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1 weeks ago1h 35m
Book Club 02 - Benighted aka The Old Dark House by J.B. Priestley (with Dylan Rees)
Welcome to the second episode of the General Witchfinders Book Club – a spin-off from our regular British horror podcast, run in partnership with Teasel & Skylark, an independent bookshop in Dorchester. To accompany our real-life, face-to-face book club meet-ups, host Ross Cleaver invites a special guest co-host onto the show every two months to discuss our latest reading choice. On this episode, Ross welcomes Dylan Rees. Dylan is an Emmy-winning producer and line producer across British television and independent film. Alongside his screen production work, Rees writes about the history of cult television and the "Wilderness Years" of Doctor Who, including Downtime: The Lost Years of Doctor Who and Doctor Who Myths and Legends: The Reeltime Pictures Story. He is also the host of The Too Hot For TV Podcast, which explores the extended universes of your favourite film and TV franchises. Together, they discuss J.B. Priestley’s 1927 novel, Benighted (also known as The Old Dark House). BenightedPhilip and Margaret Waverton and their friend Roger Penderel are driving through the mountains of Wales when a torrential downpour washes away the road and forces them to seek shelter for the night. They take refuge in an ancient, crumbling mansion inhabited by the strange and sinister Femm family and their brutish servant Morgan. Determined to make the best of the circumstances, the benighted travellers drink, talk, and play games to pass the time while the storm rages outside. But as the night progresses and tensions rise, dangerous and unexpected secrets emerge. On the house's top floor are two locked doors; behind one of them lies the mysterious, unseen Sir Roderick Femm, and behind the other lurks an unspeakable terror. Which is more deadly: the apocalyptic storm outside the house or the unknown horrors that await within? And will any of them survive the night? b How to Get InvolvedWe want to build a community around these books, both locally in Dorset and remotely with our podcast listeners and zine readers.Join us in Dorchester: Ross leads the in-person discussions at the King’s Arms Hotel. Spaces are limited, so sign up at the Teasel & Skylark shop. Local club members get 10% off the featured books, plus 10% off all other books and gifts in-store (excluding original artwork). These discounts are only available in person at the shop.Join us from elsewhere: If you are not local, read along at home and send your thoughts or audio voicemails to generalwitchfinders@gmail.com. Support Independent BookshopsIf you are close enough to Dorchester, please order your copy through Teasel & Skylark and pop in to collect it. If you cannot get to West Dorset, please find your local indie store via Bookshop.org. Links & ResourcesBook Club Info: General Witchfinders Book ClubOur Partner Bookshop: Teasel & SkylarkFind Indie Shops Nationwide: Bookshop.orgSupport the Show: General Witchfinders PatreonSocial Media: Instagram | Bluesky. Featured Guest Links (Dylan Rees):Linktree: Dylan Rees Links including podcast links (do go check these out)One of Ross's guest appearances on Too Hot For TV talking about TerminatorBooks: Downtime – The Lost Years of Doctor Who | Doctor Who Myths and Legends: The Reeltime Pictures StorySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witc
Aug 21, 20261h 35m
73: Alternative 3 (1977) – Anglia TV – Dir. Christopher Miles – Tim Brinton, Shane Rimmer & Richard Marner
Alternative 3 (1977) – Conspiracies, Secret Mars Bases, Brian Eno and 1970s TV HoaxesOur #SummerOfStrange continues. We step away from Hammer, Amicus, vampires, and classic screen monsters to explore British television’s most infamous media hoax: Alternative 3. Produced for Anglia Television’s Science Report and written by David Ambrose, this 1977 mockumentary sparked widespread paranoia regarding climate emergencies, the UK "brain drain", secret space programmes, and covert Mars bases.We unpack the production history, cultural legacy, and fringe theories stemming from the broadcast – from its delayed April Fools’ Day airing to its impact on UFO literature, sci-fi audio dramas, and cult cinema.Key Links & Upcoming Live EventLive Screening & Podcast Event: Join us on Friday 30th October at 7:30pm at ActOne Cinema in Acton for Hammer’s Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde plus a live podcast recording – Book tickets hereWatch Alternative 3 on YouTube: Stream the full television broadcastRead the 1978 Novelisation: Alternative 3 by Leslie Watkins on Archive.orgKey Discussion PointsThe Plot & The Hoax: How a fake documentary detailing climate catastrophe and moon-colonisation duped viewers across the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.The Aftermath & Pop Culture Legacy: Leslie Watkins’ 1978 tie-in book Alternative 003, Jim Keith’s conspiracy text Casebook on Alternative 3, Richard Linklater’s Slacker, and parallels to the Dimension X radio story "The Man in the Moon".Brian Eno’s Electronic Score: Ambient music tracks featured on Music for Films, Eno’s work with Roxy Music, high-profile production credits for David Bowie, Talking Heads, and U2, and creating the Windows 95 startup sound on a Mac. Plus, secondary score releases from Add N to (X), Stereolab, and Hairy Butter.Writer David Ambrose & Director Christopher Miles: Screenwriting credits behind D.A.R.Y.L., The Final Countdown, Taffin, The Survivor, and Oscar-nominated short The Six Sided Triangle.Cast & Trivia Deep DivesTim Brinton (Presenter): ITN and BBC newsreader and Conservative MP featured in Carry On Emmannuelle, Dixon of Dock Green, and The Avengers.Shane Rimmer (Bob Grodin): Voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds, actor in Dr. Strangelove, Star Wars: A New Hope, Rollerball, Space: 1999, Superman I–III, Batman Begins, and James Bond films You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, and The Spy Who Loved Me.Richard Marner (Dr Carl Gerstein): Colonel Von Strohm in 'Allo 'Allo!, with roles in Count Dracula, The African Queen, The Dirty Dozen, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Boys from Brazil, Children of the Damned, and The Sum of All Fears.David Baxt (Harry): Played Thomas Wayne in Tim Burton's Batman, with appearances in Inseminoid, The Shining, and The Tomorrow People.Gregory Munroe (Colin Benson): Appeared in Mixed Blessings, Ace of Wands, and as Fariah in Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World.Ivor Roberts (George Pendlebury): Featured in Penda's Fen, Oh, Doctor Beeching!, You Rang, M'Lord?, and Boon.Listen & FollowCatch up on our previous #SummerOfStrange episodes covering Penda's Fen and 1970s parapsychology mania on your podcast app of choice.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 14, 20261h 54m
71: Penda’s Fen (1974) – BBC – Dir. Alan Clarke – Spencer Banks, Georgine Anderson & Ian Hogg
The 16th episode of the fourth season of the BBC anthology series Play for Today, Penda’s Fen – originally broadcast on 21 March 1974 – is widely celebrated as a visionary masterpiece of British folk horror and 1970s television drama. Written by David Rudkin and directed by Alan Clarke, Time Out London named it one of the 100 best British films. The Visionary Realism of Alan ClarkeDirector Alan Clarke is renowned for his stark social realism and controversial depictions of institutionalised communities. His 1977 borstal drama Scum was banned by the BBC, later returning as a 1979 feature film, while his television film Made in Britain introduced Tim Roth as a racist skinhead. He tackled corporate corruption in Beloved Enemy, military interrogation in Psy-Warriors, and directed David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht’s Baal. His final work, The Firm starring Gary Oldman, drew heavy press criticism for its depiction of violent football hooliganism in Thatcher’s Britain.While Penda’s Fen trades Clarke’s urban realism for a mystical landscape of angels and demons, it retains his fierce preoccupation with identity, authority, and systemic oppression.Cult Television & Audio ConnectionsThe surreal atmosphere is driven by an electronic score from Paddy Kingsland of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Kingsland manipulated a Benjamin Britten recording for the play, and went on to score The Changes, the radio and TV versions of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and classic Doctor Who serials.The cast links directly to landmark British cult media:Spencer Banks (Stephen Franklin): The quintessential 1970s television adolescent, Banks also starred as Simon Randall in the children’s sci-fi series Timeslip.Georgine Anderson (Mrs Franklin): A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company who later played May in the 2007 Doctor Who episode ‘Gridlock’ – representing the show’s first married same-sex couple.Ian Hogg (Arne): Famous as the lead in Rockliffe’s Babies and the villainous Josiah Samuel Smith in the Doctor Who story Ghost Light.Jennie Hesselwood (Mrs Arne): Mother of Toby Jones and wife of Freddie Jones (Dune, The Elephant Man).Graham Leaman (Sir Edward Elgar): Features a massive Doctor Who pedigree including The Macra Terror (tying directly back to the Macra in ‘Gridlock’), The Seeds of Death, and The Three Doctors.Ivor Roberts (Cooke): A familiar face from the ‘Croftiverse’ comedies Oh, Doctor Beeching! and You Rang, M’Lord?, as well as Genesis of the Daleks.Ron Smerczak (Joel): Later transitioned to action cinema in American Ninja 4: The Annihilation and Cyborg Cop.Current Promotions & EventsThe General Witchfinders Book Club: Our debut spin-off episode is out now, run with independent bookshop Teaseland & Skylark in Dorchester. Host Ross welcomes author Ray Newman (The Grave Digger’s Boy) to unpack Andrew Michael Hurley’s folk horror novel, Starve Acre. Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/GW-BC-01Summer Spin-Off – Department X: Join James and Ross as they investigate the 1970s obsession with ESP, telekinesis, and psychic premonitions. Listen to 'Mysterious Powers & Strange Forces' here: https://tinyurl.com/MYSpowerLondon Halloween Live Show: We are taking over ActOne Cinema in Acton on Friday 30th October at 7:30pm for a screening of Hammer’s Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde and a live podcast recording. Tickets are £14: https://tinyurl.com/DRJeky11'Hammer Presents' Blu-ray Giveaway: Win a bundle of restored rarities including The Snake Woman, Dr. Blood’s Coffin, Cry of the Banshee, and Crucible of Horror. Enter before Friday 31st July: https://tinyurl.com/HamPrizeGeneral Witchfinders Issue 4: Grab our 76-page zine of unsettling folk horror fiction, original artwork, and deep-dive features: https://tinyurl.com/gwZINESupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_bla
Jul 8, 20261h 13m
Book Club 01 - Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley (with Ray Newman)
Welcome to the very first episode of the General Witchfinders Book Club – a new spin-off from our regular British horror podcast, run in partnership with Teasel & Skylark, an independent bookshop in Dorchester.To accompany our real-life, face-to-face book club meet-ups, host Ross Cleaver invites a special guest co-host onto the show every two months to discuss our latest reading choice. On this inaugural episode, Ross welcomes author Ray Newman. Ray is the author of the novel The Grave Digger’s Boy, as well as three exceptional collections of short stories: Municipal Gothic, Intervals of Darkness, and Thin Places in Hard Concrete. Together, they delve into Andrew Michael Hurley’s acclaimed 2019 novel, Starve Acre.Starve Acre ‘An impeccable work of folk horror’ – The Irish Times The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Convinced that the boy still lives on in some form, and desperate to make contact, Juliette seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, an art historian, tries to blot out the pain of his grief by turning his attention to the field opposite their house, Starve Acre. Patiently he digs in the barren soil looking for the roots of a legendary oak tree, but unearths something which ought to have remained buried. ‘I will confidently predict that no reader will guess where it's heading . . . Hurley's ability to create a world that's like ours in many ways and really not in many others is again on full display’ – The Times How to Get InvolvedWe want to build a community around these books, both locally in Dorset and remotely with our podcast listeners and zine readers.Join us in Dorchester: Ross leads the in-person discussions at the King’s Arms Hotel. Spaces are limited, so sign up at the Teasel & Skylark shop. Local club members get 10% off the featured books, plus 10% off all other books and gifts in-store (excluding original artwork). These discounts are only available in person at the shop.Join us from elsewhere: If you are not local, read along at home and send your thoughts or audio voicemails to generalwitchfinders@gmail.com. Support Independent BookshopsIf you are close enough to Dorchester, please order your copy through Teasel & Skylark and pop in to collect it. If you cannot get to West Dorset, please find your local indie store via Bookshop.org.Links & ResourcesBook Club Info: General Witchfinders Book ClubOur Partner Bookshop: Teasel & SkylarkFind Indie Shops Nationwide: Bookshop.orgSupport the Show: General Witchfinders PatreonSocial Media: Instagram | Bluesky Featured Guest Links (Ray Newman):Blog: Precast ReinforcedBluesky: Ray Newman on BlueskyBooks: The Grave Digger’s Boy | Thin Places in Hard Concrete | Intervals of Darkness | Municipal GothicSupport this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.co
Jul 1, 202659 min
Department: X Mysterious Powers and Strange Forces
Summer is the season of the spin-off at General Witchfinders. We have a few episodes beyond our usual format to share, starting with James’s exploration of parapsychology in the 1970s.Why did that decade see such a dramatic rise in the cultural obsession with ESP, telekinesis, and psychic premonitions? James has been digging into the archives and thinks he has the answer.Join James and Ross for an intriguing journey into the seventies counterculture in our new spin-off: ‘General Witchfinders – Department X: Mysterious Powers & Strange Forces’.For people who struggle with background music behind speech, here is a voice-only version – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1am2tJWJtB_wIqxax3E11S-7eZQVLzyAw/view?usp=sharingSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 25, 20262 min
Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde CINEMA SCREENING
https://www.actonecinema.co.uk/movie/general-witchfinders-present-dr-jekyll-sister-hyde/We are bringing General Witchfinders to London on Halloween-eve – Friday 30th October at 7:30pm.We really want to make this night a success – and by success, we mean not spending a load of money just to watch a film in a cinema all on our own! If you can make it, please grab a ticket and bring along a Hammer-friendly friend or two to help us fill the room. We would also massively appreciate your help to spread the word so we can reach as many people as possible.We are teaming up with ActOne Cinema in Acton for a big-screen outing of Hammer’s Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, followed by a live podcast recording.Tickets are £14 and available now.https://www.actonecinema.co.uk/movie/general-witchfinders-present-dr-jekyll-sister-hyde/If you can tell everyone you know, it would mean the world to us.ActOne Cinema, 119 – 121 High Street, London, W3 6NAActon Town (Tube) and Acton Central (Overground). Bus routes 70, 266, 440, E3, 207, SL8, and 218 stop nearby. Salisbury Street car park is a two-minute walk away.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 31, 20261h 30m
69: Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) – Hammer Horror – Dir. Seth Holt – Valerie Leon, Andrew Keir & James Villiers
Hammer Horror delivered one of its finest 1970s films with Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, despite a notoriously cursed production. This 1971 British release is the studio’s fourth and final Mummy film, loosely adapted by Christopher Wicking from Bram Stoker’s 1903 novel The Jewel of Seven Stars. Crucially, it remains the only entry in the franchise where a physical mummy never actually appears.The trouble began early when a gap in the studio schedule forced the film into premature production. Wicking wanted to keep Stoker's original book title, but James Carreras refused, leading to a brainstorming session that birthed Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb – a title Wicking never expected them to use. Wicking also clashed with producer Howard Brandy and was barred from the set, forcing him to work with director Seth Holt secretly in the evenings. Brandy later claimed the script was unshootable and heavily rewritten by Holt. Brandy also wanted to cast Amy Grant, but Sir James Carreras insisted on Valerie Leon.Tragedy struck five weeks into the six-week shoot when Seth Holt suffered a fatal heart attack on set, collapsing into the arms of actor Aubrey Morris. Michael Carreras tried to recruit Don Sharp to finish the film, but Sharp was committed to a project in Israel. Michael Carreras ultimately directed the final week himself, later noting that Holt’s footage did not cut together well, forcing them to salvage what they could.Valerie Leon shines in the dual roles of Margaret Fuchs and Queen Tera. Beyond her famous Hai Karate aftershave adverts and seven Carry On appearances – including Carry On Christmas: Carry On Stuffing – Leon delivered a critically praised performance but clashed with the studio. She was deeply upset when producers denied her time off to attend Holt’s funeral, and her refusal to perform a nude scene required a body double. Hammer never hired her again. Her career later included roles alongside two different James Bonds, Roger Moore and Sean Connery.The supporting cast features incredible British character talent. James Villiers plays Corbeck, George Coulouris plays Berigan, and Aubrey Morris features as Doctor Putnum. Morris was described by Jeremy Brett to Noël Coward as the finest small-part player in London, boasting roles in The Wicker Man, A Clockwork Orange, and as the bubble-bathing B-Ark captain in The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Rosalie Crutchley plays Helen Dickerson. James Cossins brings his trademark blustering authority to the role of an abusive psychiatric nurse, and a young Anthony Head makes an uncredited appearance.Andrew Keir plays Julian Fuchs, stepping in after Peter Cushing completed just one day of filming before leaving due to his wife’s emphysema diagnosis. Keir's presence links back to our Quatermass and the Pit reviews, Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., and Cleopatra alongside Richard Burton. The film is elevated by a brilliant electronic score by Tristram Ogilvie Cary, the pioneer who founded EMS, created the VCS 3 synthesiser, and composed the music for the first Doctor Who Dalek serial.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 8, 20261h 16m
Live Podcast
On the 5th of May, we appeared live at the King’s Arms Hotel in Dorchester for our first event in front of an audience. We were invited by Teasel & Skylark – our local independent bookshop and the first shop to take a punt on selling our zine – to host a launch event and give a talk about Folk Horror.Naturally, being the attention seekers we are, we jumped at the chance and twisted the premise of the talk toward the topics we love to discuss: Big Christopher Lee, M.R. James, and Nigel Kneale.This episode is a recording of the main part of the evening. If you would like to hear some of the live readings from the zine, which is available now from generalwitchfinders.com while stocks last, please come and sign up as a patron at our Patreon. We will be posting additional content from the night there for our supporters.A massive thank you to everyone who helped on the night. We hope to do something similar again soon.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast

General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast Welcome to General Witchfinders, a podcast dedicated to the dark heart of British horror and classic Hammer horror films – officially selected for permanent preservation in the British Library’s National Sound Archive. If you are passionate about British horror cinema, Hammer films, classic folk horror, Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass, and the chilling legacy of British supernatural television, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by lifelong friends Ross, Jon, and James, General Witchfinders dives deep into the world of British horror, gothic cinema, and unsettling archive television. We explore everything from Hammer horror’s blood-drenched vampire classics – starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing – to the eerie landscapes of The Wicker Man, Tigon’s The Creeping Flesh, and Amicus anthology films. Whether it is cinematic British horror icons like Dracula AD 1972 and The Curse of Frankenstein, modern independent UK folk horror like Possum and In The Earth, or sci-fi horror thrillers like Event Horizon and The Medusa Touch, we unearth the films that shaped the genre. We cover the definitive British sci-fi horror of Nigel Kneale – including The Quatermass Xperiment, Quatermass 2, Quatermass and the Pit, The Stone Tape, and his terrifying TV anthology series Beasts. Our episodes shine a spotlight on classic British horror literature, including the tales of James Herbert from The Rats to The Survivor, alongside vintage television gems like the BBC’s Ghost Stories for Christmas (Whistle and I’ll Come to You, The Ash Tree), Doomwatch, Tales of the Unexpected, Inside No. 9, Ghostwatch, and classic Doctor Who horror stories like The Dæmons and Horror of Fang Rock. Expect thoughtful commentary, dry wit, and nostalgic tangents about 1980s and 90s British culture. Beyond the Podcast We also publish the independent General Witchfinders horror zine and host live podcast events and film screenings for the UK horror community. General Witchfinders is your premier audio guide to British horror, Hammer films, folk horror, Quatermass, and everything that makes the UK’s supernatural tradition uniquely haunting. Listener Reviews “Really entertaining and insightful. About half a dozen episodes done so far, and all on horror/supernatural things I personally love and wanted to hear more about. Lots of new facts and just downright entertaining takedowns. Great work.” – 5 Stars ***** “If you’re looking for a fun chat about vintage British horror and sci-fi, then this is the podcast for you.” – 5 Stars *****

By Ross, Jon & James | Exploring Cult British Horror Films, TV & Books

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Latest Episodes

Book Club 02 - Benighted aka The Old Dark House by J.B. Priestley (with Dylan Rees)

73: Alternative 3 (1977) – Anglia TV – Dir. Christopher Miles – Tim Brinton, Shane Rimmer & Richard Marner

71: Penda’s Fen (1974) – BBC – Dir. Alan Clarke – Spencer Banks, Georgine Anderson & Ian Hogg

Book Club 01 - Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley (with Ray Newman)

Department: X Mysterious Powers and Strange Forces

Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde CINEMA SCREENING

69: Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) – Hammer Horror – Dir. Seth Holt – Valerie Leon, Andrew Keir & James Villiers

Live Podcast