Loremen Podcast
Join the Loremen (James Shakeshaft and Alasdair Beckett-King) as they "investigate" local legends and forgotten folklore.
Episodes
December 24, 2025 • 52 mins
It's PIIIIIIIIGMAAAAAS! James and Alasdair are joined by multi-award-having comedian Daisy Earl. We make merry with the legend of a boozy Mancunian pig named Polly, and the Scottish fairy tale of Whuppity Stoorie. (The latter of which bears a strong resemblance to the more famous tale of old... you know... Rumple-whatshisname.)
Follow Daisy!
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
Edited by Laurence Hisee
Join th...
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December 17, 2025 • 34 mins
Who is that, judging me from afar? Why it's the Man-Faced Pigs of Brussels (Wisconsin), the pickiest swine the Loreboys have encountered to date!
With a sprinkling of Christmas Pig magic, here is a festive little tale to warm you from your snout right down to your curly, curly tail.
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
Edited by Laurence Hisee
Join the LoreFolk at patreon.com/loremenpod...
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December 10, 2025 • 35 mins
Long Hanborough? Home of the Oxford Bus Museum?
Yes! THAT Long Hanborough. And once you've listened to this episode, you'll know it for more than being home to the Spice Girls' bus from Spice World (1997). You'll know it for containing a spooky cottage with a particularly busy poltergeist.
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
Join the LoreFolk at patreon.com/loremenpod
...
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December 3, 2025 • 29 mins
You know what they say: if you remember Finstock, you've been to West Oxfordshire. Here we discover a wealth of ghosts from James's old stomping ground. There's a 1990s spectre, an 1800s preacher and a 39000s (BCE) neanderthal. Plus, a truly chilling lady ghost whose beckoning hands can only be seen by children. Pop on your body warmers... now!
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
Edited by Laurence Hisee
Join the Lo...
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November 26, 2025 • 31 mins
James dives back into the well of Cornish lore and surfaces with story of undying love - and a chilling counterpart to last week's tale. It's a case of Till Death Us Don't Part in the legend of Sarah Polgrain and Yorkshire Jack, whose marriage vows echoed beyond the grave.
Plus, a lovely handful of teeth.
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
Edited by Laurence Hisee
Join the LoreFolk at patreon.co...
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November 19, 2025 • 36 mins
Sure, this starts with a derailment. But a derailment BY Alasdair? What crazy mixed up episode is this?
Well, most of it is a classic ghost story from Cornwall. Featuring a fast-thinking blacksmith, a humble servant, a burst horse and a bit of magick.
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
Edited by Laurence Hisee
Join the LoreFolk at patreon.com/loremenpod
k...
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November 12, 2025 • 48 mins
Prussia, 1809. An Englishman named Benjamin Bathurst vanishes without leaving a trace. Apart from his trousers. And his cloak. And possibly his skull. Who is behind this baffling disappearance? A local hoodlum, a French comte, or Napoleon Bonaparte himself?
This cold case has remained unsolved for over two centuries. Until now! Because James has a theory NO ONE has considered before.
(Maybe a horse ate him.)
See Alasdair On T...
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November 5, 2025 • 33 mins
The boys discover a peculiar cult boasting not one, but two Jesuses. Yowzah! Must be pretty awkward at Christmas. James whisks Alasdair off to the commune of the Agapemonites: a scandalous Victorian sect nestled in the sauciest region of Somerset. (Well, a few miles north of Taunton.)
There's a little extra spice in the mix, because James has noticed that the word "sects" sounds a bit rude.
See Alasdair On Tour in 2026!
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October 29, 2025 • 32 mins
James and Alasdair do their absolute darndest to keep Austin at least a little bit odd with this selection of spooky tales from that Texan bastion of peculiarity.
SPOILER ALERT: we get the fairy tale Goldilocks very wrong. But wait! Before you have your butler send us a strongly worded telegram, we do get it right in the end.
Edited by Laurence Hisee
Join the LoreFolk at patreon.com/loremenpod...
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October 22, 2025 • 43 mins
Queen Victoria, the second longest Queen of England (at the time of recording), escaped death on numerous occasions. But did she ever explore the spirit world? Alasdair recounts an series of (attempted) murder mysteries and relates the strange tale of a stolen timepiece. While James attempts to answer that age old question: who watches the watch, man?
Find out more about Vicky's Ticker in Roger Clarke's article on the Spitalfields...
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October 15, 2025 • 40 mins
Alasdair bedazzles James with tales of gold-digging ants. Did we mention these creatures were also massive? And deadly? Well, they were! Beginning with an Old English legend from Hana Videen's bestiary The Deorhord, the Loreboys travel into a world of dubious manuscripts and outlandish beasts.
Lock up your camels!
This episode was edited by Joseph Burrows - Audio Editor
Join the LoreFolk at...
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October 8, 2025 • 37 mins
Are the paths of Wiltshire stalked by a pagan deity in disguise? Usually on Loremen we recount tales that are seldom told, but this week is different. The legend of the Peaked Red One was, in fact, told by James and Alasdair at the Strange Days Festival of Forteana. But the sound quality was a bit bobbins, so we told our stories again, and here they are!
There's ghosts, treasure and a little man with a pet trout.
See the Loreme...
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October 1, 2025 • 50 mins
Comedian and podcaster Amy Matthews takes the Loreboys on a spooky tour of her Essex hometown. From Bell Wharf to Doom Pond, Leigh-on-Sea is no stranger to strange goings-on. But what's the truth behind the legend of the witch who sold the wind?
Order Amy's stand-up album Commute with the Foxes now, and check out the English Heritage Podcast!
See the Loremen LIVE in London on Oct 15th.
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September 24, 2025 • 41 mins
It's Britain's most haunted village, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Pluckley in Kent is replete with legends and thick wi' ghosts. James leads Alasdair through your basic Pluckley hauntings, and uncovers a couple of stories that haven't had mainstream media coverage*. Plus... has James been Mandela-effected?
* I.e. they're not in the Usborne Book of Ghosts.**
** Plus a BIG*** reveal about that book.
*** Not that big....
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September 17, 2025 • 49 mins
The Loremen meet the Map Men. Yes, it's the crossover we can only assume people have been clamouring for! Jay and Mark joined us to discuss the mythical island / clerical error known (amongst other things) as Hy-Brasil.
Prepare for some dodgy pronunciations and little local lore from Enfield.
Watch the Map Men on YouTube and pre-order their book.
And see the Loremen LIVE in London on Oct 15th.
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September 10, 2025 • 42 mins
Storm's comin', and it is quite literally "mucky out". Alasdair forecasts peculiar precipitation with spells of weird science. The black rains that fell on one small Scottish parish in the 1860s have a variety of explanations, ranging from the odd (squids) to the really odd (Italy). Plus, we have a doozy of a theory from the man himself: Charles Fort.
This episode was edited by Joseph Burrows - Audio Editor...
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September 3, 2025 • 36 mins
Matt Stewart (Do Go On Pod, Who Knew It? With Matt Stewart) joins James as Alasdair is laid-low having lost his voice. Matt is about to launch his UK tour and James gives him a stern warning about the city of Cambridge.
Book yout tickets via his website www.mattstewartcomedy.com and check out his YouTube special and various podcasts.
Listen to Alasdair (in full voice) guesting on The Rules Podcast and why not come and see the Lor...
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August 27, 2025 • 45 mins
Buff the buckles on your shoes and ready your bodices for ripping. James has plucked a tale of betrayal and romance from the annals of Yorkshire legend.
SMASH CUT: It's another Shakeshaft Movie Special. This time featuring gambling dens, a fortune teller, an innocent man accused and - of course - gentlemen of the road (i.e. highwaymen / thieves).
This episode was edited by Joseph Burrows - Audio Editor
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August 20, 2025 • 37 mins
Polterguys are back! As are Alasdair and James! After a wee August break, the Loreboys return with some noisy sprits from a disputed corner of Oxfordshire. Listen carefully and you might just learn something about early British Christians. Not how to pronounce their names, though. Apologies in advance for that.
This episode was edited by Joseph Burrows - Audio Editor
Join the LoreFolk at patreon...
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August 13, 2025 • 25 mins
The boys are on holiday, so this episode is pure "bants". Enjoy a selection of bonus bits from our recent episodes and take care out there, kids.
If you like this and want more of it, go to patreon.com/loremenpod
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