How Bloody Was 'Bloody Mary'?

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

History Hit

Myths, Folklore, Mystery, History, Ghosts, Society & Culture, Murder, Ufos, True Crime, Paranormal, Supernatural, Serial Killers

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last week we heard about Mary's formative years. Today we get to her reign, the infamous burnings and ask ourselves if Bloody Mary was as bad as people think.

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone. It's us, your hosts Maddie Pelling and Anthony Delaney.
0:04.2	But before we begin the show, we want to ask for a few seconds of your time.
0:08.2	If you're enjoying After Dark, and we love you, if you are, we would love you just a little bit more.
0:13.5	If you could vote for us in the listeners choice category at the British Podcast Awards.
0:18.0	So go to the show notes now, click the link and just then search for After Dark.
0:23.2	Fill in your name and your email and don't forget to confirm. They will send you an email.
0:27.2	You need to confirm. The whole process probably takes about 30 seconds. If you've already voted,
0:31.8	we are so, so grateful. If you haven't, stop what you are doing right now. Vote for us before you
0:37.0	enjoy this show.
0:40.5	The Bridge Theatres of Midsummer Night's Dream returns for a limited run this summer.
0:46.3	Experience this hilarious and utterly exhilarating production.
0:50.6	With seating wrapped around the action or follow on foot with immersive tickets.
0:55.9	The Standard says this acrobatic, sexy, playfully queered version of Shakespeare's comedy is even better than it was in 2019.
1:04.5	Don't miss out. Book a Midsummer Night's Dream at bridgeteatre.com.uk.
1:12.5	Hello and welcome to After Dark. I'm Maddie. And I'm Anthony. And we are back for part two on
1:18.1	Bloody Mary. Last week, we looked at the buildup, her traumatic childhood and her relationship to both
1:24.1	her mother and her father. This time time we're diving right in into how she
1:27.9	earned her dark reputation. Warning, we are beginning with a description of execution.
1:42.1	On an otherwise peaceful summer's day in 1557, the market square of Lewis transformed into a furnace of fear and faith.
1:51.8	As smoke curled into the blue sky, ten Protestants, men and women, stood chained to stakes.
1:59.1	The gathered crowd watched intense silence. Moments later, the flames roared to stakes. The gathered crowd watched intense silence.
2:02.6	Moments later, the flames roared to life, devouring the wood, then the chained people.
	...

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