Macabre London

Were the Celts a bloodthirsty, insatiable crowd of savages?...

On the first episode of "Belief & The Occult in the Capital City", we take a look into just how London came to be. Was it a land of crazed celts who were hell bent on human sacrifice? Well if you listened to the Romans, they'd have you believe so!

However, the truth was far more tame...was there bloodshed? Yes, but was it as bad as the slanderous Roman's made ...

If 2025 was the year of criminals for Macabre London then 2026 is the year of Magic!

I'm so excited to be sharing my new series with you in this introduction episode. I'll be letting you in on my plans for this series, how I'll be exploring things and just what I'll be covering.

I'll be taking things all the way back to the very beginnings of belief in London before it was even called London.

Starting with an introduction to the o...

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for all your kind messages, comments and words of support, it really makes a difference. More news about what's to come in 2026 in January.

But for now, enjoy - Dark Christmas by Janette Winterson - read by Nikki Druce. There are ads in this ep which may disrupt you if you're trying to sleep. If you want this Ad free, you can listen on Patreon.

Sweet dreams! Xx

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Not what I wanted to be putting out by RIP to my dear cat Boots who died yesterday - 13/12/25. She was an excellent cat, friend and daughter to me, I loved her so much and she was my family. I know many of you will know how much this hurts so thank you for understanding, this was not what I wanted to be doing at all, everything was very sudden and not expected but she was an old lady at 14 and she had a wonderful life. My brain is ...

In December 1888, when London’s East End was still haunted by the fear of Jack the Ripper, another woman was found strangled in the street: Rose Mylett. And just like that, the terror returned.

This episode takes you deep into the investigation that never reached a conclusion — a tragic death brushed aside by authorities desperate for normality at Christmas. Who killed Rose? And why did the case fade into the fog of history?

We’ll al...

Forensic science is now one of the most powerful tools in crime investigation — but its journey began in the shadows of London’s darkest cases.

In this episode of Macabre London, we trace the evolution of forensics through the crimes that pushed science to its limits.

We begin with the first-ever conviction using a fingerprint, a moment that changed policing forever. From there, we step into the disturbing case of Patrick Mahon, who...

In this next chapter of our Crime & Punishment in the Capital City series, we explore a story often overlooked in the darker corners of London’s past: the long and brutal fight for women to earn their place in the Metropolitan Police.

From early moral guardians to undercover operatives, and eventually, fully empowered officers, the women who patrolled London’s streets faced resistance at every turn. Their uniforms were...

Hidden down a quiet Belgravia mews, The Grenadier looks like any charming old London pub — but inside, something sinister still stirs. Said to be haunted by the ghost of a young soldier beaten to death over a game of cards, this centuries-old tavern holds stories soaked in sorrow, superstition, and spirits of all kinds.

Join me as we slip through the misty backstreets of 19th-century London to uncover the legend of the Grenadier’s g...

Beneath the Strand lies a street lost to time — Lower Robert Street. Once a bustling Georgian neighbourhood, it now hides in darkness beneath London’s surface, sealed off and forgotten. But inside its crumbling tunnels and bricked-up entrances, something remains…

In this episode, we uncover the haunted history of Lower Robert Street — from ghostly apparitions and phantom carriages to the eerie echoes of the people who once called it...

Nestled in the heart of Spitalfields, The Ten Bells is one of London’s most infamous pubs — and not just for its beer. Said to be haunted by the restless spirits of the past, this centuries-old public house has seen everything from Ripper victims to spectral barmaids who never clocked out. But how much of the haunting is real, and how much is legend born from the dark streets of Whitechapel?

In this episode of Macabre London, w...

In this episode of Macabre London, we step into the foggy streets of Whitechapel in 1888 to uncover the brutal murder of Mary Jane Kelly – the last known victim of Jack the Ripper. We’ll follow the police investigation as it reached its breaking point, examine the key suspects who haunted the inquiry, and reveal how a shocking telegram from Queen Victoria forced the government to finally take notice of London’s slums.

Was this ...

FROM THE VAULT: this week we have a corker of an episode from years gone by, we're diving back into the vault of Macabre Mini Mysteries to find you a yesteryear gem for your delectation. We'll be back as usual ASAP with a brand new episode but until then, enjoy this vintage listen...

A top a windswept rocky outcrop stands a lonely lighthouse. Its job for many years has been to forewarn sailors that their boats are at risk of str...

In September 1888, Jack the Ripper escalated his crimes. Annie Chapman was found murdered in Hanbury Street, followed just weeks later by the Double Event — the back-to-back killings of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes in a single night.

In this episode of Macabre London, we follow the police investigations into these gruesome murders, uncovering the challenges they faced, the evidence they uncovered, and the in...

On 31st August 1888, Mary Ann Nichols was found brutally murdered in Whitechapel — and with her death, the shadow of Jack the Ripper began to fall across London.

In this episode of Macabre London, we take you inside the police investigation into the first confirmed Ripper murder. How did officers approach the scene? What evidence did they have to work with in Victorian London? And could they have stopped the Ripper before his killin...

Before Jack: Police Investigate Whitechapel’s First Two Murders

Join Macabre London for a chilling prelude to the infamous Jack the Ripper saga. In this episode, we uncover the first two Whitechapel murders—Emma Elizabeth Smith and Martha Tabram—long before the canonical five claimed global attention. Discover how H Division detectives responded to these brutal cases, the investigative methods of 1888, and why the...

Edward Dando wasn’t your average thief—he was a man possessed by an unrelenting hunger for oysters… and a complete disregard for paying the bill.

In this episode of Macabre Mini Mysteries from Macabre London, we explore the life and crimes of Edward Dando: the Regency glutton who scandalised polite society by stealing and devouring shocking amounts of shellfish.

Discover why oysters were once cheaper than chips, how Da...

Before the crisp uniforms and community smiles, London’s very first police officers were anything but respectable. In this episode of Macabre London, we uncover the outrageous early days of the Met — when public trust was low, tempers were high, and a night on the beat often ended in a fight outside the pub.

From riotous mobs to internal corruption, discover how Britain’s most iconic police force was built by brawlers, not by-t...

In 1828, a grand celebration marked the trial of Britain’s first passenger railway—but by the end of the day, one of the country’s most powerful men was dead. William Huskisson, MP, was struck by The Rocket in a gruesome accident that unfolded in front of the Duke of Wellington and dozens of shocked onlookers.

As the wheels of progress crushed Huskisson’s leg and his legacy, rumours of hauntings began to follow the ra...

Before Scotland Yard... before the Met Police... there was chaos.

In this episode of Macabre London, we uncover the wild, booze-soaked origins of Britain's very first police force – the Bow Street Runners. But these weren’t your average crimefighters. Oh no. These were drunken, brawling, and occasionally criminal men who blurred the lines between justice and disorder.

Led by an eccentric magistrate and paid w...