The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries - from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
It's clear that the witch hunts still cast a shadow over our lives. India hears from some of the guests in the series on the legacies of the witch hunts, and how witches today might be a powerful way of resisting and addressing the damage of the past.
Guests: Bones Tan Jones, Mona Chollet, Prof Ronald Hutton, Dr Eleanor Janega
Scored with original music by The Big Moon
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
12. Witch Circle
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
The act of witches gathering together to practise their craft seems to have its own special power. India spends time with a group of witches in Scotland and a coven in Cornwall, and explores the power of group rituals.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
11. Through the Veil
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
Witches seem to have a rare familiarity and ease with the idea of death But what does that look like in practice? India spends time at an ancestor workshop, talks to Tatum about Silent Suppers and goes to Cornwall to experience a séance.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
10. Palms of Silver
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
India explores the business end of witchcraft, and the murky ways in which people and companies might profit from the idea. From crystals and witch kits, to tarot readings and a high-flying 'industrial intuitive', what are the ethics behind making money from magic?
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Elle Scott
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
9. To Be Called a Witch
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
It's one thing to choose to be a witch - it's quite another to be accused. India explores historical and modern witch hunts and the impact of being accused of witchcraft.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
8. Hag
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
In this episode, we're investigating what made older women a key target during the witch hunts in many places in Europe. India wants to find out why that was, and how this has subsequently shaped life for older women several hundred years later. We meet modern witches who show us how covens help to break down ageism.
'Hag' poem written and performed by Sarah MacGillivray.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Additional voiceover: Emma Taylor
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Elle Scott
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
7. Into the Woods
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in legends, to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
As we reach the half way point of our series, we pause to consider why and how The Witch is such a key figure in our folklore and fairy tales. Come with us, as we take a journey deep into the woods to hear stories of the witch.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
6. Midwives and Healers
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
A common belief about the witch hunts is that they were a targeted attack on female healers and midwives. But to what extent is that true? India speaks to historians, nurses and activists to find out.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Elle Scott
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
5. The Magic(k)
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop culture-driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
What is magic? In this episode India speaks to witches and scientists to try and untangle the meaning and the real-world impact of magic. From hexes to chants, what lies behind the power of a spell?
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Tatum Swithenbank
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
4. Enchanted Lands
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop culture-driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
A witch has been created in the Thames Valley to protect a family from eviction. India explores the surprising historical relationship between the figure of the witch and the right to land.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
3. The Witches Well
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop culture-driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
In Scotland, a campaign is underway for an official pardon for the women burned as witches centuries ago. India heads to Edinburgh to discuss the deeply embedded misconceptions that still surround the witch hunts.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
2. Natural Magic
India Rakusen finds out what it means to call yourself a witch today.
In episode 2, we explore ancient connections between the natural world around us and the idea of magic and examine why witches today are so drawn to the wild.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
30 May 2023
1. The Spark in the Fire
The witch has held a place firmly in our imagination for centuries – from whispered warnings in folklore to pop-culture driven heights. But what does it mean to be a witch now?
Presenter India Rakusen, creator of the podcast 28ish Days Later, is on a journey to find out.
We find out what it means to call yourself a witch today. India joins a Beltane ritual in Nottingham, where two sisters tell us what it means to them and when they first knew they were witches. They talk about the infamous "teen-witch" phase and explore why that sense of magic we have as children so often fades away. And how we might start to get it back.
Scored with original music by The Big Moon.
Presenter: India Rakusen
Executive Producer: Alex Hollands
Producer: Lucy Dearlove
Producer: Elle Scott
AP: Tatum Swithenbank
Production Manager: Kerry Luter
Sound Design: Olga Reed
A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4
23 May 2023
Introducing Witch
India Rakusen finds out what it means to call yourself a witch today.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
655 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
4,809 ratings
Contact Witch
Guest appearances
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