Mice, lice, moths…and prehistoric-looking ‘weta’ grasshoppers. We are in the grips of a pest control moral panic. Could the humble hedgehog be the solution to the bedbug APOCALYPSE that newspapers keep telling us is wracking London?

From Ancient Greek prayers for worms to eat someone else's crops, to lousy experiences of the Spanish Civil War, and ‘squander bugs’ that undermine the wartime economy, pests have always plagued civilisation. So why is everyone obsessed with them right now? It’s a creepy, crawly episode of Cursed Objects, featuring Bill Spikes, a lil' cuddly hedgehog toy from the Charles Dickens Museum. 

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Theme music and production: Mr Beatnick

Artwork: Archie Bashford