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Witches - Truth, Trials and Terrors

Witches - Truth, Trials and Terrors

By: Jon Briggs
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With a selection of the world's foremost academic experts on witches and witchcraft, we separate the history from the hysteria and discover just what a witch was - and why were they accused and often put to death?

© 2026 Witches - Truth, Trials and Terrors
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Episodes
  • 7. How to Find a Witch!
    10 Oct 2026

    There’s a witch in your village. Now what?

    Who do you call on? How do you know who to suspect? What exactly are you looking for? And what happens when the person who arrives has no official authority whatsoever?

    Matthew Hopkins called himself the Witch Finder General. But who appointed him? What did he actually do? And how did he "find" witches?

    Jon Briggs and Robin Briggs are joined by historians Marion Gibson and Alison Rowlands to follow the witch hunters across England and Europe, where suspicion, strange tests, children’s accusations and tell-tale marks could all become evidence.

    There’s a witch in your village. The really frightening question is who decides what happens now?

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    A Showstealers Ltd Production

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    44 mins
  • 6. An Invitation to the Witches Assembly
    26 Sep 2026

    Witches flying through the night. Secret gatherings. Feasting, dancing, sex with demons and worshipping the Devil. There was just one problem with the witches’ Sabbats: they almost certainly never happened. However your invitation isn't lost in the post - it's right here - so do you know what to wear?

    Jon and Robin Briggs are joined by Professor Julian Goodare to discover why people confessed to attending these extraordinary gatherings, what they claimed went on there, and how an imaginary party could lead to very real arrests, trials and deaths.

    Expect flying witches, fairy queens, terrible food, discordant music, the Devil himself... and a surprisingly important chicken.

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    A Showstealers Ltd Production

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    39 mins
  • 5. Who Do You Call When You’ve Been Bewitched?
    12 Sep 2026

    Your child falls ill. Your cow stops giving milk. You suspect a witch. Who do you call?

    Across early modern Europe, cunning folk claimed to heal the sick, identify witches, recover stolen property and even send curses back to whoever cast them.

    Fresh from publishing her new book Witchland - Jon and Robin Briggs are joined by historian and author Professor Marion Gibson to explore the extraordinary world of supernatural problem-solving, from witch bottles and healing charms to magical side-hustles, dubious doctors and the surprisingly dangerous business of being good at magic.

    Because the difference between being the village healer and the village witch was sometimes simply a question of whether the cure worked or not.

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    If you've enjoyed this episode - please follow, subscribe and comment so that we can continue creating more historical highlights.

    A Showstealers Ltd Production

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    43 mins
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