Dark Histories

By: Ben Cutmore
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Fortnightly narratives on the unsolved and the unexplained, mysteries, historical true crime, touches of the paranormal and cultural peculiarities.
    Copyright © Ben Cutmore . All rights reserved.
    Show More Show Less
World
Show More Show Less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
Episodes
  • The Porthole Mystery: James Camb & The Death of Gay Gibson

    The Porthole Mystery: James Camb & The Death of Gay Gibson
    Nov 4 2024
    On a misty night in October 1947, the luxury liner Durban Castle sailed smoothly across the dark waves of the Atlantic. Aboard was Gay Gibson, a young actress with dreams of stardom, and James Camb, a steward with a chequered past. When Gibson mysteriously vanished, and her lifeless body was allegedly pushed through the ship’s porthole, a dark tale of desire, deceit, and death unfolded in a mystery that would captivate the world. SOURCES Herbstein, Dennis (1991) The Porthole Murder Case. Hodder & Stoughton, London, UK. The Sunday Pictorial (1947) The Girl in Cabin 126. The Sunday Pictorial, Sunday 26 October 1947, p1. London, UK. Yorkshire Evening Post (1948) Gay Gibson Jury Sees Liner Cabin Porthole. Yorkshire Evening Post, Thursday 18 March 1948, p1. Yorkshire, UK. Yorkshire Evening Post (1947) Gay Gibson Disappeared In Shark Infested Seas. Yorkshire Evening Post, Monday 24 November 1947, p5. Yorkshire, UK. ------- This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, check out betterhelp.com/darkhistories to get 10% off your first month. ------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 37 mins
  • Farrant, Manchester & The Highgate Vampire

    Farrant, Manchester & The Highgate Vampire
    Oct 20 2024
    In the 1970s, the shadowy depths of Highgate Cemetery, London became the centre of what would go on to become an enduring urban legend. As two men, both with their own views on what the cemetery was hiding, dug deep into their investigations of the grounds, reports spread of a dark, otherworldly figure stalking its overgrown graves. Sometimes tall, sometimes with glowing red eyes, and other times with a dark, top hat, the press reports of the unknown figure stoked a public fear of a secret occult world that lay just out of sight, crawling beneath the surface of an otherwise decent society. SOURCES Saker, hugh (1958) Baby Sacrifice Probe By CID. The Daily Mirror, Fri 19 Dec 1958, p3. London, UK. Lucas, Norman (1958) Baby Sacrificed: Probe Starts. Daily News, Fri 19 Dec 1958, p5. London, UK. Farrant, Della (2015) Haunted highgate. The History Press, London, UK. Adams, Paul (2014) Written in Blood: A Cultural History of the British Vampire. The History Press, London, UK. Ellis, Bill (1993) The Highgate Cemetery Vampire Hunt: The Anglo-American Connection in Satanic Cult Lore. Folklore, Vol 104, 1993. The Folklore Society, Worthing, UK. The People (1895) The Highgate “Ghost”. The People, Sun 29 Sep 1895, p3. London, UK. Manchester, Sean (1975) The Highgate vampire: the infernal world of the undead unearthed at London's famous Highgate Cemetery and environs. London, UK. Farrant, David (1997) Beyond the Highgate Vampire: A True Case of Supernatural Occurrences and Vampirism That Centred Around London's Highgate Cemetery. London, UK. Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail (1970) Vampire Hunt In London. Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, Sat 14 March 1970, p1. Hartlepool, UK. ------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • The Case of Elizabeth Fenning & The Poison Dumplings

    The Case of Elizabeth Fenning & The Poison Dumplings
    Oct 7 2024
    In the streets of Regency London,the young servant, Elizabeth Fenning, faced a sinister charge - attempted murder by poison. Accused of lacing her employer’s dinner with arsenic, the 21-year-old cook quickly found herself trapped in an increasingly lopsided courtroom, where any hope of the justice she had held whilst awaiting trial seemed to recede with every new witness brought to the stand. The case caused widespread public consternation and outrage that lasted months, coming close to sparking riots in the streets, as the debate raged on, that never truly ended. SOURCES Clarke, Kate (2020) Trial of Elizabeth Fenning. Mango Books, London, UK. Watkins, John (1815) The Important Results of an Elaborate Investigation into the Mysterious Case of Elizabeth Fenning. William Hone, London, UK. The Globe (1815) The Globe. Sat 25 March 1815, p4. London, UK. The Globe (1815) The Globe. Mon 27 March 1815, p4. London, UK. The Star (1815) Charge Of Poisoning Family. Tues 28 March 1815, p4. London, UK. The Globe (1815) Charge OF Poisoning A Whole Family. Fri 31 March 1815, p1. London, UK. ------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins

What listeners say about Dark Histories

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kerry Howes

Love it!!

Really love this podcast. Ben is really engaging and all the stories are well researched. Great listening!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Gemma

love this podcast

Great podcast, been listening for more than a year. Fascinating, creepy tales all told so well

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Vikki

Wonderfully researched

Ben is a first class researcher, always passionate and excited about the subjects he's covering. the detail in building the story and setting the scene is always very done and whilst some people might not appreciate this, I love that he provides context and background to the stories. To some that find the narration a little flat, I would say give it time. When the podcast started out the narration did seem a little unnatural to me but as with everything, you learn as you progress and Ben's narration grows with him as the years have progressed. A five star listen, with some weird and wonderful tales, some familiar to me, others brand new and very intriguing.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Chris Ryan

Really Enjoy this one.

Excellent podcast. Well written and researched. Interesting and creepy topics chosen each week most of which I have not heard of before and if the ones that I have heard of are presented in a fresh way. Really like the skeptic stance Ben takes so ot never falls into sully speculation.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for E Watson

I adore this podcast

I love these well-researched stories. Narrator clearly loves what he's doing and it shows.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for gregor

Love your work Ben.

I really like the way you spin the tale, and it shows that you've done your homework.
Me and the missus really appreciate your hard work mate.
All the best for your future episodes.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for karen voncripps

Wow, how have I never heard of this?

This is the best thing I've heard on audible. well researched, well delivered, I lost time listening to this story. A sleazy murder, illegal abortions, the press and cops in competition, and the police losing, under resourced and under funded. the press ruled and the headlines dominated as readership wars lost truth, but discovered clues.
if you can find a better pod cast, I'll be surprised.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mizzle

Hooked!

A while ago I'd bookmarked a few history podcasts for a rainy day, and I'm glad I did!
Ben is a very passionate and personable storyteller, who meticulously researches all of his subjects. I enjoy all the dark, twisted and spooky stories and also the calmness of his voice. Keep up the great work, Ben!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for steph

awesome

Absolutely love listening to the stories. Been looking for ages for a good dark history podcast.. with all mysteries supernatural and not. Thank you Ben!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User

Ugh

I struggled to understand this stutterring fella so much I quit after 2min.one big oof

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!