Bunkum and Ballyhoo

Patrick W. Reed
  • 5.0 (3)
  • DOCUMENTARY

A podcast about bullsh*t - join your host, author and professional wrestling historian Patrick W. Reed, as he takes a look back at the lives and lies of some of history's greatest showmen, con artists, grifters, hustlers and bullsh*tters of all kinds, from pro-wrestling to politics, and from sideshows to pseudoscience.

  1. JAN 12

    Emergency Episode: "Conformity Gate" - The Phony Finale of Stranger Things

    In an impromptu and unscripted emergency episode of Bunkum & Ballyhoo, host Patrick W. Reed considers the emergent pop culture conspiracy theory that the final series of Stranger Things hid within it a series of clues revealing the existence of a secret additional episode - taking into account the distinction between fanfiction and fan theory, the dangers of mistaking the algorithm for reality, and the perennial Bunkum & Ballyhoo theme of being awake to irrational beliefs and cognitive biases in your own life. Plus Patrick's broader thoughts on Stranger Things as a series.

    54 min

  2. 11/14/2025

    The Mandela Effect, Conspiracy & The Dangers Of Weaponised Ignorance

    In a bumper edition of Bunkum & Ballyhoo, historian and author Patrick W. Reed uses examples from his own memory to example one of the internet's favourite bizarre beliefs, the timeline-hopping, detail-altering mischief of the Mandela Effect. It's an exploration that takes in personal history, the paranormal, the vagaries and weaknesses of human history, while asking how the Mandela Effect can serve as a gateway drug to more dangerous beliefs, and what it tells us about the increasingly selfish and atomised nature of our culture, all serving to examine why we believe what we believe, and what leads people further and further down rabbit holes of conspiracy theory, extremism, and irrational beliefs in the face of contradictory evidence. All while finding time to fit in Bigfoot, the Satanic Panic, QAnon, and the nature of childhood fandom. Selected Bibliography:The Science of Weird Shit by Professor Chris FrenchSatanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s, edited by Kier-La Janisse and Paul CorupeSatanic child abuse claims are almost certainly based on false memories - Professor Chris French, The Guardian, 18/11/14 Audio Sources:WWF Monday Night RAW Intro - 1993

    44 min

  3. 10/31/2025

    The Autobiography of Howard Hughes

    In the world of literary scandal, there have always been books filed under "non-fiction" that are better positioned elsewhere in the library. In this episode, historian Patrick W. Reed looks at one notorious example - Clifford Irving's authorised "autobiography" of the world's most famous recluse, the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Selected Bibliography & Sources: The Autobiography of Howard Hughes by Clifford IrvingHoward Hughes: The Hidden Years by James PhelanThe Hoax by Clifford Irving

    15 min

  4. 09/04/2025

    The Cottingley Fairies

    A return to the Fortean and the supernatural, and to the eminently gullible world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as Bunkum & Ballyhoo explores the story of fairies photographed in a Yorkshire garden, and how one of England's most famous authors made them a media sensation.Selected Bibliography & SourcesThe Coming Of The Fairies by Arthur Conan DoyleSprites, spiritualists and sleuths: the intersecting ownership of transcendent proofs in the Cottingley Fairy Fraud by Francesca BihetArthur C. Clarke's World of Strange PowersThe James Randi Educational Foundation Audio Credit "Fairies Wear Boots" by Jazz Sabbath

    24 min

  5. 07/21/2025

    The Psychic Mafia

    Bunkum and Ballyhoo returns for its third series, as author and historian Patrick W. Reed looks at the phenomenon of True Believer Syndrome, through the story of the spiritualist medium M. Lamar Keene, his stranger than fiction true life story, and his fears of being stalked by who he called "The Psychic Mafia".Selected BibliographyThe Psychic Mafia by M. Lamar KeeneFlim-Flam! by James Randi

    24 min

  6. 04/07/2025

    The Afterlife Of The Highgate Vampire - The Secret Ingredient Is Nazis! (The Highgate Vampire, Part 2)

    Part two of a double-header on the story of The Highgate Vampire takes a closer look at the principle players - David Farrant, and Reverend Sean Manchester - to explore the background of two extraordinary characters, the unsavoury and unsettling beliefs that so often lurk behind the irrational and the conspiratorial world-view, and asks why Bunkum & Ballyhoo. Selected Sources: The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Hunt: The Anglo-American Connection In Satanic Cult Lore by Bill Ellis, in Folklore (1993) London Uncanny by Clive Bloom The Highgate Vampire by Sean Manchester Haunted Highgate by Della Farrant The Vampire's Bedside Companion by Peter Underwood I am also indebted in these episodes to the work of Anthony Hogg, Erin Chapman, and Kevin Chesham. Audio Sources: True Horror with Anthony Head (2004) Father Ted S3E1, "Are You Right There Father Ted?" (1998)

    33 min

  7. 03/31/2025

    Does A Vampyre Walk In Highgate? (The Highgate Vampire, Part 1)

    Series two of Bunkum & Ballyhoo closes out with the extraordinary story of the Highgate Vampire - a supposed supernatural phenomenon that haunted one of London's great cemeteries in the 1970s, and the ongoing feud between the two duelling occultists and vampire hunters at its heart. Are we ever really that far from the irrational beliefs and moral panics of the past?Selected Sources:The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Hunt: The Anglo-American Connection In Satanic Cult Lore by Bill Ellis, in Folklore (1993)London Uncanny by Clive BloomThe Highgate Vampire by Sean ManchesterHaunted Highgate by Della FarrantThe Vampire's Bedside Companion by Peter UnderwoodI am also indebted in these episodes to the work of Anthony Hogg, Erin Chapman, and Kevin Chesham.Audio Sources:Penda's Fen (1974) dir. Alan Clarke, written by David RudkinBBC 24 Hours (1970)One Hour with Jonathan Ross (1990)True Horror with Anthony Head (2004)

    33 min

  8. 03/17/2025

    Grey Owl Is Not What He Seems

    Bunkum & Ballyhoo explores the life and complicated legacy of the voice of the Canadian wilderness, an early vocal spokesman for conservation, environmentalism, and native rights; Grey Owl, and the thorny issue of cultural appropriation. NOTE:This episode contains historical quotations which some listeners may find offensive. Selected Sources: The Collected Works Of Grey Owlby Grey Owl Devil In Deerskins: My Life With Grey Owlby Anahareo Wilderness Man: The Strange Story of Grey Owlby Lovat Dickson From The Land Of Shadows: The Making of Grey Owlby Donald B Smith Audio Sources: Canadian Cameo - "Grey Owl's Strange Quest" (1936) Trailer: Grey Owl (1999), dir. Richard Attenborough -20th Century Studios www.patrickwreed.com www.patreon.com/patrickwreed

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A podcast about bullsh*t - join your host, author and professional wrestling historian Patrick W. Reed, as he takes a look back at the lives and lies of some of history's greatest showmen, con artists, grifters, hustlers and bullsh*tters of all kinds, from pro-wrestling to politics, and from sideshows to pseudoscience.

Information

  • Creator
    Patrick W. Reed
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Patrick W. Reed
  • Show Website
    Bunkum and Ballyhoo