Demons and Dames

London, 1665. "Thus this month ends with great sadness upon the publick, through the greatness of the plague every where through the kingdom almost. Every day sadder and sadder news of its encrease. In the City died this week 7,496 and of them 6,102 of the plague. But it is feared that the true number of the dead, this week is near 10,000; partly from the poor that cannot be taken notice of, through the greatness of the number, and partly from the Quakers and others that will not have any bell ring for them." So wrote Samuel Peyps in his diary during The Great Plague.

Join Ash and Sarah in this bonus episode in which they discuss how their quarantines are going and reflect on what history can teach us on hygiene, quarantine etiquette and what it was really like in London in the 17th century when facing yet another outburst of the Bubonic plague.

Full notes and bibliography at www.demonsanddames.com

Paris, 1934. In this episode, Sarah explores a murder that captivated 1930s France - so much so that during the Nuremberg rally, the left-wing daily L’Oeuvre published a cartoon in which a peeved Nazi officer waved a newspaper at Hitler over a caption that read: “That Violette! It’s all about her!”. Join Sarah and her guest, the wonderful Sophie, as they explore why this crime and its perpetrator so gripped a nation that was coming to terms with modernity and social change while the spectre of WWII loomed.

Read full notes at www.demonsanddames.com

Warning: this episode deals with in detail incest and sexual abuse. If you know this will be triggering for you, please go listen to the minisode on Queen Τεύτα - it will make you smile. I promise.

Constantinople, 527 AD. Mime/Burlesque Actress and influential Christian Theodora is crowned Empress of the [Eastern] Roman Empire. Delve into this real-life Cinderella story of an incredible women who stood up for women's rights, shaped the fate of the Empire, influenced the Church and cavorted with geese.

France, 1917. The formerly-feted ‘exotic dancer’, Mata Hari, is accused of being a double agent. She certainly met all the femme fatale touchpoints for a nation seeking a scapegoat. But was she a spy at all?

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Oxford, 1604. Anne Gunter, under extreme pressure from her father, did "feign and counterfeit herself to be bewitched”.

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Rome, 1612. Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi takes control of her life and her art, breaking the norms of society both in gaining renown for her painting and in taking her rapist to court at a time when few women were able to do either.

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1942, America. Screen siren Hedy Lamarr has it all. Beauty, brains and a blueprint for a communications device that might change the course of the war. But no one is taking her seriously.

In this episode, Sarah and Ash explore what happens when a woman has a brain as beautiful as her face. Turns out no one can handle it - and they want to know why the hell not.

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Illyria, 231 BC. Queen Τεύτα has ascended the throne and is ready to bring her classical neighbours to their knees. In our first minisode, meet the formidable pirate queen that the (ancient) world forgot.

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1857, Scotland. Madeleine Smith is on trial for the murder of her lover. The evidence? 198 sentimental, passionate and reproachful letters.

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Russia, WWI. Maria Bochkareva propelled women onto the frontline of combat with a passionate ass-kicking bravado rarely seen before - or since.

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