Introducing The Mystic and The Mayor... | 1
British Scandal
Wondery
4.5 • 6.5K Ratings
🗓️ 10 August 2025
⏱️ 4 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When a small French coastal town is plunged into chaos, the world discovers what happens when political power and supernatural forces collide.
The local mayor Gilles d’Ettore wants to spiritually connect with his late father, so he seeks the help of professional mystic Sophia Martinez. However, the psychic sessions soon spiral out of control, with anonymous phone calls from heaven leading to an abuse of power that shatters the facade of small town serenity. Has Gilles been bewitched by Sophia?
With their entanglement the talk of the town, locals start questioning if Gilles is using his position to favour the mystic, or is he simply a generous leader? Is Sophia preying on a vulnerable man, or are her actions helping Gilles fulfil his need to believe?
Presenter Anna Richardson and journalist Leo Schick unravel this story from the very beginning, investigating how our past can shape our actions, and vulnerability can be both a strength and a weakness. They explore how the actions of Gilles and Sophia propelled a sleepy tourist trap onto the front pages of newspapers all over the world.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Matt Ford, this is the Archangel Gabriel. |
| 0:04.0 | Um, hello? What do you want? |
| 0:06.6 | I want you to throw Alice Levine a fabulous party. |
| 0:11.6 | What are you talking about? |
| 0:12.6 | And take Alice Levine on an all expenses paid holiday. |
| 0:17.8 | I'm starting to think this isn't the Archangel Gabriel. |
| 0:19.9 | And lend Alice Levine a couple of thousand euros whilst you're at it. Okay, Alice, you can drop the act. You know I'm not going to give you any of those things. Did you really think this was going to work? I actually did, but maybe that's because I've been binge listening to a brand new podcast, The Mystic and the Mayor, and it's really got me thinking. |
| 0:38.8 | Thinking you can manipulate and brainwash me by pretending to be a supernatural being, feeding off people's insecurities and past tragedies. |
| 0:45.4 | Yeah, have you listened to the podcast too? Not yet, but I am now intrigued. |
| 0:49.3 | It's set in the cobbled streets of Agda in the south of France, a nudest hot spot of all places. |
| 0:55.0 | OK, now I know why you're really interested. |
| 0:57.8 | You know me so well. |
| 0:59.0 | The mayor of the town, Gilles, is bewitched by a beautiful clairfoyant called Sophia. |
| 1:04.2 | Next thing you know, corruption charges are flying around. |
| 1:08.2 | Gilles and his wife blame Sophia for manipulating him, |
| 1:11.3 | but is that just a convenient excuse |
| 1:13.5 | to cover up years of slees? |
| 1:15.9 | It's hosted by local journalist |
| 1:17.3 | Leo Sheik and the fantastic broadcaster |
| 1:19.7 | Anna Richardson of Naked Attraction fame |
| 1:21.8 | you'll know her, |
| 1:22.6 | particularly fitting for this show. |
... |
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