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Draft:The Three Ravens Podcast

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The Three Ravens Podcast is a regular podcast that explores English myths and folklore. It delves into various tales, legends, and historical narratives, offering listeners a rich tapestry of stories from England's past. The podcast aims to bring these ancient tales to life, providing insights into the cultural heritage and traditions of England.

It is hosted by Martin and Eleanor. They bring their passion for English myths and folklore to each episode, sharing captivating stories and insights with humour.

Premise

Episodes work around the UK by region, exploring the myths and legends of each County.  The podcast runs in Series, with Martin and Eleanor taking turns with the main feature story.  There are Patreon exclusive episodes which include the Film Club, Something Wicked, Three Ravens Bestiary, Magic & Medicine and interviews with various like-minded enthusiasts.  Other episodes focus of areas such as local legends and dying arts.

The opening theme song is sung by Eleanor and Ben Harber.  Ben also accompanies Eleanor in performing other folk songs and provides live underscoring for the storytelling through their live events.

The podcast was started in March 2023 and within the first year became of the top 1% of podcasts listened to globally and at the start of each series Martin will say where the lowest global listener cohort is, in an effort to up the listeners in that country.

Hosts

Martin Vaux

Martin was born in Somerset and grew up in the developing world, including in Uganda and Papua New Guinea.

After leaving school, he completed his BA in English at the University of Exeter, and, while at Exeter, won National Student Television Awards for comedy and directing.

He then became a freelance journalist and radio presenter, earned his PGCE from the University of Buckingham, and, while also working part-time as a state school English teacher, won the BBC Moo! New Writers Prize in 2009.

In 2012 he became the Creative Director of Black Box Games Ltd and co-created and launchedLords of War, a strategy card game which won "Best Card Game" at the UK Games Expo Awards in 2013, being translated into 7 languages and sold all over the world.

After becoming Head of Scholars at a leading English independent school, he gave up teaching after the pandemic to undertake his MA in Romantic and Victorian Literature and Culture at Goldsmiths, and to launch Three Ravens.

In 2021 he was highly commended in the International Keats-Shelley Essay Prize, and appears regularly as a Folklore Expert on BBC local radio and on BBC Five Live.

Eleanor Conlon

Eleanor was born in Suffolk and grew up in Sussex.

After developing a passion for storytelling and stage performance as a child, and becoming involved in amateur dramatics, she completed her BA in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, and earned her MA in Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at Kings College and Shakespeare’s Globe.

After leaving The Globe, and while working at Glyndebourne, she founded theatre companyRust & Stardust, which tours original work and education projects rooted in English folklore.

In addition to directing and appearing in several plays with her first company, The Barefoot Players, and working as a storyteller throughout the South East, her original work for Rust & Stardust includes Doctor Dee's Daughter and the Philosopher's Stone, which toured England in 2016 and 2017 with renowned recorder quartet Palisander, as well as over a dozen other plays including The Wild Man of Orford, Black Shuck, The Marsh Demons of Iken, and The Knucker of Knoddishall.

In 2018, working with internationally acclaimed double bassist Rosie Moon, she also wrote and released the album The Northern Siren, and in 2021 she won the Dead Cat Poetry Prize.

Eleanor and Martin are a real life couple, based in Sussex. They first bumped into one another after work one night in a rainy carpark, and started talking about the moon, the stars, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Material trilogy.

The more they talked, the more they discovered they had in common: passions for the same writers, the same films, a shared love of history and folklore, and a mutual drive to create art, not just consume it.

Across the weeks that followed the pair kept talking day and night, became friends, and then began to collaborate creatively. This included by sharing their plays, stories and poems, and kicking around ideas for things they might make together.

Along the way, it became clear that they were madly in love with one another, and, save for when they're asleep, they have not stopped talking to one another or making things together ever since.

Episode Guide  

Episode Date Aired Run Time
Series 1 Episode 0: Introductions 06/03/2023 00:15
Series 1 Episode 1: Sussex 06/03/2023 00:52
Series 1 Episode 2: Somerset 13/03/2023 00:53
Series 1 Episode 3: Cornwall 20/03/2023 00:55
Series 1 Episode 4: Durham 27/03/2023 00:54
Series 1 Episode 5: Warwaickshire 03/04/2023 00:55
Series 1 Episode 6: Hampshire 10/04/2023 01:00
Series 1 Episode 7: Nottinghamshire 17/04/2023 00:47
Series 1 Episode 8: Lancashire 24/04/2023 00:55
Series 1 Episode 9: Kent 01/05/2023 00:55
Series 1 Episode 10: Oxfordshire 08/05/2023 00:54
Series 1 Episode 11: Middlesex 15/05/2023 00:58
Series 1 Episode 12: Shropshire 22/05/2023 01:03
Series 1 Episode 13: Suffolk 29/05/2023 00:58
Bonus Episode: Three Witches 12/06/2023 00:52
Bonus Episode: Three Devils 19/06/2023 01:00
Bonus Episode: Three Heroes 26/06/2023 01:01
Listener Episode #1: Yews, Pimpernels and Cuckoo Pens 03/07/2023 00:18
Series 2 Episode 0: New Ground 10/07/2023 00:10
Series 2 Episode 1: Cumberland 10/07/2023 00:52
Magic and Mdeicine #1: Witch Bottles 13/07/2023 00:23
Series 2 Episode 2: Dorest 17/07/2023 00:56
Three Ravens Bestiary #1: Unicorns 20/07/2023 00:16
Series 2 Episode 3: Northamptonshire 24/07/2023 01:00
Dying Arts #1: Weaving 27/07/2023 00:24
Series 2 Episode 4: Worcestershire 31/07/2023 00:54
Something Wicked #1: The Werewolf of Bedburg 03/08/2023 00:21
Series 2 Episode 5: Cambridgeshire 07/08/2023 00:57
Magic and Medicines #2: Love Spells 10/08/2023 00:25
Series 2 Episode 6:Westmoreland 14/08/2023 00:49
Three Ravens Bestiary #2: Banshees 17/08/2023 00:23
Series 2 Episode 7: Devon 21/08/2023 00:53
Dying Arts#2: Vellum and Parchment Making 24/08/2023 00:18
Series 2 Episode 8:Huntingdoneshire 28/08/2023 00:59
Something Wicked #2: The Blood Countess 31/08/2023 00:34
Series 2 Episode 9: Berkshire 04/09/2023 01:02
Magic and Medicines #3: Curse Reversals 07/09/2023 00:19
Series 2 Episode 10: Surrey 11/09/2023 00:55
Three Ravens Bestiary #3: The Phoenix 14/09/2023 00:22
Series 2 Episode 11: Northumberland 18/09/2023 01:01
Dying Arts #3: Marionette Making 21/09/2023 00:27
Series 2 Episode 12: Chesire 25/09/2023 01:05
Something Wicked #3: The Red Barn Murder 28/09/2023 00:24
Series 2 Episode 13: Yorkshire 02/10/2023 01:09
Magic and Medicines #4: Ouija 05/10/2023 00:29
Haunting Season 2023 Episode 1 09/10/2023 00:54
Three Ravens Bestiary #4: Demons 12/10/2023 00:39
Haunting Season 2023 Episode 2 16/10/2023 01:08
Dying Arts #4: Corn Dollies 19/10/2023 00:24
Haunting Season 2023 Episode 3 23/10/2023 01:20
Something Wicked #4: The Candy Man 26/10/2023 00:32
Haunting Season 2023 Episode 4 30/10/2023 01:16
The Super Samhain Halloween Special! 31/10/2023 00:54
Bonus Episode: Three Mermaids 06/11/2023 00:49
Bonus Episode: Three Hauntings 13/11/2023 01:07
Bonus Episode: Three Kisses 20/11/2023 00:51
Listener Episode #2: Evil Eyes, Mummy Cats and The Belvoir… 27/11/2023 00:33
Series 3 Episode 0: We Wonder On… 04/12/2023 00:14
Series 3 Episode 1: Bedfordshire 04/12/2023 01:14
Magic and Medicine #5: Druids 07/12/2023 00:49
Series 3 Episode 2:Gloucestershire 11/12/2023 01:12
Advent 2023: Twelve Lords A-Leaping 12/12/2023 00:14
Advent 2023: Eleven Ladies Dancing 13/12/2023 00:18
Three Ravens Bestiary #5: Krampus 14/12/2023 00:25
Advent 2023: Ten Pipers Piping 14/12/2023 00:14
Advent 2023: Nine Drummers Drumming 15/12/2023 00:13
Advent 2023: Eight Maids A-Milking 16/12/2023 00:14
Advent 2023: Seven Sans A-Swimming 17/12/2023 00:17
Series 3 Episode 3: Buckinghamshire 18/12/2023 01:03
Advent 2023: Six Geese A-Laying 18/12/2023 00:15
Advent 2023: Five Gold Rings 19/12/2023 00:13
Advent 2023: Four Colley Birds 20/12/2023 00:15
Advent 2023: Three French Hens 21/12/2023 00:19
Dying Arts #5 Christmas Crafts 21/12/2023 00:37
Advent 2023: Two Turtle Doves 22/12/2023 00:22
Advent 2023: A Partridge In A Pear Tree 23/12/2023 00:16
The Thirteenth Step 24/12/2023 01:09
The Three Ravens Christmas Special 25/12/2023 01:07
Something Wicked #5: Hans Trapp 28/12/2023 00:27
Series 3 Episode 4: Leicestershire 01/01/2024 00:53
Magic and Medicines #6: Poppets 04/01/2024 00:36
Series 3 Episode 5: Essex 08/01/2024 00:59
Three Ravens Bestiary #6: Selkies 11/01/2024 00:30
Series 3 Episode 6: Rutlands 15/01/2024 01:07
Dying Arts #6: Fan Marking 18/01/2024 00:36
Series 3 Episode 7: Herefordshire 22/01/2024 01:10
Something Wicked #6: Alice Kyteler 25/01/2024 00:43
Series 3 Episode 8: Derbyshire 29/01/2024 01:15
Magic and Medicines #7: Scrying 01/02/2024 00:46
Series 3 Episode 9: Wiltshire 05/02/2024 01:21
Three Ravens Bestiary #7: Bigfoot 12/02/2024 01:09
Series 3 Episode 10: Lincolnshire 12/02/2024 01:09
Three Ravens Valentine's Day Special 14/02/2024 00:56
Dying Arts #7: Basket and Trug Making 15/02/2024 00:37
Series 3 Episode 11: Staffordshire 19/02/2024 01:20
Something Wicked #7: Gilles de Rais 22/02/2024 00:44
Series 3 Episode 12: Hertfordshire 26/02/2024 01:00
Three Ravens Leap Day Special 29/02/2024 00:38
Series 3 Episode 13: Norfolk 04/03/2024 01:30
Bonus Episode: Three Marsh Tales 11/03/2024 00:58
Bonus Episode: Three Horrors 18/03/2024 01:23
Bonus Episode: Three More Witches 25/03/2024 00:44
Listener Episode 3: John of Gaunt's Coat and The Widow's Burn 01/04/2024 00:26
Folky Flash Fiction Runners-Up 08/04/2024 01:02
Folky Flash Fiction Winners! 15/04/2024 01:14
Series 4 Episode 0: Widdershins 22/04/2024 00:14
Series 4 Episode 1: Suffolk 22/04/2024 01:32
Magic and Medicines #8: Crystals 25/04/2024 00:47
Local Legends #1: Kirsty Hartsiotis 27/04/2024 01:11
Series 4 Episode 2: Somerset 29/04/2024 01:08
Three Ravens Bestiary #8: Dragons 02/05/2024 01:04
Local Legends #2: The Faerie Folk 04/05/2024 00:45
Series 4 Episode 3: Cornwall 06/05/2024 01:32
Dying Arts #8: Pipe Making 09/05/2024 00:35
Local Legends #3: Mike O'Connor 11/05/2024 01:17
Series 4 Episode 4: County Durham 13/05/2024 01:10
Something Wicked #8: Burke and Hare 16/05/2024 00:57
Local Legends #4: Adam Bushnell 18/05/2024 01:04
Series 4 Episode 5: Warwickshire 20/05/2024 01:28
Magic and Medicines #9 Amulets 23/05/2024 00:39
Local Legends #5: Cath Edwards 25/05/2024 01:05
Series 4 Episode 6: Hampshire 27/05/2024 01:17
Three Ravens Bestiary #9: Goblins 30/05/2024 00:50
Local Legends #6: Mike O'Leary 01/06/2024 00:52
Series 4 Episode 7: Nottinghamshire 03/06/2024 01:27
Dying Arts #9: Glove Making 06/06/2024 00:47
Local Legends #7: James Wright 08/06/2024 01:29
Series 4 Episode 8: Oxfordshire 10/06/2024 01:19
Something Wicked #9: Catherine Monvoisin 13/06/2024 01:10
Local Legends #8: David Crowther 15/06/2024 01:13
Series 4 Episode 9: Kent 17/06/2024 01:40
Magic and Medicines #10: Cunning Folk 20/06/2024 01:05
Local Legend #9: Emma Ozenbrook 22/06/2024 01:27
Series 4 Episode 10: Lancashire 24/06/2024 01:35
Three Ravens Bestiary #10: Kelpies 27/06/2024 00:55
Local Legends #10: Graeme Cooke 29/06/2024 01:21
Series 4 Episode 11: Middlesex 01/07/2024 01:55
Dying Arts #10: Broom and Besom Making 04/07/2024 00:49
Local Legends #11: The Loremen 06/07/2024 01:18
Series 4 Episode 12: Shropshire 08/07/2024 01:22
Something Wicked #10: H.H. Holmes 11/07/2024 01:22
Local Legends #12: Amy Boucher 13/07/2024 01:27
Series 4 Episode 13: Sussex (Live at Chichester Festival) 15/07/2024 02:00
Local Legends #13: Dr Paul Quinn 20/07/2024 01:18
Three Fae Tales 22/07/2024 01:13
Three Romances 29/07/2024 01:04
Three Tombs 03/08/2024 01:18
Three Farces 12/08/2024 01:20
Three More Horrors 19/08/2024 01:49
Listener Episode 4: Callow Pits, Peg's Dump and… 26/08/2024 00:41
Three Ravens Live: Battle Folk & Fable Festival 2024 02/09/2024 01:35
Series 5 Episode 0: Into The Dark 09/09/2024 00:24
Series 5 Episode 5: Cumberland 09/09/2024 01:33
Magic and Medicines #11: Tarot 12/09/2024 01:10
Local Legends #14: Stephen G. Rae 14/09/2024 01:19
Series 5 Episode 2: Dorset 16/09/2024 01:46
Three Ravens Bestiary #11; angels 19/09/2024 01:10
Local Legends #15: Tim Laycock 21/09/2024 01:35
Series 5 Episode 3: Northamptonshire 23/09/2024 01:29
Dying Arts #11: Corsetry and Stay Making 26/09/2024 01:16
Local Legends #156: Dr Kevan Manwaring 28/09/2024 01:28
Series 5 Episode 4: Westmorelands 30/09/2024 02:14
Something Wicked #11: La Quintrala 03/10/2024 01:03
Local Legends #17: Taffy Thomas MBE 05/10/2024 01:24
Haunting Season 2024 Episode #1 07/10/2024 01:28
Magic and Medicines #12: Necromancy 10/10/2024 00:49
Local Legends #18: Jonathan Sims 12/10/2024 01:17
Haunting Season 2024 Episode ~2 14/10/2024 01:33
Three Ravens Bestiary #12: Vampires 17/10/2024 01:04
Local Legends #19: Robert Lloyd Parry 19/10/2024 01:14
Haunting Season 2024 Episode #3 21/10/2024 01:41
Dying Arts #12: Taxidermy 24/10/2024 00:58
Local Legends #20 Evelyn Hollow 26/10/2024 01:23
Haunting Season 2024 Episode #4 28/10/2024 02:20
Something Wicked #12: Jack The Ripper 31/10/2024 02:01
Local Legends #21: Brice Stratford 02/11/2024 01:12
Series 5 Episode 5: Cambridgeshire 04/11/2024 01:42
Magic and Medicines #13: Ogham 07/11/2024 00:51
Local Legends #22: Dr Francis Young 09/11/2024 01:13
Series 5 Episode 6: Worcestershire 11/11/2024 01:46
Three Ravens Bestiary #13: Nymphs 14/11/2024 01:10
Local Legends #23: Hugh Williams 16/11/2024 01:02
Series 5 Episode 7: Devon 18/11/2024 01:31
Dying Arts #13: Clocks, Watches and Orrery Making 21/11/2024 00:55
Local Legends #24: Mark Norman 23/11/2024 01:25
Series 5 Episode 8: Huntingdonshire 25/11/2024 01:36
Something Wicked #13: Henry VIII 28/11/2024 01:02
Local Legends #25: Dr Maureen James 30/11/2024 01:19
Part I: Midwinter at King Arthur's Court 01/12/2024 00:44
Patreon Exclusive: Snow Queen 02/12/2024 01:12
Part II: The Green Knight's Challenge 02/12/2024 00:24
Part III: The Seed Is Sown 04/12/2024 00:28
Part IV: A Word on Gringolet 04/12/2024 00:24
Film Club: Kwaidan 05/12/2024 01:18
Part V: The Journey West 05/12/2024 00:36
Part Vi: King Mark's Conundrum 06/12/2024 00:33
Part VII: A Strange Meeting 07/12/2024 00:42
Part VIII: The City Of Ghosts 08/12/2024 00:36
Part IX: The Voyage East 09/12/2024 00:37
Part X: The Cry of Maidens 10/12/2024 00:39
Part XI: Amongst The Fenlanders 11/12/2024 00:38
Part XII: The Passge North 12/12/2024 00:47
Part XIII: The Questing Beast 13/12/2024 00:32
Part XIV: Lugus The Uncouth 14/12/2024 01:02
Part XV: Gringolet and the Kelpie 15/12/2024 00:51
Series 5 Episode 9: Berkshire 16/12/2024 02:03
Part XVI: The Way South 16/12/2024 00:35
Part XVII: Sir Bertilak's Reception 17/12/2024 00:29
Part XVIII: Midwinter Games 18/12/2024 00:30
Magic and Medicines #14: The Zodiac 19/12/2024 00:53
Part XIX: The Hunting of a Deer 19/12/2024 00:41
Part XX: The Hunting of a Boar 20/12/2024 00:36
Local Legends #26: David England 21/12/2024 01:12
Part XXI: The Hunting of a Fox 21/12/2024 00:53
Part XXII: Through Ice and Snow 22/12/2024 00:35
Series 5 Episode 10: Surrey 23/12/2024 01:22
Part XXIII: Three Strokes to the Neck 23/12/2024 00:33
Part XXIV: For Not All Witches Are Alike 24/12/2024 00:42
The Spinning House 24/12/2024 02:00
Part XXV: A Hero's Welcome 25/12/2024 00:51
Local Legends #27: Jeremy Harte 28/12/2024 01:44
Series 5 Episode 11: Northumberland 30/12/2024 01:59
Three Ravens Bestiary #14: Elves 02/01/2025 01:08
Local Legends #28: Dr Icy Sedgwick 04/01/2005 01:51
Series 5 Episode 12: Cheshire 06/01/2025 01:28
Forgotten Melodies #1: Wassail 09/01/2025 00:53
Series 5 Episode 13: Yorkshire 13/01/2025 01:53
"Old Stinker" Part II 14/01/2025 00:32
"Old Stinker" Part III 15/01/2025 00:49
Magus #1: King Solomon 16/01/2025 01:23
Local Legends #29: Paul Weatherhead 18/01/2025 01:00
Three Tales of Chivalry 20/01/2025 02:10
Three Tales of Friendship 27/01/2025 01:19
Three Murders 03/02/2025 01:08
Three Remarkable Beasts 10/02/2025 01:21
Three More Devils 17/02/2025 01:16
Three Watery Graves 24/02/2025 01:44
Series 6 Episode 0: The Gathering Light 03/03/2025 00:27
Series 6 Episode 1: Bedfordshire 03/03/2025 02:12
Magic and Medicines #15: Ley Lines 06/03/2025 01:15
Local Legends #30: David Longman 08/03/2025 01:15
Series 6 Episode 2: Gloucestershire 10/03/2025 01:47
Three Ravens Bestiary #15: Trolls 13/03/2025 01:07
Local Legends: 31: Dr Anthony Nanson 15/03/2025 01:30
Series 6 Episode 3: Buckinghamshire 17/03/2025 01:57
Forgotten Melodies #2: Sea Shanties 20/03/2025 01:13
Local Legends #32: Dr Terrie "Red Phoenix" Howie 22/03/2025 01:23
Series 6 Episode 4: Leicestershire 24/03/2025 01:42
Magus #2: Mother Shipton 27/03/2025 01:27
Local Legends #33: Tom "The Tale Teller" Phillips 29/03/2025 00:55
Series 6 Episode 5: Essex 31/03/2025 02:01
Magic and Medicines #16: Leech Books and Early Medical Text 03/04/2025 01:11
Local Legends #34: Alisa Clarke and Bethan Briggs-Miller 05/04/2025 01:13
Series 6 Episode 6: Rutland 07/04/2025 02:01
Three Ravens Bestiary #16: Mermaids 10/04/2025 01:05
Local Legends #35: Matthew Vaughan 12/04/2025 01:07
Series 6 Episode 7: Herefordshire 14/04/2025 02:52
Forgotten Melodies #3: Fair Songs 17/04/2025 01:03
Local Legends #36: The Herefordian Historian 19/04/2025 01:03
Series 6 Episode 8: Derbyshire 21/04/2025 01:47
Magus #3: Giordano Bruno 24/04/2025 01:34
Local Legends #37: Pete Castle 26/04/2025 01:00
The Bronze Ring 28/04/2025 00:27

References

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