Inhabitants of the Tyneside region are undoubtedly familiar with the 19th-century song, ‘The Blaydon Races’. It describes a journey from Newcastle’s city centre to Blaydon to see the races, and even became immortalised in art. The song is traditionally sung in the local Geordie dialect, although over time, some of the language has softened to…

Newcastle upon Tyne is famous for many things: its bridges, nightlife, and being the birthplace of Greggs are just some of them. We’ve seen plenty of world firsts here, been on the frontline of science and technology, witnessed ethical consumption in the 18th century, and turned a Roman settlement into a city. But our disasters…

We’re onto the final instalment in this series of Festive Folklore episodes, that are coming to you with the help of some of my Fabulous Folklore friends! This time we’re turning our attention to New Year and I’m joined by my podcasting pals, Bethan Briggs-Miller and Ailsa Clarke, and together they are Eerie Essex!  We…

Dr Kate Cherrell is a writer and broadcaster specialising in the long 19th century and paranormal history. Her academic interests include 19th-century Spiritualism, mourning traditions, the gothic, the monstrous feminine, and death history. She is the author of Begotten (2025), Memorials to the Dead (2026), and writes commercially on paranormal history for various magazines and…

For this third episode in our Festive Folklore series for December 2025, I’m adding my own tale to the noble tradition of the Christmas ghost story! And it arrives right ahead of the winter solstice… With plenty of folklore Easter eggs for you to spot, I’m also ably supported with storytelling content by my podcast…

For this second episode in our Festive Folklore series for December 2025, I’m joined by my podcast pals, The Faerie Folk podcast and Sian Powell from Celtic Myths & Legends. We discuss some plant-based traditions from Herefordshire, the Mari Lwyd, and Cornwall’s Montol Festival. We also talk about Christmas films, our own Christmas traditions, and…