The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Finding Mary Magdalene

   According to all four gospels, Jesus chose one person as the first witness of his resurrection. One person, who was entrusted with spreading this momentous news; a follower whose life is still shrouded by conspiracy, the mysterious Mary Magdalene. 2000 years on, Mary continues to be one of the churches most disputed subjects. Some believe she was a prostitute; many claim she was Jesus’s most devoted disciple and was at the heart of the Christian faith. However, some suggest she was much more. In Southern France two treasure hunters are pursuing a new lead in their search for her remains, arguably the remains of the most significant woman in history. Pat Jokl and his friend Ronnie are history enthusiasts who have spent 20 years trying to uncover the whereabouts of Mary Magdalene’s Tomb. After the resurrection, the Bible sheds little light on what happened to her next with many believing she was deliberately written out of history. In this episode we follow Pat Jokl and his team on their biblical treasure hunt, tracing what many believe to be the journey Mary Magdalene took after the resurrection to spread the true word of the Christian faith. With an unearthed set of 13th century documents from the French archive suggesting a medieval aristocrat stole the Saint’s remains, Pat believes he’s one step closer to finding Mary Magdalene’s burial site in Southern France. Armed with new equipment and this vital lead could this be moment he solves one of the bible’s greatest mysteries? Could this be the moment he finally finds Mary Magdalene? Cast List: Pat Jokl A treasure hunter who has been searching for Mary Magdalene’s remains for over 20 years. Tony McMahon A former BBC news producer, award short-listed author, print journalist and historian. Dr Karen Bellinger An anthropologist, archaeologist and historian whose work focuses on early modern European culture and society and its colonial expansion throughout the Atlantic world. Lynn Picknett A historian and researcher specialising in exposing historical conspiracies, she is co-author to several notable works including “Turin Shroud: How Leonardo da Vinci Fooled History” and “War of the Windsors” Father Florian Racine The rector of the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene church in Saint-Maximin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   November 09, 2022·40min
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   Number 2: The Hitler Diaries

   It is the early 1980s, and in a house in West Germany a man called Gerd Heidemann is flicking through a book with mounting excitement. Sentences leap from the page: ‘The burning of the books was not a good idea of Goebbels’, ‘I have violent flatulence, and – says Eva – bad breath’, ‘The measures against the Jews are too strong for me’. The book he is reading is one of over sixty volumes of the revelatory personal diaries of Adolf Hitler himself. Through Heidemann they will be purchased for millions of dollars and published in the world’s leading newspapers and magazines. However, on publication day, with the world captivated by the opportunity to read the inner-most thoughts of the most notorious dictator in history, the scoop of the century falls apart. The diaries are total fakes and not even particularly good ones. In this episode we explore the story of Gerd Heidemann and how he and many others fell victim to a now notorious conman and forger. Starting with how Heidemann was captivated by a historic find he couldn’t ignore, to how simple forgeries made their way through authentication unscathed, to finally how the historic find of the century was shattered on the day of its publication. So how were some of the world’s foremost journalists conned, and who was behind a fraud that has gone down in media history? Cast List: Guy Walters: A British author, historian, and journalist, he has written several books on WWII. As a journalist for The Times, he writes on historical topics for the national press. Dr Linda Papadopoulos: The Reader in Psychology at London Metropolitan University, with a 17-year career working as a research scientist and practicing psychologist. Magnus Linklater: A journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor, he was the Executive Editor of Features at the Sunday Times during the Hitler Diaries scandal. Gerd Heidemann: A former journalist for Stern Magazine, he was the first to bring the diaries to the attention of the media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   November 02, 2022·41min
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   Number 3: The S-Bahn Murderer: A Serial Killer in Nazi Berlin

   It’s 1940 and there’s a serial killer on the streets of Berlin looking for his next victim. Elfreda Franka is travelling home on the late train after work. Sitting alone in the dark carriage she stares out of the window as the train pulls into a station. Another passenger gets onboard. Curious but unable to make out their features, Elfrieda continues to stare out into the pitch black as the train departs. The stranger quietly approaches Elfrieda and before she can sense danger, she feels a cold, hard and heavy object strike her. She was not the first and wouldn’t be the last victim of the S-Bahn murderer. This is a true story about the crimes of a mass murderer, who assaulted and fatally attacked women on a killing spree that lasted nine months. In this episode we follow the work the Criminal Politici and their lead investigator Police Commissioner Wilhelm Ludtke, as he and his team of detectives worked tirelessly to track down this illusive killer. However, as the body count mounted the detectives not only had to track down this violent phantom but had to do so against the ever-growing interferences and limitations of Nazi High Command. This is the story of a hunt for truth in a political landscape where the “truth” was whatever Hitler deemed it to be. Despite a thorough investigation, how did the killer avert the police for so long? Why did Nazi High command want to keep it a secret? And how did they finally catch the illusive killer? Cast List: David Thomas The Author of historical crime thrillers such as “Ostland” and an award-winning journalist, with twenty-five years of experience working for Fleet Street newspapers. Roger Moorhouse A historian and author of many books on the second World War, including ‘Killing Hitler’. He is a specialist in modern German history with particular focus on Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Dr Linda Papadopoulos The Reader in Psychology at London Metropolitan University, with a 17-year career working as a research scientist and practicing psychologist. Dr Jens Dobler The official historian for the Berlin Police Department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   October 26, 2022·38min
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   Number 4: The Strange Life of Peter the Great

   It’s the early morning of June the 26th, 1718 and in the basement of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg, Russia, lies a young man. His face is covered in bruises, his back is bleeding, and his eyes are sunken holes in their sockets, wreathed in black. The door is flung open, and another man strides into the prison chamber. In his hand is a hard leather whip about three and a half feet long, ending in a beak-like hook. He walks over to the prisoner, who closes his eyes and quietly sobs. He knows what’s coming. The prisoner is Tsarevich Alexei, heir to the Russian throne. His torturer is his own father, Tsar Peter the Great. Peter the Great was one of the most bloody and brutal rulers in Russian history. Known for leading his own torture interrogations, and using forced labour to construct his architectural visions, his son is only one of thousands of people who will suffer at his hands during his reign. Yet he is remembered as one of Russia’s greatest ever rulers. Creating a navy, a city, and being one of the first Tsars to travel Europe in 100 years, his love of science and learning saw him transform his antiquated realm into a European power of the modern age. But given the high price paid by his people, his predisposition for violence, and how the future of his reign was cemented by torture, can he truly be seen as Peter ‘the Great’ today? Cast List: Tony McMahon A former BBC news producer, award short-listed author, print journalist and historian. Hallie Rubenhold A bestselling author, social historian and historical consultant for TV and film. Her notable works include “The Five; The Untold Lives of The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper” and “The Covent Garden Ladies”. Nigel Jones A historian, journalist, former deputy editor of History Today magazine and former reviews editor of the BBC’s History Magazine. Dominic Selwood A historian, barrister, bestselling author, novelist, and frequent contributor to national newspapers including The Independent, The Spectator and The Daily telegraph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   October 19, 2022·43min
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   Number 5: Prince George – Tragedy or Treason?

   On the 25th of August 1942, during the height of the Second World War, a flying boat destined for Reykjavik in Iceland crashed into the side of a hill in the Scottish Highlands. Among those who lost their lives was the VIP they were transporting. He was Prince George, Duke of Kent, brother of King George VI of the United Kingdom and uncle to the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. During his lifetime, George became one of the best-known public figures of the age, yet after his mysterious death the details of his life were seemingly erased from history. Some believe that this is the result of a government cover up, but what were they trying to hide? In his youth the duke was one of the more scandalous members of the royal family. Wherever he would travel rumours would follow him of fleeting affairs, drug addictions, illegitimate children, and relationships with men. In his later life, once settled and married, some have theorised his involvement in espionage through WWII, with stories of him attending secret meetings with representatives of global powers. Others however paint a far darker picture of the duke’s true intentions suggesting the theory he was plotting to overturn the British Government, fraternising with the enemy and negotiating peace with Adolf Hitler. In this episode, we examine the life of Prince George, Duke of Kent and discover just what had the prince been involved in, and did it play a part in his untimely death? Cast List: Christopher Warwick A royal biographer and historian, he is the author of fourteen published books on modern royal subjects and is the authorized biographer of HRH the Princess Margaret. Dr Caroline Porter A British historian specialising on the 20th Century. Guy Walters A British author, historian, and journalist who has written several books on WWII. As a journalist for The Times, he writes on historical topics for the national press. Lynn Picknett A historian and researcher specialising in exposing historical conspiracies, she is co-author to several notable works including “Turin Shroud: How Leonardo da Vinci Fooled History” and “War of the Windsors” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

   October 12, 2022·37min
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