Everything Is Awful Forever
113 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 46 ratingsA macabre history podcast in which Jess and Philippa wax lyrical over the awful oddities of the past.
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Episodes
Where the hell are we? - an update
January 24, 2023 20:00 - 2 minutes - 1.95 MBEverything is awful forever both in life, and podcast. An update about our hiatusi and our future Support the show
Funky Spelunky and the Bad Time Hole
November 30, 2022 17:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBAs autumn draws to a close and the chill creeps in, follow Jess and Philippa into the cold and dark as they look at the misadventures of Floyd Collins. Support the show
Mediums at Large
October 31, 2022 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBIt's been a bit of a hiatus, but nothing is going to stop Jess and Philippa from crawling out of their graves on Halloween. Join us around the table as we listen to the rappings of spirits, and look at the tricks of the trade in the (not so) otherworldly lives of Victorian spirit mediums. Sources: TBA Support the show
Sweet Sassy Molassy!
April 19, 2022 17:00 - 42 minutes - 29.4 MBWe wanted to do an Easter-themed episode but have already covered Mary Toft, the woman who gave birth to rabbits. May we interest you in some Easter...floods? Grab your water wings and hope they'll keep you afload as Jess and Philippa dive into the very non-watery substances that have plagued humankind. Support the show
Grace O'Malley: The Pirate Queen
March 29, 2022 14:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBJoin Jess and Philippa as they set sail off the west coast of Ireland with Grace O'Malley, or Granuaile, a woman whose piratical journey would take her from the Irish seas to the throne of Queen Elizabeth Tudor. Support the show
Mad Monarchs: Tyrannical Teens
March 07, 2022 14:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBWhy do so many monarchs get stuck with the nickname of "...the Mad"? It can't possible be because they're...oh...nevermind. Welcome to the return of the Mad Monarchs series. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into the lives of four teen rulers who should never have been allowed to rule. Content warning for brief mentions of sexual assault in the episode. Support the show
Aleister Crowley and the Joy of Sects
February 22, 2022 14:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBLet's talk about sects. Join Jess and Philippa for another episode on the Wickedest Man in the World, Aleister Crowley. Magical societies, demonic battles, and newspaper scandals: just another regular day in the life of Britain's most famous dark wizard. Sources: Churton, T. (2011) Aleister Crowley: The Biography. London: Watkins. Lachman, G. (2014) Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. New York: Tarcher Support the show
The Sacred Disease
February 09, 2022 11:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBKnown to history since for over 4000 years, and it's only recently that we've begun to understand it. In the meantime, people had to endure some "cures" that may have been worse than the disorder - especially since most of them did very little help in the first place. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into the confusion surrounding epileptic seizures, and how it was dealt with in the ancient world and medieval period. Sources: Sugg, R. (2011) Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires: The History...
Project Stargate: When the Psi-ence Checks Out
January 24, 2022 18:00 - 53 minutes - 37 MBCW: Animal experimentation We know what you're thinking: when will Jess and Philippa release their next episode?! January 1st was more than three weeks ago! If you want to know how we read your minds, join us as we delve into the Russian search for the psi particle and the secrets of Project Stargate. Support the show
The Bell-Strewn Path
December 20, 2021 14:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBKnock knock Who's there? Jess Jess who? Jester jokes are difficult to ad lib when you're Jess and Philippa. Join us as we prance along the bell-strewn history of jesters and joculators, and find out that the life of a joker wasn't all shits and giggles. Support the show
Aleister Crowley: The Mountain and the Abyss
December 06, 2021 16:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBJoin Jess and Philippa as they accompany Crowley up to the heights of his greatest accomplishments as well as down to the depths of failure and despair. Sources: Churton, T. (2011) Aleister Crowley: The Biography. London: Watkins. Crowley, A. (1909) The Book of the Law Originally published as part of ΘΕΛΗΜΑ in London by the A∴A∴ Lachman, G. (2014) Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World. New York: Tarcher Support the show
Working It Out
November 23, 2021 19:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBAs we approach Black Friday, join Jess and Philippa as we dive into one of the many ways in which labour has been exploited in the name of profit. It's time at last to work out what they really did in the Victorian workhouse. 38g0j45W0kVVNjrSbudl Support the show
Baby Farms
November 08, 2021 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MBCW: Violence against children, child death Good childcare is notoriously difficult to find - and expensive when you do come across it. And if children are really the future, the Victorians were having none of it. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into the grim options available to many a late-Victorian mother and the money-hungry killers that preyed on their children. Support the show
Halloween Edition: Haunted Dolls
October 25, 2021 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBThey were your childhood friends. You played with them every day. You told them all your secrets. And while you grew up, they stayed the same. And when you left home, they...waited. This Halloween, join Jess and Philippa as they look into two of the most famous dolls to haunt your nightmares. Sources: Brittle, G. (1981) The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed + Lorraine Warren. New York: Maymalkin Media. Ocker, J. W. (2020) Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's ...
Aleister Crowley and the Cursed Child(hood)
August 09, 2021 16:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MBThis week we look at the greatest mountaineer, poet, chessmaster, spy, and wizard of all time: Aleister Crowley. Join Jess and Philippa as they look into his humble beginnings from a cupboard under the stairs (sort of kind of not really), his initiation into the Golden Dawn, and his role in the most epic wizard battle to ever shake the streets of London. Sources: Churton, T. (2011) Aleister Crowley: The Biography. London: Watkins. Crowley, A. (2021) The Confessions of Aleister Crowle...
The Witch Hunter King
July 19, 2021 19:00 - 48 minutes - 33 MBJoin Jess and Philippa for a quintessential Awful Forever episode. Witches! Boats! Henry VIII! Murder most foul, and maybe a little murder most pleasant - if you're a king on the hunt for witches. Sources: https://www.britannica.com/story/acts-of-union-uniting-the-united-kingdom https://www.scotlandmag.com/james-vi-and-witch-trials/ https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/king-james-vi-i-hunted-witches-hunter-devilry-daemonologie/ Support the show
Mourning Glory
July 05, 2021 18:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBIf you're having trouble getting started with your week, Jess and Philippa are ready to help you get over those Monday morning blues by getting into the (fashion) details of Victorian mourning rituals. Wilde may have thought "Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" but Victorian women could be confined to black bombazine for two years at a time. Sources: Arnold, C. (2006) Necropolis: London and its Dead. London: Simon & Schuster. Support ...
The Return of Bad (Kar)luk: Ada Blackjack
June 15, 2021 10:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBSometimes you throw in your lot with rogues who convince you to board their ramshackle vessel and go die in the Arctic. Sure, you might perish in the frozen darkness - but what happened to the person who abandoned you there? Join Jess and Philippa as they see what Vilhjalmur Stefansson, leader of the doomed Karluk and the Canadian Arctic Expedition, got up to after he left his previous crew to die. Support the show
Down to Earth
May 31, 2021 17:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBWhat do you do when your graveyards are at capacity and everyone's simply dying to get in? Join Jess and Philippa as they confront burial reform in Victorian London and the corpse-ridden scandals that shook the city. Sources: Arnold, C. (2006) Necropolis: London and its Dead. London: Simon & Schuster. Jackson, L. (2014) Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Walker, George. (1839) Gatherings from Graveyards. https://wellcomecol...
Cursed Cures
May 17, 2021 17:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBIt's a Monday and we're all feeling a little down. Sickly, even. But you can always join Jess and Philippa for a small pick-me-up and some sound advice about achieving a healthy glow that is literally radiant. Support the show
Books of Blood
April 19, 2021 15:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBDo you ever feel torn between an endless list of podcasts to listen to and that massive pile of books sitting there...judging you for not reading right now? Right. Now? Why not join Jess and Philippa instead, as they flip through the pages of anthropodermic bibliopegy - books bound in human leather. Sources Brooke-Hitching, E. (2020) The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History. London: Simon & Schuster. Flanders, F. (2011) The Inven...
Rick and Naughty
April 05, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 51.6 MBWorry not, for Jess and Philippa will explain to you how to do the perfect crime. If you don't understand it maybe it's just because you're not smart enough; not like two white, wealthy, teenage boys from the 1920's, who were certainly smarter than everyone else, definitely able to flawlessly execute perfect crime. Sources: For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago By Simon Baatz (2008) Support the show
For Womb The Bell Tolls
March 22, 2021 13:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBIt's that time of the week in which we discuss that time of the month. Join Jess and Philippa as they look at the mysteries of the medieval womb, and the monstrous ways in which women were misunderstood. Sources: Hartnell, J. (2019) Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages. London: Wellcome Collection. Miller, S. (2010) Medieval Monstrosity and the Female Body. New York, London: Routledge. Support the show
The Secret Queen
March 08, 2021 12:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBEver wished that you could be a royal? Who doesn'tt? Well, sign up to our three-step Rags to Royalty program, inspired by Madame de Maintenon, that will 100% absolutely take you to queenhood in no time. Sources: Françoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon (1635—1719) - John J. Conley – 9-(2021) https://iep.utm.edu/mainteno/ Madame de Maintenon – Louis XIV’s secret wife -Moniek (2018) https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-royal-mistresses-series/madame-de-maintenon-louis-xivs-secret-wif...
The John Smith Journals
February 22, 2021 13:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MBPocahontas. John Smith. The love. The colours. The wind. You've seen the movie. Now bear witness to the journal ramblings of the hero himself. John Smith, British explorer (2021) https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Smith-British-explorer First Prison in Colonial Virginia (2017) http://www.virginiaplaces.org/government/firstprison.html Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend (2015) https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/pocahontas-her-life-and-legend.htm John Smith of Jamestown: Fac...
Cutting Edge: A Tale of Two Surgeons
February 08, 2021 15:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBIf there's one thing you've come to expect from our history podcast it's that we look at the very bluntest edge technology available. And where else to look other than the operating theatre? Join Jess and Philippa as they look at two surgeons: one, the paragon of his age just before the advent of anaesthesia; the other, a French surgeon who got up close and personal with the dark side of the Sun King. Sources: Fitzharris, L. (2017) The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform t...
Blood and Butter: The Final Spread
December 07, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 51.2 MBArtichokes! Church brawls! Bounties! Tennis matches to the death, fought beneath the cold gaze of the indifferent stars. Pimp knights. Join Jess and Philippa for one last look at the life of the walking catastrophe also known as Caravaggio. Support the show
Exorcise Influencers
November 25, 2020 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBWe've looked at demonic possession in Demoniac and Double Demons, but how exactly does one get rid of them once they've invaded your home, made a mess, and insulted your mother-in-law? In this episode, Jess and Philippa look at some of the ways in which both Catholic and Protestant authorities have tried to politely suggest that it might be time for everyone to get on home. So join us for tales of possession, faith, and potatoes. Sources: Levack, B. (2013) The Devil Within: Possession and...
Blood and Butter: Black Cloaks and Bawbags
November 09, 2020 20:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBArt! Betrayal! Stabbing! Also, what rhymes with testicle? Join Jess and Philippa as they continue with the Blood and Butter epic tale of one artist testing the limits of just how many people he can stab. Caravaggio can get away with murder...but what about a mean poem? Support the show
Double Demons: The Haunting of the Gibbons Twins
October 26, 2020 14:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBWe had one demon, yes. But what about second demons? Another turn of the screw, so to speak. In addition being possessed by paraphrase, Jess and Philippa are obsessed (possessed) by the case of June and Jennifer Gibbons. Join us as we look at this peculiar case that has so much in common with historical cases of alleged demonic possession. Support the show
Demoniac
October 19, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBWe've always known that Jess might not be quite right, and Philippa suspects that she might finally understand why. Join the demonic duo as they weigh up the pros and cons of possession, as well as two common modern explanations for this phenomenon. Sources: Almond, P. (2004) Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and their Cultural Contexts. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo: Cambridge University Press. Levack, B....
Demoniac
October 19, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBWe've always known that Jess might not be quite right, and Philippa suspects that she might finally understand why. Join the demonic duo as they weigh up the pros and cons of possession, as well as two common modern explanations for this phenomenon. Sources: Almond, P. (2004) Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and their Cultural Contexts. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo: Cambridge University Press. Levack, B....
Blood and Butter: The Garden of Evil
October 12, 2020 14:00 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MBWe've covered the temptations of butter. But have you considered the essential eroticism of fruit? This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the early life of Caravaggio (aka the human dumpster fire) and his fetish for shoulders, lizards, and the fruits to be plucked in the Garden of Evil Instacart link: http://instacart.oloiyb.net/5Vqm3 Instacart - Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Free delivery on your first order over $35. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you ...
Toxic Tyrants
October 05, 2020 15:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBUneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Shakespeare was talking about a different Henry, but our favourite Tudor would have had a few reasons to keep up at night. After all, his servants needed time to throughly kiss his bed before his head could hit the pillow. Join Jess and Philippa as they look at poison prevention in the Renaissance period. Even if you have a few unicorn horns or bezoars, you'd better hope you have a strong stomach! Support the show
Blood and Butter
September 28, 2020 13:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MBJoin Jess and Philippa as they explore the importance of context in a sweeping history of 1500 years, in which empires rose and fell, towers were buttered, battles were fought, and people were excessively tortured - all in the name of some Middle Eastern Jewish guy. Also, it's about art, maybe? Support the show
Bottom Feeders
September 21, 2020 11:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBStrap in and hold onto your bottoms because this week we're going monster hunting. Join Jess and Philippa as they chat about the Whipping Toms and the London Monster: criminals with an unhealthy fixation on the female derrière. Support the show
Mad Monarchs: Nasty Names
September 14, 2020 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBIf you've ever gotten stuck with a nickname that made you want to burn down an entire kingdom just to abolish it from the face of the earth, then this episode may be for you. Join Jess the Incorrigible and Philippa the Long-Suffering as they look at some of history's rulers whose names reflected - or altered - the course of their rule. Support the show
Social Diseases: Syphilis
September 07, 2020 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBCW: Graphic medical descriptions Philippa's back from her time abroad in the land of disease and she's got syphilis...facts. Join her and Jess for a sexy discussion about disease, eugenics, medical experiments, and blaming foreigners and minority groups for your problems. Support the show
Ma'am Mandelbaum's School for Thieves.
August 31, 2020 18:00 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MBJoin Jess and Fauxlippa (Rosie Cowling) as she tell us about the wheelings and dealings of the the biggest fence in the U.S. The criminal, exciting kind, not the keeps-your-chickens-in kind. A massive criminal enterprise, a school to teach kids how to pick pocket. She was the best. Support the show
Ma'am Mandelbaum's School for Thieves.
August 31, 2020 18:00 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MBJoin Jess and Fauxlippa (Rosie Cowling) as she tell us about the wheelings and dealings of the the biggest fence in the U.S. The criminal, exciting kind, not the keeps-your-chickens-in kind. A massive criminal enterprise, a school to teach kids how to pick pocket. She was the best. Support the show
Promiscuous Popery
August 10, 2020 12:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBFrom the most powerful Italian families comes a tale of promiscuity, mistresses, bribery, rackets and murder. No,no, not the mafia, but the Vatican of course! Join Jess and Philippa??? Rosie, the backup ginger exploring the wild sex parties and crimes of this mob boss pope and his equally terrible children. Everyone run, he comes the popo....pe. Support the show
Leeches Breeches: Victorian Job Features
July 13, 2020 18:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBIs your current desk job getting you down? Is the capitalist system leeching off your hard labour? Console yourself with the fact that some Victorian jobs involved actual leeches. Join Jess and Philippa as they search for new jobs among the Sin Eaters, Mudlarks, and Funeral Mutes of the Victorian underbelly. Support the show
Well Hung
July 06, 2020 16:00 - 50 minutes - 35 MBWe've looked at the inventive methods of execution that were designed to get attention (and at least a few chuckles), but who was it that had to ensure that the death sentence was carried out to the letter? Join Jess and Philippa for a game of hangman and look into the complicated, stigmatised existences (and fashions) of those who ruled the noose. Support the show
Night Witches
June 29, 2020 12:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBThis week, we are so lucky to have Moxie LaBouche, the host of Your Brain On Facts, pay our podcast a visit! Join Jess, Philippa, and Moxie as they cling to the wood-and-canvas wings of the outdated, ramshackle planes flown by the Russian Night Witches during WWII and look into the lives of those who are often lost to history and the impact of those whom we choose as a culture to memorialise. Support the show
Batavia's Graveyard
June 15, 2020 14:00 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MBIf we've learned anything, during our time podcasting (and that may be up for debate), it's that nothing good happens on a boat. Join us onboard the Batavia, which set out from Texel in the Netherlands in 1628 and never returned. It would, however, carry its passengers to the site of one of the bloodiest, murderiest (technically not a) mutiny in naval history. CW: Sexual assault, child death, and murder Support the show
Black Beards, Red Hearts
June 08, 2020 13:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBJoin Jess and Philippa as they look at one of the greatest boat-based love stories of all time: that of Blackbeard and Black Sam Bellamy. Plunder, booty, and most important of all...REVENGE! Get your best pirate voice going and dive with us into this tale of broken hearties. Support the show
Vampires and Corpse Brides: A Patreon Sneak Peek
June 01, 2020 12:00 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBThis week, see what we're getting up on Patreon with one of our older episodes dated back to Halloween (a.k.a. back when things were kind of okay). Join Philippa and Jess as they look at a couple of monsters from eastern lore and one very real life monster who took the idea of eternal one-sided love way too far. Content warning for child death in one story and necrophilia in another. Also, turns out we got super confused about the origin story of the langsuir. Turns out no one was owls to...
Losing Our Heads: Public Execution
May 25, 2020 14:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBHold onto your heads (and perhaps your limbs, bowels, and sundry bits) because this week, Jess and Philippa are sticking their necks out to peer at public execution. Just how (and why) did England desire to despatch its dastardly denizens? Hang around to find out! Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show
Changeling Children: The Dunbar Disappearance
May 18, 2020 14:00 - 42 minutes - 29.6 MBIt's a sad fact that children go missing every day. Sometimes, if one is lucky, they're found once more. But after a long separation, how can you be certain that you've got the right kid? Join Jess and Philippa as they dive back into the early 1900s and the swamps of Louisiana to discuss one of the most baffling disappearances of the century. Support the show