The Penny Dreadful Hour; or, A Feast of Early-Victorian Street Literature and Stories (no AI)

Finn J.D. John/ Pulp-Lit Productions
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This is the podcast that carries you back to the sooty, foggy streets of early-Victorian London when a new issue of one of the "Penny Dreadful" blood-and-thunder story paper comes out! It's like an early-Victorian variety show, FEATURING ... — Sweeney Todd ... — Varney, the Vampyre ... — Highwayman Dick Turpin ... — mustache-twirling villains ... — virtuous ballet-girls ... —wicked gamblers ... ... and more! Spiced with naughty c**k-and-hen-club songs, broadsheet street ballads, and lots of old Regency "dad jokes." A fresh episode every Sunday and Thursday evening. Join us!

  1. 4d ago

    149. Highwayman Tom King plots his escape from the prison! — The Smuggler’s Bride! — Introducing MISS BROWN, our Ninepenny Naughties hostess! (The “Twopenny Torrids”)

    NOTE: This episode published early by popular demand! :-) SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 16 (Season Six) (August 23, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "TWOPENNY TORRIDS" EPISODE: 01:55: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: “The Smuggler’s Bride,” a stirring domestic ballad about a Bonnie-and-Clyde type duo on the high seas; and “Dash My Vig,” a young Londoner’s lament after his girl jilted him for a grocer’s apprentice (circa 1850).06:50: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 85-90: Tom King is ironed very heavily and placed in the darkest, dampest dungeon in Newgate because the governor is wroth at him. He falls asleep on the hard stone bunk. When he wakes up, one of the sheriffs, Mr. Blandy, is there, inspecting the prison and expressing surprise that Tom has been placed in such a grim cell before having even seen a magistrate. But on the way back, he offers to bribe his guards 100 pounds each to let him escape, and they seem interested. Will Tom’s plan work? Can he escape from Newgate?47:45: INTRODUCING MISS BROWN: One of the “ladies of the evening” listed and described in Harris’s List of Covent-garden Ladies, a directory for bucks and bloods out on the town in the early 1800s. Miss Brown is a very pretty girl who was wooed, won, and discarded by a rakish young country gentleman, and ended up settling for a place in Covent-garden.51:15: A RATHER NAUGHTY C**K-AND-HEN-CLUB SONG: "A Rum-un To Look At, But a Good-un To Go” (basically the same idea as “Whole Lotta Rosie” by AC/DC, but written 200 years earlier).55:00: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq. GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: GNOSTICS: (from intro) xxxFLASH COVES: (ibid) xxx.KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD: (ibid) Highway robbers.CORINTHIAN: (ibid) Sporting man of rank and fashion, most famously represented by Corinthian Tom from Pierce Egan’s “Life in London,” the story of the adventures of a wealthy Regency rake named Tom and his country cousin Jerry as they rampage through the streets of London on a continual spree.CYPRIANS: (From the introduction to Hostess Miss XXX) Ladies of easy virtue, a classical reference to the island of Cyprus, supposedly peopled with sexually frisky ladies. SPORTING THEIR BLUNT: (ibid) Throwing money around. BUMPER: (ibid) Liquor glass.STARK NAKED: (ibid) Gin.SLUICE YOUR TOMBSTONES: (ibid) Take a big drink.MOLL: (from c**k-and-hen-club song, “A Rum-un To Look At …”) A dangerous and/or sexually friendly woman.LEARY: (ibid) Knowing, canny.PECK: (ibid) Food.HOOK AT: (ibid) Look askance at.HAPORTH: (ibid) Half-pennyworth.ON THE PAVE: (ibid) Walking the streets soliciting as a “nymph du pave.”TO LUSH: (ibid) To drink to intoxication.MOTS: (ibid) Prostitutes or promiscuous women.CROSS-BUTTOCK: (ibid) Wrestle.TOGG’D FLASH: (ibid) Dressed up in fine sexy style.PITCH UP: (ibid) Associate with fancy people.HOKEE: (ibid) Loot or money.TO PRIG: (ibid) To steal.BEAK: (ibid) Magistrate or judge.There are more! But we're out of space here. For complete show notes, see pennydread.com/discord and scroll to the bottom of the "Season Six" feed!

    149. Highwayman Tom King plots his escape from the prison! — The Smuggler’s Bride! — Introducing MISS BROWN, our Ninepenny Naughties hostess! (The “Twopenny Torrids”)

  2. Aug 16

    148: Sweeney Todd’s attempt to kill Mrs. Lovett backfires! — A husband-killing wife, a wife-murdering husband, and a husband-and-wife murder team. (A “Ha’penny Horrors” episode))

    SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 15 (Season Six) (August 16, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four themes over a month-long cycle, one show per week. As today is the first Sunday of the month, this is the HA’PENNY HORRIDS theme show, featuring a few chapters of SWEENEY TODD, a true-crime story or two from the Penny Dreadful era, and various other grisly tidbits. Next week, the theme changes: Next Sunday will be a “Twopenny Torrids” theme episode — as always on the fourth Sunday of the month;The “Sixpenny Spookies” theme episode comes out on the first Sunday of next month; and finally—The “Graanum-gold Gothics” theme episode is scheduled for the second Sunday of next month. Then we’ll be right back around to the “Ha’penny Horrids” again, for the third Sunday! ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "HA’PENNY HORRORS" EPISODE: 01:50: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (August 16): It was 206 years ago today that Rebecca Worlock was hanged for having solved her abusive-husband problem by putting arsenic in his beer. (You can read Mrs. Worlock's confession here.)07:42: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapters 112-113: We now learn how Mrs. Lovett fared after Sweeney Todd knocked her out of the boat. The current sucked her under, and then spat her back to the surface behind a barge, so Todd did not see her. — After recovering, she returns to her shop in a hackney coach. There she finds Mrs. Stag happily guzzling from a bottle of gin and prattling about what a nice man Sweeney Todd is. You can imagine how that goes over with Mrs. Lovett! — Meanwhile, over at Todd’s place, another customer comes in to be shaved …and, of course, polished off … 40:15: HORRID BROADSIDE: “The Execution of FRED GEO. MANNING and MARIA, His WIFE.” (1849) Narrative of execution and some very doggerelly poetry about the case that became infamous as “The Bermondsey Horror,” in which a husband-and-wife murder team ganged up on a wealthy moneylender to murder and rob him.48:10: MURDERERS’ ROOST: Bigamist Louis Houssart was in a tight spot. He already had a wife, whom he had deserted; but his new wife had heard the rumours and demanded an explanation. What could he do … but visit his first wife, razor in pocket, and coldly murder his way out of this fix? (1724) GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: HIGH GLOAKS: (from intro patter) Mounted highwaymen — “high” in the saddle of their horses.HOISTER MOTS: (ibid) Shoplifterettes.KNIGHTS OF THE BLADE: (ibid) Swaggering companions who are boastful of their prowess and may also claim a military rank — Captain, Major, Colonel — that they don’t really have a right to. NIPPERKIN: (ibid) Half a pint.EYE-WATER: (ibid) Gin.COLLEGIATES: (from outro patter) Inmates of a goal or prison.COLLECTORS: (ibid) Robbers.CAPTAIN LUSHINGTONS: (ibid) Habitual drunks.SLIP COVER: (ibid) Run away as fast as possible.GRABS: Law enforcement personnel.TWIG: To figure out or identify, or to “get wise” to something or someone.VIRTUE REWARDED: Arrested and/or prosecuted.HELL CATS: Dangerous ladies who frequent the “hells” (gambling dens).BLACKLEGS: Professional gamblers who cheat to win.SPICE ISLANDERS: Swindlers. A double pun: Mace is a spice; a mace-man is a swindler; so a Spice Islander is, as it were, a resident of Swindle Island.SPEELING-CRIB: A “hell” (gambling den). FOOTNOTE: The Barony of Dunwich is located in a deep forest glade west of Arkham. It is not to be confused with Dunsany, the home until 1957 of legendary fantasy author Edward J.M.D. Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany.

    148: Sweeney Todd’s attempt to kill Mrs. Lovett backfires! — A husband-killing wife, a wife-murdering husband, and a husband-and-wife murder team. (A “Ha’penny Horrors” episode))

  3. Aug 9

    147: Someone tries to MURDER the VAMPYRE ... but the moon is full tonight! — A Highwayman’s APPRENTICESHIP program. — The BODY-SNATCHERS. (A "Graanum-gold Gothics" theme episode)

    Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four themes over a four-week cycle, one show per week. This is the GRAANUM GOTHICS theme show, featuring Varney the Vampyre and other Gothic drama. It will be followed by ... The “Ha’penny Horrors” theme episode, coming next Sunday (the third Sunday of the month);The “Twopenny Torrids” theme episode, coming two Sundays hence (the fourth Sunday); and finally—The “Sixpenny Spookies” theme episode, coming out the first Sunday of next month. (but there are five Sundays this month! So a surprise bonus episode will be coming your way on Sunday, Aug. 30!) ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "GRAANUM GOTHICS" EPISODE: 02:05: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (August 9, 1854): A fearful thunderstorm came over Ipswitch, and a great bolt of lightning struck the schoolhouse at Capel St. Mary.07:45: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 62-63: The story returns to the ruined abbey in which the prisoner is incarcerated. It’s midnight. A tall man in a full cloak is waiting for someone to meet him there. That second man arrives, cloaked as is the first, and they hold council. The second man tells the first that he has overheard a pothouse conversation in which a townie makes plans to come to the ruined abbey to watch for the vampire. While doing so, the newcomer addresses the man who had waited for him as Sir Francis Varney. — They have a furtive colliquoy about what to do now that things have come to such a pass. The newcomer wants to murder the prisoner — who we learn is in very fact Charles Holland ….49:20: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: “The Rent Day; or, Black Monday Morning.” A fun little sorta-epistolary bit of street storytelling following a slummy landlord on his rounds trying to collect the rents, in the form of dialogues.54:45: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Where do you suppose the ranks of highwaymen were kept full during the Georgian period? How were they recruited, how did they learn the ways of real gentlemen so that they could ape them on the road? Today we talk about the manservant-to-highwayman pipeline, circa 1750. When you think of a manservant, you might think of Jeeves; but, that wasn’t typical back then ….1:04:05: THE BODY SNATCHER by Robert Louis Stevenson, PART 2 OF 2: In which Wolfe Macfarlane commits a murder and covers it up by having his victim dissected; but the deed comes back to haunt him … literally.1:20:02: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum." GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: BUCKS, BLOODS AND CHOICE SPIRITS: (from intro patter) Young men running amok.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON (ibid): Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN (ibid): A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB (ibid): A room where drinking and bantering are going on. SHE-LION (ibid): A shilling. JET AUTEMS (ibid): Parsons and preachers. GUNPOWDERS (ibid): Spicy old ladies. GENTRY COVES (ibid): Titled aristocrats.YARD (as in “yard of white tape”) (ibid): A glass or tumbler full of liquor. White tape was gin. FULLER’S EARTH (ibid): Gin. PIKE OFF (from outro patter): Run away. RED WAISTCOAT (ibid): The traditional uniform of the Bow-Street Runners, London’s first real professional police force. Thank you for your support! Please, if you have a moment, rate us on your podcatcher network. If you’d like to do more, we do have a Patreon page; it’s here: https://patreon.com/pennydread

    147: Someone tries to MURDER the VAMPYRE ... but the moon is full tonight! — A Highwayman’s APPRENTICESHIP program. — The BODY-SNATCHERS. (A "Graanum-gold Gothics" theme episode)

  4. Aug 2

    146: Alone in CASTLE DRACULA with three thirsty VAMPIRE-MAIDENS! — The body-snatcher’s grisly trade. — Death was poor Lenore’s bridegroom! (The “Sixpenny Spookies.”)

    SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 13 (Season Six) (August 2, 2026) ———— Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four themes over a month-long cycle, one show per week. As today is the first Sunday of the month, this is the SIXPENNY SPOOKIES theme show, featuring a Victorian ghostly shortstory, a chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and other ghostly tales. It will be followed by ... —The “Graanam Gothics” theme episode, the second Sunday of the month;—The “Ha’penny Horrors” theme episode, the third Sunday; and finally——The “Twopenny Torrids” theme episode, the fourth Sunday. For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "SIXPENNY SPOOKIES" EPISODE: 01:45: HAUNTED ENGLAND: The five deep gouges on the church door, they say, are the claws of the devil, frustrated by a victim’s having taken refuge there. Also, a legend of a ghostly woman on the road to Wilden!07:45: VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: THE BODY SNATCHER, by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (1884), Part 1 of 2 parts: Our narrator, a regular in the local tavern, learns one of the other regulars has a backstory … when a medical student, it was his job to purchase corpses for dissection from men like Burke and Hale. Then one night, he recognized the corpse they had to sell — he had partied with her a night or two before …29:30: GHOSTLY POETRY, to-wit: DER VAMPYR, by H.A. OSSENFELDER (1748; the first known appearance of a vampire in a literary work; translator unknown, circa 1800) and LENORE by G.A. BÜRGER (1774, translated by Dante Gabriel Rosetti in 1844): Grieving for her lost soldier-fiance, Lenore is delighted when he comes and takes her away on a 100-mile ride, at the end of which he turns out to be … not who she thinks he is.44:15: DRACULA, by BRAM STOKER (1897), Chapter 4: Jonathan Harker wakes up in his own bed, wondering if the vampire maidens were a dream. He tries to think so, but not very successfully. Then the count orders him to write three post-dated letters — including one claiming to be written from Bistritz saying he is on his way home. Harker fears this means the count means to murder him and throw off the investigation by means of the posthumously posted letter. — He tries to climb out on the castle walls, to get into the count’s room, and succeeds. A door in the room leads down stairs into an old ruined chapel, where the Slovaks have deposited the wooden boxes. In one of the boxes the count is lying, apparently dead … but clearly not. — Back in his room, the next day, Harker overhears the count promising the three vampire maidens that they must wait one more day before they can have their way with Harker. Will he escape from this castle of horrors?1:17:45: LORD HALIFAX’S GHOST BOOK: Four hard-living Australian warplane pilots played a game of poker for high stakes, and won big from the youngest of their lot. He promised, “I will pay you all tomorrow.” And, after what appeared to have been an act of suicide by plane crash, his ghost did indeed pay them all … in blood.GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: HIGH FLYERS: (From intro patter) Sporty, dangerous ladies.RUM KIDNEYS: (ibid) Good close friends and companions.CLANKER: (ibid) Pewter drinking-pot.BROWN GATOR DROPPINGS: (ibid) Heavy brown ale.WET YOUR OTHER EYE: (ibid) Take another drink.JACK PUDDINGS: (from outro patter) Jokers, funny fellows.COUNT-CARDS: (ibid) Excellent friends.OUT-AND-OUTERS: (ibid) Fellows who are the best at things.There are more! But we're out of room here. See pennydread.com/discord for the full glossary of flash terms! Thank you for your support! Please, if you have a moment, rate us on your podcatcher network. If you’d like to do more, we do have a Patreon page; it’s here: https://patreon.com/pennydread

    146: Alone in CASTLE DRACULA with three thirsty VAMPIRE-MAIDENS! — The body-snatcher’s grisly trade. — Death was poor Lenore’s bridegroom! (The “Sixpenny Spookies.”)

  5. Jul 27

    145: Highwayman TOM KING is in a tight spot! Can Dick Turpin save him? — Sundry street poetry, naughty songs, and dirty jokes fit for a Regency rake! (The “Twopenny Torrids & Ninepenny Naughties”)

    SHOW NOTES for EPISODE 12 (Season Six) (July 26, 2026) Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! This show cycles through four themes over a monthly cycle, one show per week. This is the TWOPENNY TORRIDS-theme show, featuring a handful of chapters from BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD, starring highwayman Dick Turpin, along with the more salacious bits of early-Victoriana such as racy songs and dirty jokes. It will be followed by ... The “Sixpenny Spookies” theme episode, coming next Sunday (the first Sunday of next month);The “Graanum Gothics” theme episode, coming two Sundays hence, on the second Sunday of next month; and finally—The “Ha'penny Horrors” theme episode, coming on the third Sunday of next month. Then we’ll be right back around to the “Twopenny Torrids” again, for the fourth Sunday of next month! ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "TWOPENNY TORRIDS" EPISODE: 01:40: STREET POETRY: From a broadside ballad: “Something, a Parody on Nothing” (a funny ditty about contemporary Victorian life) and “William and Dinah,” a tragic ballad of forbidden love (1835).06:30: BLACK BESS; or, THE KNIGHT OF THE ROAD (starring HIGHWAYMAN DICK TURPIN), Chapter 80-84: Fleeing from the dragoons down a beautiful peaceful country lane, Dick Turpin sees a beautiful young woman looking hopefully toward him. Then she springs forward joyously, kisses him and greets him as Percy. She’s mistaken him for someone else! He goes along with it, hoping to get a chance to slip away later; but then he learns something about the missing man Percy that complicates things. And then, just as he’s settling in, the dragoons arrive, looking for Highwayman Dick Turpin. Will the family figure out who he is?48:10: INTRODUCING MISS BIRD: One of the “ladies of the evening” listed and described in Harris’s List of Covent-garden Ladies, a directory for bucks and bloods out on the town in the early 1800s. The writer of Harris’s List does not seem to have liked Miss Bird very much.51:20: TWO RATHER NAUGHTY C**K-AND-HEN-CLUB SONGS: "I’d Be a Little Flea” (in which our singer fantasizes about the lovely ladyparts that loathsome parasites get to roam about on at will; this one is pretty icky) and “The Slashing Big Drover-boy,” a cockney chaunt about a happy, sexually hyperactive young sheep merchant from Smithfield Market.55:14: A FEW MILDLY DIRTY JOKES from what passed in 1830 for a dirty joke book: "The Joke-Cracker" by Martin Merryman, Esq. GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: AUTEM GOGGLERS: (from intro) xxxTATT MEN: (ibid) xxx.KNIGHTS OF THE ROAD: (ibid) Highway robbers.LOSE YOUR NOSE BY THE FROST: (from broadside ballad) Late-stage syphilis sometimes caused its victims’ noses to slough off, and to avoid admitting they had “the pox” victims sometimes would blame their disfigurement on frostbite.JACKY: (ibid) Gin.SLUICE YOUR IVORIES: (ibid) Take a big drink.LEARY: (from c**k-and-hen-club song, “I’d Be a Little Flea”) Knowing, clever, canny.BLOWENS: (ibid) Whores.MOT: (ibid) Another word for “blowen.”GATTER: (ibid) Beer.SCHICKSTER: (ibid) A woman, with the implication that she is a little bit slutty.CRIB: (ibid) In 1834 “crib” did not yet mean a prostitute’s lair, and simply meant any house or residence.KINCHIN: (ibid) Child.THREE HOG: (ibid) Three shillings. THERE'S MORE! But we're out of space here. For the rest of the flash-cant definitions, plus images, see pennydread.com/discord!

    145: Highwayman TOM KING is in a tight spot! Can Dick Turpin save him? — Sundry street poetry, naughty songs, and dirty jokes fit for a Regency rake! (The “Twopenny Torrids & Ninepenny Naughties”)

  6. Jul 20

    144. The “Reverend” hides his MURDERED WIFE in someone else’s coffin! — The murdering mitten-knitters' virtue rewarded! — The notorious 1849 Liverpool Lodger murders. (The “Ha’penny Horrors.”)

    SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 11 (Season Six) Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! ———— This show cycles through four themes over a monthly cycle, one show per week. This is the SIXPENNY SPOOKIES theme show, featuring a Victorian ghostly shortstory, a chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and other ghostly tales. It will be followed by ... The “Twopenny Torrids” theme episode, coming next Sunday (the fourth Sunday of July);The “Sixpenny Spookies” theme episode, coming two Sundays hence (the first Sunday of August); and finally—The “Graanam Gothics” theme episode, coming on the second Sunday of August. ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "HA’PENNY HORRORS" EPISODE: 01:50: HANGED TODAY IN HISTORY (July 19): On this day, mitten-knitter Sarah Metyard and her daughter Sally were hanged for having murdered two young apprentices by mistreating and starving them to death. To read the Metyard murder story on Executedtoday.com, click here;For a MUCH more detailed and thoroughly sourced version from author C.M. Rosens, click here;Check out C.M. Rosen’s podcast, Eldritch Girl: Weird Gothic Stuff & Nonsense, here.09:40: SWEENEY TODD, THE BARBER OF FLEET-STREET, Chapters 109-111: The Rev. Mr. Lupin disposes of his murdered wife very neatly, if horribly, by stuffing her into one of the coffins in the vaults below his chapel, after stomping the skeleton down to make room for her. Then he turns his attention to Mrs. Oakley. Was she really in a drugged sleep all night, he wonders? If not, must he murder her too? 50:10: HORRID BROADSIDE: “Execution of John Gleeson Wilson at Kirkdale Gaol ...” (1849) Tells the story of the Liverpool Lodger, who took a room in a lady’s residence while her husband was away at sea, then at his earliest opportunity murdered everyone in the house and robbed the place. With additional details from Paul Slade of planetslade.com. For a much more detailed account of The Liverpool Lodger story on planetslade.com, click here;To hear Gerry Jones sing The Liverpool Lodger murder ballad, click here;To hear Meh-229 perform The Liverpool Lodger murder ballad, click here;To check out Gallows Ballads: Twenty Victorian Execution Songs and the True Crime Stories that Inspired Them, a 2024 book by Paul Slade, click here.1:09:05: GHOST POETRY: “The Giaour” by Lord Byron, Part 3 of 3 (continued from last week): Racked with grief and guilt, the Giaour enters a monastery and unburdens himself to the abbot. GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: HOISTER MOTS: Shoplifterettes. HIGH SPICERS: Top-tier highwaymen. Think Claude DuVal, Dick Turpin, Tom King, etc.KNIGHTS OF THE BLADE: Swaggering companions who are boastful of their prowess and may also claim a military rank — Captain, Major, Colonel — that they don’t really have a right to. BRUSHER: Liquor glass.OLD TOM: High-quality gin.BOGGIES: Rascally fellows.BON VIVANTS: Spirited and jolly companions.SLIP COVER: Get away, or attempt to do so.GRABS: Law enforcement officers.TWIG: Figure something out, or become aware of a swindle.CORINTHIANS: Sporting men of rank and fashion.VIRTUE REWARDED: Arrested or prosecuted.HELL CATS: Dangerous ladies who frequent the “hells” (gambling dens).BLACKLEGS: Professional gamblers who cheat to win.SPICE ISLANDERS: Swindlers. A double pun: Mace is a spice; a mace-man is a swindler; so a Spice Islander is, as it were, a resident of Swindle Island.SPEELING-CRIB: A “hell” (gambling den).COVENT GARDEN: London neighbourhood that was, in the Regency and early Victorian, famous as a place where bloods, bucks and choice spirits went to sport their blunt. Upscale gambling hells and brothels were conveniently close by the Royal Opera and Drury-lane Theatre.

    144. The “Reverend” hides his MURDERED WIFE in someone else’s coffin! — The murdering mitten-knitters' virtue rewarded! — The notorious 1849 Liverpool Lodger murders. (The “Ha’penny Horrors.”)

  7. Jul 13

    143. Breakfast with VARNEY THE VAMPYRE goes about as well as you might expect. — A baronet caught SHOPLIFTING? — Introducing Old Mobb, the cross-dressing highwayman-poet! (The “Graanum Gothics”)

    Join host Corinthian Finn, a.k.a. Finn J.D. John 18th Baron Dunwitch,* for a one-hour-long spree through the scandal-sheets and story papers of early-Victorian London! For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "GRAANUM GOTHICS" EPISODE: 01:55: ON THIS DREADFUL DAY (JULY 12, 1850): A Lonon blacksmith was convicted for trying to murder his wife by defenestrating her through a second-floor window. Also On This Dreadful Day — July 12, 1722 — a baronet named Sir Charles Burton was arrested for shoplifting! 05:05: VARNEY THE VAMPYRE; or, THE FEAST OF BLOOD, Chapter 60-61: Over Dr. Chillingworth’s objections, the admiral accepts the invitation to breakfast. Sir Francis receives them with apparent civility, but provokes the admiral with the coolest and most mildly delivered insults until he gets their goats, proposes a duel in a darkened room with scythes, and then, once he’s gotten the admiral to lean on the table, pulls the catch to dump him onto the floor with the tea-tray on top of him, and skips out in the ensuing confusion. Then a mysterious stranger arrives, asking for Sir Francis; when he sees Dr. Chillingworth, there is a horrified mutual recognition. What guilty secret does Dr. C share with this strange man?45:25: CATCHPENNY BROADSIDE: A snappy, flashy bit of poetry in praise and defence of the old Newgate Prison, which was being threatened with demolition.50:10: THE LIVES OF THE HIGHWAYMEN: Finishing off the story of the exploits of Old Mobb, the audacious cross-dressing highwayman-poet who, legend says, wore a dress for his hanging. Also — did convicted murderess Sarah Malcolm take the rap for her three guilty co-conspirators? Let’s examine the historical record, shall we?1:05:10: THE GIAOUR by LORD BYRON, PART 2 OF 3: The portion of this long poem devoted to the curses of Prince Hassan’s followers upon the Giaour, who has slain him to avenge his murder of the Giaour’s lover.1:11:25: A FEW SQUEAKY-CLEAN DAD JOKES from the early-1800s' most popular joke book: "Joe Miller's Jests; or, The Wit's Vade-mecum."GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: RUM CULLS: (from intro patter) Bartender.OVERSEERS (ibid): Persons in the pillory, “overseeing” a crowd. A pun on Overseers of the Poor, the parish officials in charge of distributing charity. KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON (ibid): Drunken fellows wandering amok in meadows and ditches, trying to stagger home. CORINTHIAN (ibid): A fancy toff or titled swell. Used here as a reference to Corinthian Tom, the quintessential Regency rake depicted in Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (usually referred to as "Tom and Jerry"). CHAFFING-CRIB (ibid): A room where drinking and bantering are going on. GRUNTER (ibid): A shilling. Probably a witty reference to another slang word for a shilling, “hog.” FLATS (ibid): Suckers. TARTARS (ibid): Spicy old ladies. SNICKER (ibid): A drinking glass. BLUE RUIN (ibid): Gin. HOISTER (from On This Dreadful Day): Pickpocket.COLLEGE (from broadside ballad): Prison.THROW THE HATCHET (ibid): Tell a long, highly unlikely story.PIKE OFF (from outro patter): Run away. RED WAISTCOAT (ibid): The traditional uniform of the Bow-Street Runners, London’s first real professional police force. GAMMONERS (ibid): Swindlers or gamblers who cheat. ROMONERS (ibid): Fake occultists and fortune tellers. SHARPS (ibid): Swindlers. OLD ST. GILES (ibid): The neighbourhood of St. Giles in the Fields parish, which in the early Victorian age was a notorious slum. RUM TE TUM WITH THE CHILL OFF (ibid): The very best.

    143. Breakfast with VARNEY THE VAMPYRE goes about as well as you might expect. — A baronet caught SHOPLIFTING? — Introducing Old Mobb, the cross-dressing highwayman-poet! (The “Graanum Gothics”)

  8. Jul 5

    142: The three VAMPIRE-MAIDENS: Was it really a dream? — The ghost of Chesney Wold. — A dead man who came back … from Hell! — Lord Byron’s “The Giaour.” (The “Sixpenny Spookies.”)

    SHOW NOTES — for — EPISODE 9 (Season Six) (July 5, 2026) ———— This show cycles through four themes over a month-long cycle, one show per week. As today is the first Sunday of the month, this is a Sixpenny Spookies show, featuring a Victorian ghostly shortstory, a chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and other ghostly tales. It will be followed by ... The “Graanam Gothics” theme episode, the second Sunday of the month;The “Ha’penny Horrors” theme episode, the third Sunday; and finally—The “Twopenny Torrids” theme episode, the fourth Sunday. ———— For COMPLETE SHOW NOTES, including art and links to resources, see ⁠⁠pennydread.com/discord.⁠⁠ ———— IN TODAY'S "SIXPENNY SPOOKIES" EPISODE: 01:30: HAUNTED ENGLAND: The ghostly Briton chieftain rumoured to haunt Knocking Knoll, near Pegsdon; and the unhappy ghosts of the church of St. Michael’s in Millbrook.07:15: VICTORIAN GHOSTLY SHORT STORY, to-wit: THE DRUNKARD’S DREAM, by J.S. LE FANU (1838): Rural Irish priest Father Purcell is called to the home of a notorious local drunken ne’er-do-well. His bad habits have caught up with him at last, and he is dying. The Rev arrives a little too late, and leads the sobbing family in a ten-minute prayer; when they finish, the corpse is sitting upright. He has come back to life! —But, while dead, he dreamed he was sent to Hell. And while there, Satan told him he might return to Earth for a season, but only if he promised to return. The drunkard, desperate to get away, promised; and then he woke up. — He’s seen the light. He will mend his evil ways. But is he now irrevocably pledged to Satan and damned no matter what he does?36:25: GHOSTLY POETRY, to-wit: THE GIAOUR, by LORD BYRON (1813), Part 1 of 3 parts. The cover art for this episode illustrates the combat between the Giaour and Hassan; it’s by Eugene F.V. Delacroix, painted in 1826.55:00: DRACULA, by BRAM STOKER (1897), Chapter 3: Jonathan Harker fights down panic following his discovery that he is effectively a prisoner in the castle. He also discovers that there are no servants; the count is setting the table, making the bed, himself. Is he also driving the coach himself? Was that the count, in disguise, that night? — Later, in evening talks with the count, Harker gets an earful about the glorious martial past of the Draculas, and funny thing, it almost sounds like the count is describing these centuries-old battles as an eyewitness to them! — Then the count asks Harker to write home and tell his boss, and Mina, that he’s been asked to stay an extra month….1:27:15: LORD HALIFAX’S GHOST BOOK: The Ghostly Footsteps at Haverholme Priory, witnessed by Rev. Mr. H.W. Hill. Haverholme Priory, by the way, is also known as Chesney Wold, from Charles Dickens’ Bleak House. GLOSSARY OF EARLY-VICTORIAN SLANG USED IN THIS EPISODE: HIGH FLYER: An audacious, impudent woman.JET AUTEMS: Parsons.KNIGHTS OF THE BRUSH AND MOON: Drunken fellows running amok in fields and ditches late at night, trying to stagger home. RED TAPE: Brandy.WHITE TAPE: Gin.BITE YOUR NAME IN IT: Take a big drink.PRATE ROASTS: Garrulous, talkative fellows.PINKS OF FASHION: Fancy people.SHERRY OFF: Run away. FLATS: Suckers. GET FLY TO THE FAKEMENT: Get wise to the swindle. BOLT THE MOON: Fly by night.MOABITES: Bailiffs. PHILISTIES: Also means bailiffs.CRAPING COVES: Hangmen. YE OLD STONE PITCHER: Newgate Prison. PADDINGTON FAIR: Execution day at Tyburn, which is in Paddington Parish. Paddington is also a pun, as “pad” was a flash word for “thief” or “robber.” BRUSH OFF: Leave. Note this phrase means something slightly different today. Thank you for your support! Please, if you have a moment, rate us on your podcatcher network. If you’d like to do more, we do have a Patreon page; it’s here: https://patreon.com/pennydread

    142: The three VAMPIRE-MAIDENS: Was it really a dream? — The ghost of Chesney Wold. — A dead man who came back … from Hell! — Lord Byron’s “The Giaour.” (The “Sixpenny Spookies.”)
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This is the podcast that carries you back to the sooty, foggy streets of early-Victorian London when a new issue of one of the "Penny Dreadful" blood-and-thunder story paper comes out! It's like an early-Victorian variety show, FEATURING ... — Sweeney Todd ... — Varney, the Vampyre ... — Highwayman Dick Turpin ... — mustache-twirling villains ... — virtuous ballet-girls ... —wicked gamblers ... ... and more! Spiced with naughty c**k-and-hen-club songs, broadsheet street ballads, and lots of old Regency "dad jokes." A fresh episode every Sunday and Thursday evening. Join us!

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