promotion on August 1, offering a full month of discounted prix‑fixe menus designed to bring locals out during the summer slowdown. More than a hundred restaurants across the city participate, from fine‑dining institutions to neighborhood favorites: Two‑course lunches: $28 or less. Three‑course dinners and brunches: $58 or less. Citywide participation: Restaurants in the French Quarter, Uptown, Mid‑City, the Marigny, and beyond. COOLinary has become one of New Orleans' most beloved summer traditions, giving locals a chance to try new spots ' or revisit classics ' at special seasonal prices. Postcards from Louisiana. Molly Ringwalds play at the Italian Heritage Festival. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

Narrator: Jessika Downes-Gössl

The Story finds itself in the last years of the reign of Henry VIII- and we find our metropolis a place where innocent simple teenagers are burned alive, where security clampdowns see curfews and house searches, where ships explode on the Thames, where thousands of men leave the streets to march out to war, where the economy contracts, where no one is safe, and where all of this is caused by an obese, diseased, angry, foul tempered man, playing games with people and dragging all down into insanity.Cover includes portrait of Henry VIII by Cornelis Metsys.

A serial killer who kept his victims' heads, a woman held under a waterbed for seven years, and a phantom passenger who vanishes from the back seat — the open road has taken more than its share.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HitchhikingHorrorsREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/29xmnbkaFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: The open road is a beautiful place where you can make friends that you'd otherwise never meet and have adventures that will change your life. But there are also extreme dangers to traveling with strangers on highways and backroads. No matter how trustworthy or well-intentioned a driver might seem, it's nearly impossible to tell if they are actually a predator or murderer, preying upon innocent hitchhikers. Creepy, true hitchhiker stories can make you think twice before picking up that stranger at the side of the road - or trying to "thumb it" yourself.LISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Hitchhiker” original story at the beginning of this episode was written by HoneyBunny00:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8b53e2“Hitchhiking Horror Stories” by Isadora Teich for Ranker.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3yj8t3ka, by Jacob Shelton for Ranker.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2s4a2wkz, Eric Redding for ThoughtCatalog.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/hk8pn8rf, and from ScaryCarries.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2aead59t“Phantom Hitchhikers” posted at Anomalien.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y4dxkv7m, Kelly Agan for Medium.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/36wucpzm, Paul Adams for The History Press:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p8z538u, and Krystal DeCosta for ScientificAmerican.com:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mr29nkpa(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: January, 2021Weird Darkness gathers the true horrors of the open road and the ghosts said to haunt it, moving from real hitchhiker murders across the United States and abroad to the phantom passengers who vanish from the back seat before the ride is over.It opens with the account of a newly married couple driving through a rainstorm who stop for a soaked hitchhiker, drop him at a crossroads, and later break down on a dark stretch of highway, only for the wife to wake to police floodlights and the sight of the same man atop their car with a machete over her husband's dismembered body, an escaped prison inmate cut down by gunfire moments after she runs.From there the show turns to a long run of documented and reported cases. Jacci Ansell-Lamb was last seen hitchhiking from London toward Manchester in May 1970 and found sexually assaulted and strangled with electrical wire outside Knutsford, England, a killing police have linked to serial murderer Peter Tobin though no suspect was ever charged. A German traveler on foot near Timaru, New Zealand had all his belongings stolen by a man in a white Honda in February 2016. Along Australia's outback near the cattle town of Hughenden, as many as twelve hitchhikers including eighteen-year-old Catherine Graham and thirty-two-year-old Tony Jones turned up dead over roughly two decades on a stretch dubbed the Highway of Death, the murders still unsolved. On May 19, 1977, twenty-year-old Colleen Stan was hitchhiking to a friend's birthday in California when Cameron Hooker picked her up and held her as a sex slave for seven years, keeping her in a box beneath his waterbed until his wife helped her escape in 1984 and Hooker drew a 104-year sentence.Next comes the case of Edmund Kemper, the six-foot-nine "Co-ed Killer" born December 18, 1948, who shot his grandmother and grandfather at fifteen, was released from a psychiatric hospital into his mother's care, and between May 1972 and February 1973 picked up hitchhiking female students, killed and decapitated them, and had sex with the corpses before murdering his mother with a claw hammer on Good Friday 1973 and phoning the same local police he drank with to confess. Woven among these are firsthand accounts shared online, among them a driver whose kindness reportedly talked a would-be killer out of his plan, a New Zealand couple who vanished in 1989 near Thames leading to the disputed conviction of David Tamihere, and a backpacker in Austria who fled a trucker's advances barefoot at a gas station.From there the episode moves deeper into unsolved and predatory cases. Between 1972 and 1973 the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders claimed at least seven women in Sonoma County, California, beginning with nineteen-year-old Kim Wendy Allen found bound and strangled in a creek bed on March 5, 1972, and including twelve-year-olds Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber, thirteen-year-old Lori Lee Kursa, fourteen-year-old Carolyn Davis, and twenty-three-year-old Theresa Walsh, the case never closed. The segment also gathers the crimes of clown-costumed killer John Wayne Gacy, trucker Keith Hunter Jesperson who dragged one victim beneath his rig, photographer Joseph Naso the "Alphabet Killer," the spree killers Douglas Gretzler and Willie Steelman, and sadistic trucker Ben Rhoades, caught when an Arizona trooper found a shackled woman inside his cab.The episode closes on the phantom hitchhiker, tracing the folk formula of the vanishing passenger before laying out the strongest real-world cases. One belongs to Maria Roux, killed on the N9 near Uniondale, South Africa on Good Friday 1968, whose specter was reported by driver Anton Le Grange in 1976 and motorcyclist Dawie Van Jaarsveld in 1978, her rear door seen opening and closing by a following officer. Another is "Lydia" of Jamestown, North Carolina, the white-gowned figure sighted at a railroad underpass since the 1920s and possibly rooted in the 1920 traffic death of Annie Jackson on the High Point Road. The final account belongs to carpet fitter Roy Fulton of Dunstable, England, who picked up a silent young man on Station Road near Stanbridge on October 12, 1979, turned to offer him a cigarette, and found the seat empty, a story he repeated without change on Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers in 1985.

A child's mutilated torso surfaced from the Thames near Shakespeare's Globe in 2001, and more than two decades later no one has been convicted of killing the boy investigators could only call Adam.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/TorsoInTheThamesREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3h6yrmk5FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: Most people, when they think of the end of their lives, want to feel that they have accomplished something of significance. To leave a lasting legacy. But it is much more rare for someone to accomplish something significant – after they are dead! (Done By The Dead) *** Mrs. Elizabeth G. Wharton was a pillar of society in Baltimore, Maryland in the late 1800s. That is, until she was accused of murdering General William Scott Ketchum. (The Baltimore Borgia) *** For every legitimate and fascinating find by geologists, there seems to be a fraudulent find somewhere else trying to fool the masses. This has been a problem since geology became a thing – and one of the most fascinating of these true tales is the one about Baringer's Lying Stones. (The Lying Stones) *** A strange, ape-like creature with glowing eyes in England might really be, as some believe, a specter of the night. (Man-Monkey of the Night) *** It's hard to understand how human sacrifice has ever been a reality in any point in history – but what if you were to learn that evidence of it showed up in London, England… in 2001? (Torso In The River) *** A would-be geisha murders her lover… but the events leading up to and during the death make for a fascinatingly dark story. (The Murderess Geisha) *** When it comes to spectral animals, we're more than familiar with black dogs or hell hounds, ghostly cats, horses carrying a headed or headless phantom, even a ghost bear rumored to haunt the Tower of London… but have you ever heard of the American Southwest's ghost camels? (America's Ghost Camels)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:02:24.699 = America's Ghost Camels00:09:18.422 = Done By The Dead ***00:22:00.457 = The Baltimore Borgia ***00:27:35.655 = The Lying Stones00:36:08.415 = Torso In The River ***00:42:13.573 = The Murderess Geisha00:54:03.666 = Man-Monkey of the Night ***00:58:48.550 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“Man-Monkey Of The Night” by Nick Redfern for MysteriousUniverse.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdhdevrr“Done By The Dead” by Kyle D. Walter for ListVerse.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y62afnj6“America's Ghost Camels” by Kathy Weiser-Alexander for LegendsOfAmerica.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p979beb“The Baltimore Borgia” by Robert Wilhelm for MurderByGaslight.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y2whacb9“Torso In The River” by Richard Hoskins for MysteryConfidential.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdd5u543“The Murderess Geisha” by Dr. Romeo Vitelli for Providentia: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yzy4v3wy“The Lying Stones” by Brent Swancer for MysteriousUniverse.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p854d9e(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: January, 2021This episode of Weird Darkness moves from ghost camels haunting the Arizona desert to corpses that kept making history after death, a Baltimore poisoning that gripped a courtroom for weeks, a professor fooled by carved stones, a child's murder in the Thames that London police have never solved, a Tokyo geisha who killed the man she loved, and a glowing-eyed creature on an English canal bridge.It opens in the American southwest, where the U.S. War Department imported some seventy-two camels in 1857 to haul supplies, only to turn the animals loose in the desert when the Civil War broke out and the soldiers tired of their foul temper and habit of spooking horses. Wild camels roamed Arizona for decades afterward, and one became legend as the Red Ghost — a beast blamed for trampling a woman to death in 1883 and later seen carrying a dead man lashed to its back, a rider who eventually decayed until a human skull dropped from the saddle in front of a group of startled prospectors. An Arizona farmer finally shot the animal in 1893, still wearing the leather straps that had held its corpse rider in place.From there the episode turns to figures who kept shaping the world after they died. A gang of Chicago counterfeiters led by "Big Jim" Kennally plotted in 1876 to steal Abraham Lincoln's body from his Springfield tomb and ransom it for a jailed engraver, foiled by a Secret Service informant working for the very agency Lincoln himself had signed into existence. A grave robber broke into George Washington's crypt at Mount Vernon in 1830 hunting the president's skull and made off with the wrong one. The British philosopher Jeremy Bentham left instructions to have his body dissected and mummified, and it sits on display at University College London to this day. And in the ninth century Pope Stephen VI dug up his predecessor Formosus, dressed the rotting corpse in papal vestments, propped it up for trial, found it guilty, and had it thrown into the Tiber.Next comes Baltimore in 1871, where Elizabeth Wharton, a respected society widow, hosted General William Scott Ketchum in her home on Hamilton Place until he fell suddenly ill and died with twenty grains of tartar emetic in his stomach — fifteen is enough to kill. Police discovered she had bought sixty grains days earlier, and a financial advisor named Eugene Van Ness nearly died the same way after she served him a drink. Her forty-two-day poison trial in Annapolis exhausted the medical and chemical experts of the day, and after deliberating through the night the jury acquitted her of murder.The episode then crosses to Germany, where Johann Beringer, a celebrated professor at the University of Würzburg, spent 1725 collecting strange carved stones dug up on Mount Eibelstadt by teenage boys he had hired — figures of birds, lizards, comets, and the name of God rendered in Hebrew. Convinced they were the handiwork of God himself, he published a book on them called the Lithographiae Wirceburgensis, only to learn the nearly two thousand stones had been planted by two envious colleagues, J. Ignatz Roderick and Johann Georg von Eckhart, who thought him an arrogant know-it-all and wanted to humble him.From an academic hoax the episode moves to an unsolved horror. On September 21st, 2001, a child's headless, limbless torso surfaced from the Thames near the Globe Theatre, wrapped in orange cloth, and London's Metropolitan Police could give the boy no name but Adam. Forensic analysis of poison and minerals in his remains traced him to the Benin region of Nigeria and showed he had been paralyzed and drained of blood in what investigators believed was a muti ritual killing. Nelson Mandela made an international appeal for information, and traffickers including Kingsley Ojo and a caregiver named Joyce Osagiede were investigated, but no one has ever been convicted and the boy's true identity has never been confirmed.The episode carries that darkness into 1936 Tokyo, where Sada Abe strangled her lover Kichizo Ishida in an inn after a days-long affair, then took a kitchen knife to his body and carried a severed part of him away in her handbag. Her capture two days later set off a national obsession the papers called "Sada mania," and her testimony about killing the man she refused to share became a bestseller in a country where such candor was scandalous. She was sentenced to six years, served her time as a model prisoner, and vanished from public life sometime after 1970.The episode closes on a cold English night in January 1879, when a furniture hauler crossing Bridge 39 over the Shropshire Union Canal near the village of Ranton was charged by a shaggy, ape-like creature with glowing eyes that leapt onto his cart and terrified his horse. When he swung his whip at the thing, the lash passed straight through its body, and the creature bolted down toward the canal and vanished. The folklorist Charlotte Burne later learned from the village constable that the sightings had begun only days after a man drowned in that same canal, in a place where people believed a violent death could send someone back in the shape of a beast.

It's more exciting than a mortuary freezer full of elephants... Join our audio fiction takeover of Theatreship! Three days of shows, talks and screenings on the Thames! Tickets for all events here Livestream tickets also available, or become a patron for livestream access to all three shows! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Books at Bedtime: The Sign of the Four – Chapter 8 (The Baker Street Irregulars)Welcome back to a place of rest and tranquility with another soothing episode of Books at Bedtime, brought to you by the Calming Anxiety podcast and the Anchored app. Tonight, we continue our gentle journey through the fog-bound streets of Victorian London with Chapter 8 of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of the Four, titled "The Baker Street Irregulars". As the thrill of the nighttime chase gives way to the soft light of morning, Toby the dog faithfully recovers a lost trail, leading Holmes and Watson to a quiet riverside wharf. Here, they discover that the elusive wooden-legged man has slipped away down the Thames aboard a steam launch named the Aurora. Rather than rushing into a frantic river pursuit, Holmes wisely delegates the search to his trusted, street-smart network of local lads: the Baker Street Irregulars. Returning to the warmth and safety of their 221B Baker Street rooms, our weary companions enjoy a restorative breakfast while chuckling over an eager, yet entirely inaccurate, newspaper account of the Norwood mystery. Holmes quietly unravels the chilling origins of the second suspect using his encyclopedic knowledge. Then, recognizing Watson's deep exhaustion, Holmes takes up his violin and plays a low, dreamy, and melodious air, guiding his friend—and you—into a peaceful, much-needed slumber. Take a deep breath, let go of the day's tension, and allow this classic tale to carry you gently into Dreamland.