On the first episode of Three Ravens Series 6, we are making a right old fuss about an often overlooked county when it comes to folklore - Bedfordshire, the county of John Bunyan, little blue spacemen, and mysterious Medieval serial killers...

We start off chatting about both St Winwaloe's Day, which is surprisingly saucy actually, and all the madness of Shrove Monday, after which we bustle across to Bedfordshire!

After chatting through some amazing aspects of Bedfordshire's history, as represented by three pretty jaw-dropping historical finds, including the Dunstable Swan Jewel, a magical Viking sword, and a bunch of long-hidden skeletons, Martin then sits us down for Afternoon Tea, revisits the topic of Clangers, and introduces us to Chocolate Toothpaste, all of which are contenders for Bedfordshire's County Dish!

After that, we get stuck into some folklore, including the spooky afterlife of the airmen who died in the R101 airship disaster, the now-leveled ancient henge arena and worship ground where the Celtic god Lugh drank the wellsprings of revelation, and discuss Bedfordshire's plethora of Shucks - all supplemented by some excerpts from next Saturday's Local Legends interview with local historian David Longman, who has a very naughty rector he wants to warn you about...

Then it's on to the main event: Martin's story "The Devil's Fingermarks" which combines the Dark Lord himself with horse-stealing Georgians, Horace Walpole, William Beckford, and a rather haunted gothic castle!

We really hope you enjoy it, will be back on Thursday with a new Magic and Medicines bonus episode about Ley Lines (and for the Three Ravens Second Birthday Livestream on YouTube!) all before the full interview with David comes out on Saturday!

The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.

Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...

Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.

With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?

Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast

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