Summary
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
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to quickly tell you about some others. |
| 0:05.2 | My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland. |
| 0:11.3 | It's a job I really love because we get to tell the stories that really matter to people here, |
| 0:16.3 | but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world. |
| 0:19.6 | And because the team is such a diverse |
| 0:21.2 | range of skills and strengths, we have trained journalists, people who love digging through |
| 0:26.0 | archives, we've got drama and even comedy experts. We really can do those stories justice. So if |
| 0:31.8 | you like this podcast, head to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more fascinating stories |
| 0:37.1 | from all around the UK. BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more fascinating stories from all around the UK. |
| 0:40.3 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:53.3 | The prehistoric image of the witch in certain areas of the world, including Britain, |
| 0:59.3 | as being one of the great primeval figures of terror, |
| 1:04.6 | still leaves a stain on the imagination of modern people. |
| 1:15.5 | Yeah. imagination of modern people. One of the greatest nightmares of my childhood involved witches. |
| 1:20.4 | Really? |
| 1:21.1 | I remember extremely vividly to this day, and it was absolutely terrifying. |
| 1:26.2 | The witch in fairy tales is often there to disrupt the norms. |
| 1:30.3 | The well and the beautiful baby. |
| 1:32.5 | The happy ever after. |
| 1:34.4 | She's there to strike fear into your heart. |
| 1:38.6 | You had Hansel and Gretel where the witch was very scary and she was a cannibal. |
| 1:42.6 | Then you had the story of Rapunzel, |
... |
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