Witches of Scotland
Episodes
EPISODE 84 WITCHES OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
19 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you thought witchcraft accusations were a thing of the past, think again : Sarah Newey, a journalist based in Bangkok covering global health securi...
EP 83 BONUS RANT
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This bonus ep covers a range of topics related to sexual violence, misogyny, and women's rights. It delves into the normalisation of violence, legal d...
EPISODE 82 ANNA CAIG - THE WISE WITCH OF ORKNEY
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire chat to Anna Caig, about Anna's new book, 'The Wise Witch of Orkney,' Set in 1593. it tells the story of Elspeth Balfour, a wise woman ...
EPISODE 81 BONUS EP ZOE AND CLAIRE @ MASON AND FIFTH LONDON
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire present a review of the campaign so far to a London audience - for those with us from the start it's a meandering wander from then till...
EPISODE 81 BONUS EP ZOE & CLAIRE @ MASON & FIFTH EVENT LONDON
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
BONUS EPISODE!Zoe and Claire speak at Mason and Fifth in London, giving an overview of the campaign from genesis to the present day... for those who h...
EPISODE 80 DR. MORETTI ON & GEMMA CLARK
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Debora Moretti about ritual magic vs. folk magic and most importantly for those taking down their decorations on the 5th o...
EPISODE 79 THAT GLASGOW WITCH and JUANO DIAZ
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire wish to offer a Solstice offering to all those who have stuck by us with this podcast through a VERY patchy period and we wanted to giv...
EPISODE 78 HOPE REESE / STEVEN VEERAPEN
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’ll have seen memes saying “I made dinners for men I should have poisoned” , well Zoe and Claire speak to Hope Reese about her book “The Wo...
EPISODE 77 THE WITCHES OF GHANA
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to Zoe and Claire to talk to Professor John Azumah and extraordinary photographer Claire Thomas about the women suffering modern day witch accu...
EPISODE 76 DR MARGARET BENNETT
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 76 DR MARGARET BENNETT Zoe in conversation with DR MARGARET BENNETT “is a Scottish writer, folklorist, ethnologist, broadcaster, and singer....
THE WOS TARTAN EPISODE
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
CLARE CAMPBELL OF PRICKLY THISTLE talks to Zoe and Claire about the tartan and about how we are releasing the WOS Tartan, clans and much more
WITCHES OF FRANCE - ANNETTE YOUNG on GISÈLE PELICOT
25 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire discuss the witch trials in France and speak to ANNETTE YOUNG, journalist and presenter of the 51% - a feminist French TV show about Gi...
THE CONNECTICUT WITCH TRIALS
08 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to the folks at the Connecticut Witch Trials and find out all about their campaign. They also talk about the Afghanistan Governmen...
THE QUARRELSOME DAMES RETURN
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire come clean about why there has been no podcast in a while and what they have been up to... SPOILER : They've written a book! Their pu...
EPISODE 71 - THE SURVEY OF SCOTTISH WITCHCRAFT WITH PROG GOODARE, EUAN MCANDREW & RUBY IMRIE
02 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire speak to Prof Goodare about how the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft came about and Euan McAndrew, Wikimedian in residence at Edinburgh Univ...
EPISODE 70 - PROFESSOR GIBSON - WITCHCRAFT - A HISTORY IN 13 TRIALS
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire speak to the endlessly fascinating Professor Marion Gibson about her new book which spans 700 years of witchcraft trials - from the trial...
EPISODE 69 STACEY THOMAS “The Revels”
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to author Stacey Thomas about her debut novel “The Revels” - all about witchcraft accusations . Stacey Thomas is a contribut...
EPISODE 68 - MODERN WITCHCRAFT ACCUSATIONS AND TRIALS WITH LEO IGWE : WARNING DISCUSSES VIOLENCE
03 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire catch up with Leo Igwe to find out about witchcraft accusations in the present day : what are people being accused of, by whom and why?...
EPISODE 67 DR ANDREW SNEDDON WITCHES OF IRELAND
02 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to the hugely knowledgeable Dr. Andrew Sneddon, historian of medicine, religion and the supernatural, especially ghosts, magic and...
EPISODE 66 LORRAINE MURRAY - THE WITCHES OF INVERCLYDE
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Lorraine Murray Archivist at The Watt Institution in Greenock and at The Glasgow Academy in Kelvinbridge. She is an Art and A...
EPISODE 65 - ANYA BERGMAN - WITCHES OF VARDO
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to author Anya Bergman about her story of the women killed as witches in Vardø. We talk magic, menopause, weather witches and wh...
EPISODE 64 - DOCTOR MARTHA MCGILL - WITCH HUNT 1649
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Martha McGill about her game, developed by a team at the University of Warwick, to explore and understand the witch hunt p...
EPISODE 63 - JUDITH LANGLANDS SCOTT - CONFESSIONS AND LIES - WITCHES OF FORFAR PART TWO
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to the fabulously knowledgeable Judith Langlands Scott about witch confessions in Forfar, John Kincaid’s “expert” expenses ...
EPISODE 62 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR JEM BLOOMFIELD
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Assistant Professor Jem Bloomfield to explore "witches" in crime fiction of the mid-twentieth century. His work explores the i...
EPISODE 61 - ANNA DAY - STATUES AND MEMORIALISATION
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to Anna Day, Cultural Public Programme Manager for Perth about statues in memory of women accused of witchcraft, why memorials are...
EPISODE 60 - JENNI FAGAN “HEX” RECORDED LIVE AT AYE WRITE, GLASGOW
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire interview the brilliant author Jenni Fagan about her new book “Hex” : “ A witch will die here in the morning. It is the 4th of De...
EPISODE 59 - EMERITUS PROFESSOR MALCOLM GASKILL
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Professor Malcolm Gaskill about his study of witchcraft accusations in England - from the 17th century jjury trials to the 20t...
EPISODE 58 - DAVID RUDOLPH - AMERICAN INJUSTICE
21 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to the criminal defence lawyer - made famous by #thestaircase documentary on Netflix about american injustice - the Salem witch tr...
EPISODE 57 - DR JAN MACHIELSEN CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
30 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join Zoe & Claire speaking to Dr Jan Machielsen who studies and teaches about witchcraft accusations and trials - we ask what an apology really means ...
EPISODE 56 - DR LOUISE YEOMAN - HISTORIAN, AUTHOR, PRESENTER
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Louise Yeoman about her amazing work on the scottish witchcraft trials - from The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft to her dis...
EPISODE 55 DR. DANNY BUCK - MATTHEW HOPKINS THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Dr. Danny Buck about witch trials in the south of England - we talk about religious in fighting, rowdy Quakers and the self pr...
EPISODE 54 THE APOLOGY - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire go to Edinburgh for IWD2022 and listen to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon grant an official apology to all those 4000 or so people, ...
EPISODE 53 - PARDONING THE WITCHES OF CATALONIA
26 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire speak to Caterina Úbeda of Sapiens Magazine about their successful campaign to have the Witches of Catalonia pardoned. We also speak to ...
EPIOSODE 52 DR MIRANDA CORCORAN
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire speak to Dr Miranda Corcoran - author of Teen Witches Witchcraft and Adolescence in American Popular Culture - about the use of the witch...
EPISODE 51 PROFESSOR MARION GIBSON
29 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to the wonderfully knowledgeable Professor Marion Gibson (@witchesetc on twitter) about confessions, dooking witches, and, when a...
EPISODE 50 DR CIARAN JONES HISTORIAN
08 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire talk to Dr Ciaran Jones who is a historian of religion and witchcraft in early modern Scotland, and he recently completed his PhD in Scot...
EPISODE 49 PROFESSOR OWEN DAVIES - HISTORIAN & PRESIDENT OF THE FOLKLORE SOCIETY
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Owen Davies is a British historian who specialises in the history of magic, witchcraft, ghosts, and popular medicine. He is currently Professor in His...
EPISODE 48 PROFESSOR NICOLA RING - NURSES AND MIDWIVES
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire talk to Professor Nicola Ring about her research funded by the Royal College of Nursing Foundation into the stories of Scotland’s early...
EPISODE 47 MATTHEW BRIDSON - THE LANCASHIRE WITCHES
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to Matthew Bridson who is a postgraduate scholar of Heritage Studies. He recently submitted his Masters thesis on the topic of the...
EPISODE 46 - WITCHES OF ORKNEY
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Helen Woodsford Dean and Ragnhild Ljosland, the two women who were the inspiration and driving force in getting the memorial t...
EPISODE 45 ASH WILLIAM MILLS ON ISOBEL GOWDIE
30 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to Ash William Mills on his book - The Black Book of Isobel Gowdie - we discuss what was known of her, whether she was a “wise w...
EPISODE 44 - KAYLA KANDZORRA of WITCH STORY PODCAST
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Zoe and Claire as they speak to Kayla Kandzorra about the bi-weekly podcast where hosts Stephanie and Kayla discuss trials and tales of witches t...
EPISODE 43 C J COOKE THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES
02 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to author Carolyn Jess Cooke about her new book The Lighthouse Witches and her inspiration from the scottish witchcraft trials. We...
EPISODE 42 JENNIFER WIGHT THE ADDERS DEN
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire talk to Jennifer Wight who has researched scottish folk history (more can be found on her website The Adder’s Deb) and is part of Scott...
EPISODE 41 - WITCHES OF SCOTLAND SYMPOSIUM: WITCH-HUNTING WOMEN
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Zoe & Claire as they learn from the experts as to how they research the history of those accused of witchcraft : Judith Gorman, Helen Upfield, Ma...
EPISODE 40 LAURA GRAHAM ARTIST
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Zoe and Claire speaking to Laura Graham, lawyer and artist. Laura’s work has been particularly informed by the Scottish Witch Trials - we discu...
EPISODE 39 DR.ALLAN KENNEDY
08 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire learn more about the criminality involved in witchcraft - we hear about how a trial of an alleged witch was conducted and the sentences...
EPISODE 38 AMY KINGSMILL - PERFORMANCE ARTIST
25 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to performance artist Amy Kingsmill about her year long project- Light Source - finding out about the witches of England - and we ...
EPISODE 37 MARY W CRAIG HISTORIAN & AUTHOR
11 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe & Claire speak to historian and author Mary W Craig about the 4 Proofs, Quarrelsome Dames and the woman accused of witchcraft in Mary’s forthcom...
EPISODE 36 EMMA COWAN AND NORAH CARLIN - THE WITCHES OF CORSTORPHINE
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Zoe and Claire as we talk to Emma Cowan and Norah Carlin - Norah Carlin is an historian who studied the Witch Trials, and was motivated to learn ...
EPISODE 35 LIANE MAITLAND PSYCHOTHERAPIST
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Zoe and Claire talk to Liane Maitland, Psychotherapist about considering the witch trials through her professional lens : We talk abou...
EPISODE 34 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR LOUISE NYHOLM KALLESTRUP - James VI and the Danish Witch Trials
09 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Associate Professor Louise Nyholm Kallestrup about the crossover (literally across the sea) with the Danish and Scottish witch...
EPISODE 33 LAURIE GOODLAD - THE WITCHES OF SHETLAND
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to Laurie Goodlad - who presents “Shetland with Laurie” podcast / insta pages - she is a podcaster, tour guide, historian and ...
ANNA BJÖRG - THE ICELAND MUSUEM OF WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire discuss Tituba of Salem in more detail and then speak to Anna BJÖRG, curator of the Musuem of Witchcraft and Sorcery in Iceland - we f...
EPISODE 31 - RACHEL CHRIST OF THE SALEM WITCH MUSEUM
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to Rachel Christ about the Salem Witch Trials - the accused - the “spectral evidence” used to convict - the pardons granted fo...
EPISODE 30 JUDITH LANGLANDS-SCOTT - THE WITCHES OF FORFAR
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk about the term witch in politics and beyond, and speak to Judith Langlands-Scott, the brilliant independent scholar who has spent ...
EPISODE 29 LEO IGWE - ADVOCACY FOR ALLEGED WITCHES 2020 - 2030 CAMPAIGN
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk to Leo Igwe - Nigerian human rights activist and award winning humanist - about his campaign to stop witchcraft allegations in the...
EPISODE 28 - SONIA CASAS - EDITOR IN CHIEF OF SAPIENS MAGAZINE #WOMENNOTWITCHES
20 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk about the positive Scottish Government response to the petition, the extraordinary decision of the National Trust for Scotland to ...
EPISODE 27 HEATHER UPFIELD OF KILWINNING HERITAGE
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Zoe and Claire talk petitions, widdershins, and hear from the inspiring Heather Upfield - writer of The 5 women of Kilwinning (about 5 women...
EPISODE 26 - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY LIVE EVENT WITH SARA SHERIDAN
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
IWD2021 marks a year of work on the the #womennotwitches Witches of Scotland campaign. Zoe and Claire talk to their very first guest, Sara Sheridan (...
EPISODE 25 - THE DEVIL’S MARK
06 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Zoe and Claire talk to Hazel Meldrum about her mum, Jannette Archibald and her play “The Devil’s Mark”.Hazel and her sister Heather An...
EPISODE 24 - ANDREW TICKELL -MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE
27 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak with Andrew Tickell about what it means to have suffered a miscarriage of justice and whether we should now pardon those convicte...
EP 23 DOUG SPEIRS ON LILAS ADIE
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire discuss the third and final part of Doug Speirs story bringing the Lilas Adie story up to the 21st Century
EPISODE 22 DOUG SPEIRS, ARCHAEOLOGIST ON LILAS ADIE
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Doug takes Zoe and Claire into the detail of Lilias Adie’s trial - and tells us the detail of her confessions and the records written clea...
EPISODE 21 - DOUGLAS SPEIRS - ARCHAEOLOGIST
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire speak to Douglas Speirs about Lilias Adie - Scotland’s most famous woman who was accused of witchcraft - Who was she? What was her li...
EPISODE 20 - EXCLUSIVE - JOIN THE PETITION TO PARDON, APOLOGISE AND OBTAIN A NATIONAL MONUMENT
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After months of building discussion and debate on the topic Zoe and Claire read out the public petition which is now live on the website www.parliamen...
EPISODE 19 HEAL & HARROW
30 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire discuss the fate of 3 women, one of whom was alleged to have sought help to kill her former husbands ... We also speak to Rachel and La...
EPISODE 18 IAIN MC SPORRAN QC ON ROBERT BURNS DEPICTION OF WITCHES IN TAM O SHANTER
23 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as Iain Mc Sporran QC tells us about the story of Robert Burns and arguably his most famous poem, Tam o Shanter and his depiction of the danci...
EPISODE 17 - KAREN STRANG ARTIST
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire name women killed as witches and consider why it is that so many of us believe that had we lived during the period of the Witchcraft Ac...
EPISODE 16 SOCIAL MEDIA CATCH UP
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week we name those accused and executed as witches, and catch up on social media discussions including discussing the new cultural project, inspi...
EPISODE 15 - NEW YEARS MINI EPISODE
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire remember those killed as witches, talk about Mrs Mennie of Newfoundland and her inspiring letter and discuss plans for 2021......
EPISODE 14 - A MINI XMAS EPISODE WITH ZOE AND CLAIRE
27 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After naming women convicted as witches Zoe and Claire (inadvertently!) talk about Angels from the Bible and we hear from Herr Hegeler in Germany wher...
EPISODE 13 - PETER ROSS TOMB WITH A VIEW AND COUNCILLOR KATE STEWART
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion with author of Tomb with a View , Peter Ross on the the need to memorialise the dead and the work of Councillor Kate Stewart, a founding ...
CATHERINE MACPHEE ON SYKE, HARTMUT HEGELER ON GERMANY ALEXANDRA MAHER ON “THE CUNNING”
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We learn about a woman tortured as a witch in Skye, of the work of Anton Praetorious a pastor who condemned the witch trials in Germany when they took...
EPISODE 11 PAULA KEHOE AND THE WITCHES OF IRELAND
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Paula Kehoe and Ashlene Aylward are currently co-writing and producing a tv show about the women accused of witchcraft in Ireland - we hear about thes...
EPISODE 10 - CAREN THOMPSON, ARTIST AND CREATOR OF THE MEDICINE SPOON MEMORIAL PROJECT.
28 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk about the work of artist Caren Thompson who is doing a project which memorialises the people executed as witches in Scotland -...
JULIA CAMPANELLI -THE PAISLEY WITCH TRIALS
21 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Find out about the women accused as witches in the Paisley Witch Trials from the award winning screenwriter, director actor and producer Julia Campane...
EPISODE 8 PARDONS AND STATUES
14 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Zoe and Claire discuss women executed as witches - including 10 women executed as #witches in Dumfries, the 81 Prestonpans witches, and the...
EPISODE 7 - ALICE TARBUCK - A SPELL IN THE WILD : A YEAR (AND SIX CENTURIES) OF MAGIC
07 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire remember the names and stories of 3 women executed as witches, and speak to a 21st century witch and author Alice Tarbuck about what wi...
EPISODE 6 - PROFESSOR JULIAN GOODARE PART 3
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire talk about 3 women involved in witchcraft trials - Grissell Jaffray, Jonet Drever and Mary Somerville and we hear the final instalment ...
PROFESSOR JULIAN GOODARE PART 2 THE EUROPEAN WITCH HUNT
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire ask Professor Goodare why did Scotland have 5 times as many witchcraft trials as anywhere else in Europe? Find out why quarrels and cur...
PROFESSOR JULIAN GOODARE - THE EUROPEAN WITCH HUNT
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Julian Goodare is an expert on witches -Author of The European Witch Hunt - as well as many other witch related titles - Director of the Sur...
MAIRI KIDD WARRIORS & WITCHES & DAMN REBEL BITCHES
11 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe and Claire learn about the trial of Euphame Maccalzean : the Cats of Gormal of Lochaber : the tricks of Helen Duncan with author Mairi Kidd . If y...
SARA SHERIDAN - WHERE ARE THE WOMEN?
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The book “Where are the Women” written by author Sara Sheridan was one of the inspirations for the Witches of Scotland campaign - her Sara tells u...
Witches of Scotland Podcast Trailer
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing Witches of Scotland Podcast