Ruth is Stranger Than Fiction

Ruth McPhee
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Historical tales of mystery and horror from the East of England, accompanied by copious amounts of booze and silly chat.

  1. Episode #61 - The Last and Greatest Wizard

    May 25

    Episode #61 - The Last and Greatest Wizard

    We’re off to Essex this episode for a story inspired by a recent visit to the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall. There we first got wind of George Pickingill. On the face of it, a simple agricultural labourer, but in legend a cunning man revered as one of the most powerful wizards of Essex (and by all accounts it's a crowded field!). He was also known as Old George, Old Picky, and perhaps more improbably still, as the oldest man in England. Image from the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, cropped from photo by Ethan Doyle White, shared under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

    1h 1m
  2. Episode #60 - The Wicked Lady

    Mar 8

    Episode #60 - The Wicked Lady

    Stand and deliver! Your money or your life! We’re out on the dangerous roads of 17th century England this episode to explore some legendary tales from the golden age of the highwayman - and highwaywoman! Prepare yourselves for the story of the Wicked Lady, a notorious pistol-toting criminal who terrorised the roads of Hertfordshire and who may or may not have been hard done by noble woman Katherine Ferrars. Katy brings double drinks again so it’s cocktails galore as we consume a Haunted Galleon, Golden Spoils, and a Velvet Pistol.

    1h 6m
  3. Episode #59 - Valentine Special: The Doomed Lovers of Hickling Broad

    Feb 14

    Episode #59 - Valentine Special: The Doomed Lovers of Hickling Broad

    Listen to the flutter of tiny wings - Cupid is in town! Where will he shoot his arrows on this, the most romantic day of the year? Of course, at this podcast we hate happy stories of romance so for our Valentine Special we are pleased to present two ghostly tales of doomed lovers from the Norfolk Broads.

    54 min
  4. Episode 58 - Beast Anglia

    Jan 27

    Episode 58 - Beast Anglia

    A special live recording of the Hallowe’en Ruth is Stranger than Fiction event, held at the Museum of Cambridge on 31st October 2025. I was joined by author Mike Rampton for an exploration of the strange creatures of Cambridgeshire: some ghostly, some demonic, some large and some that have baffled philosophers and scientists for hundreds of years.

    58 min
  5. Episode #57 - Death by Dumplings

    12/07/2025

    Episode #57 - Death by Dumplings

    Back to Norfolk we go for the second part of Death by Dumplings! Unassuming Norwich man John Burgess has been poisoned, but he was not the intended victim. Now we will hear who was meant to receive the arsenic-laced flour, and who it was that did the lacing. The cocktail fuelled chat also has us pondering on brass rubbings, moonlight reading, and seditious literature.

    45 min
  6. Episode 56 - Death by Dumplings

    11/14/2025

    Episode 56 - Death by Dumplings

    When Norwich man John Burgess sat down to a dinner of Norfolk dumplings in 1829, little did he suspect that he was about to eat himself into a nightmare. Poor John was about to board the poison train. Join us for talk of suet, stomach linings, and a number of tasty drinks. Picture: A Norfolk Dumpling by James Gillray.

    40 min
  7. Episode 55 - The Orford Merman

    10/13/2025

    Episode 55 - The Orford Merman

    More stories from the sea this week as we return to the watery shores of East Anglia for the folk legend commonly known as the Wild Man of Orford. I however will be referring to him as the Orford Merman - listen to discover why!

    31 min
  8. Episode #54 - Strangeness from the Sea

    09/25/2025

    Episode #54 - Strangeness from the Sea

    The seas and oceans of our world are deep and mysterious, with plenty of legends of horrible creatures and man-eating beasts. In this episode we dive into terrifying tales of mythical sea monsters, as well as hearing about some extraordinary colossal animals that are all too real. You can decide for yourselves into which category the sea serpents of the East Anglian coastline fall.

    44 min
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Historical tales of mystery and horror from the East of England, accompanied by copious amounts of booze and silly chat.

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