Penny Dreadful Variety Hour
@penny-dread.bsky.social
Official account of Penny Dreadful Variety Hour, a weekly podcast that's like an early Victorian variety show. https://pulp-lit.com/spotify
New episode is live today! Get it wherever you get your podcasts, or check it out right here: open.spotify.com/episode/2utn...
4.19: Lord Walter pays the price for disturbing the dead! — Varney the Vampyre's sinister visitor! — A fatal thunderstorm.
open.spotify.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:52 AM
New episode is live today! Get it wherever you get your podcasts, or check it out right here: open.spotify.com/episode/2utn...
Merry Christmas! And since it's a Thursday, we have a fresh ray of early-Victorian sunshine on the podcast feed! open.spotify.com/episode/5mjN...
Spotify – Web Player
open.spotify.com
December 25, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Merry Christmas! And since it's a Thursday, we have a fresh ray of early-Victorian sunshine on the podcast feed! open.spotify.com/episode/5mjN...
RUN, RUN ORLANDO, CARVE ON EV'RY STUMP
THE BIG, THE STRONG, THE NON-EPSTEINY TRUMP
—Excerpt from the play "As You Legacy Panic"
Copyright (c) 1623 by Donald J. Trump and William Shakespeare
THE BIG, THE STRONG, THE NON-EPSTEINY TRUMP
—Excerpt from the play "As You Legacy Panic"
Copyright (c) 1623 by Donald J. Trump and William Shakespeare
December 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
RUN, RUN ORLANDO, CARVE ON EV'RY STUMP
THE BIG, THE STRONG, THE NON-EPSTEINY TRUMP
—Excerpt from the play "As You Legacy Panic"
Copyright (c) 1623 by Donald J. Trump and William Shakespeare
THE BIG, THE STRONG, THE NON-EPSTEINY TRUMP
—Excerpt from the play "As You Legacy Panic"
Copyright (c) 1623 by Donald J. Trump and William Shakespeare
Episode 4.17 is up! In which — Lord Walter's vampire-bride, having burned through the local supply of blood donors, now fixes her basilisk-like gaze upon his children, in Wake Not the Dead (1823). Plus more early-Victorian street-literature goodies! open.spotify.com/episode/56JJ...
4.17: Lord Walter’s vampire-bride turns on his children! — Varney’s dreaded visitor. — The ghostly businessman on the train. — The noble generosity of a fierce lion!
open.spotify.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Episode 4.17 is up! In which — Lord Walter's vampire-bride, having burned through the local supply of blood donors, now fixes her basilisk-like gaze upon his children, in Wake Not the Dead (1823). Plus more early-Victorian street-literature goodies! open.spotify.com/episode/56JJ...
Now that his once-dead lover is back at his side, can there be any barrier to Walter’s happiness? Well, yes … because suddenly now the youths of his domain suddenly start wasting away, almost as if some night-stalking monster was sucking their blood from them … open.spotify.com/episode/1Qjw...
4.15: Locked in the vampire’s dungeon. — The fortune-teller’s ghostly visitor. —Walter’s vampire-bride begins to feed!
open.spotify.com
December 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Now that his once-dead lover is back at his side, can there be any barrier to Walter’s happiness? Well, yes … because suddenly now the youths of his domain suddenly start wasting away, almost as if some night-stalking monster was sucking their blood from them … open.spotify.com/episode/1Qjw...
“I certainly think we have gained something by not being Ancient Britons any longer than was absolutely necessary.”
.
— Magistrate-detective Sir Richard Blunt, in Ch. 68 of Sweeney Todd, in today’s episode of The Penny Dreadful Hour Podcast!
.
open.spotify.com/episode/43HW...
.
— Magistrate-detective Sir Richard Blunt, in Ch. 68 of Sweeney Todd, in today’s episode of The Penny Dreadful Hour Podcast!
.
open.spotify.com/episode/43HW...
4.14: The horrors in the vault beneath Sweeny Todd’s shop! — A sea-cave in Scotland steeped in blood, gold, and horror. — The highwaymen give the officers the slip!
open.spotify.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:06 PM
“I certainly think we have gained something by not being Ancient Britons any longer than was absolutely necessary.”
.
— Magistrate-detective Sir Richard Blunt, in Ch. 68 of Sweeney Todd, in today’s episode of The Penny Dreadful Hour Podcast!
.
open.spotify.com/episode/43HW...
.
— Magistrate-detective Sir Richard Blunt, in Ch. 68 of Sweeney Todd, in today’s episode of The Penny Dreadful Hour Podcast!
.
open.spotify.com/episode/43HW...
Investigating Sweeney Todd, Sir Richard leads the party to the captive cook’s bakehouse-prison. Then he says there is something else he must show them … something, he adds, “more horrible than all the horrors your imagination can suggest.” … He's not kidding. open.spotify.com/episode/43HW...
4.14: The horrors in the vault beneath Sweeny Todd’s shop! — A sea-cave in Scotland steeped in blood, gold, and horror. — The highwaymen give the officers the slip!
open.spotify.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:09 AM
Investigating Sweeney Todd, Sir Richard leads the party to the captive cook’s bakehouse-prison. Then he says there is something else he must show them … something, he adds, “more horrible than all the horrors your imagination can suggest.” … He's not kidding. open.spotify.com/episode/43HW...
After a short pause, the sorcerer cried aloud: "Yes, thy heart beats once more with the flood of life! Thine eye is again opened to sight! Arise, therefore, from the tomb!"
From Part 1 of “Wake Not the Dead,” in Episode 13 (season 4)! open.spotify.com/episode/7s7L...
From Part 1 of “Wake Not the Dead,” in Episode 13 (season 4)! open.spotify.com/episode/7s7L...
4.13: Death took his beloved, but sorcery brought her back! What could possibly go wrong? — Flora’s fiancé vanishes! — A horrid murder prevented by a dream! — Haunted Hinton Ampner House!
open.spotify.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM
After a short pause, the sorcerer cried aloud: "Yes, thy heart beats once more with the flood of life! Thine eye is again opened to sight! Arise, therefore, from the tomb!"
From Part 1 of “Wake Not the Dead,” in Episode 13 (season 4)! open.spotify.com/episode/7s7L...
From Part 1 of “Wake Not the Dead,” in Episode 13 (season 4)! open.spotify.com/episode/7s7L...
Another episode is up and ready! open.spotify.com/episode/0E4M...
2.07: Sweeney Todd and the loan shark. — A very angry young profligate. — A racy flash song about a buz-napper and a bawd!
The Penny Dreadful Variety Hour: An Early Victorian Feast of Crammers and Moonshine! · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Another episode is up and ready! open.spotify.com/episode/0E4M...
New channel art! Very excited about it.
July 17, 2025 at 3:30 AM
New channel art! Very excited about it.
Another episode on the feed! open.spotify.com/episode/2ADc...
2.05: Lord Lionel's indecent proposal ... Evil Count Lerno's moneymaking scheme ... the perils of raising the dead ... a robber's song!
The Penny Dreadful Variety Hour: An Early Victorian Feast of Crammers and Moonshine! · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 15, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Another episode on the feed! open.spotify.com/episode/2ADc...
Another Sunday night, another new episode! Johanna nearly provokes Sweeney Todd — Highwayman Dick Turpin is trapped in the robbers' roost — Lord Londonderry sees a ghost!
open.spotify.com/episode/4hEf...
open.spotify.com/episode/4hEf...
2.04: Highwayman Dick Turpin is trapped like a rat! Or is he? — Lord Londonderry in the haunted castle! — Johanna rushes to her destiny!
The Penny Dreadful Radio Hour: A Late Regency/Early Victorian Weekly Feast of Crammers and Moonshine · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 7, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Another Sunday night, another new episode! Johanna nearly provokes Sweeney Todd — Highwayman Dick Turpin is trapped in the robbers' roost — Lord Londonderry sees a ghost!
open.spotify.com/episode/4hEf...
open.spotify.com/episode/4hEf...
New episode just dropped! open.spotify.com/episode/44Sg...
2.03: Escape from the murder-house? — A pious predator unmasked. — The Admiral vs. the Vampire!
The Penny Dreadful Radio Hour: A Late Regency/Early Victorian Weekly Feast of Crammers and Moonshine · Episode
open.spotify.com
June 30, 2025 at 3:40 AM
New episode just dropped! open.spotify.com/episode/44Sg...
Reposted by Penny Dreadful Variety Hour
OTD 1815 & morning after the day before at Waterloo. What happened to the thousands of dead men & horses? Who cleaned up & where did all the stuff go? What about the wounded? What fate befell the battlefield & its dead in the years to come? Read all about it in these 3 articles:
June 19, 2025 at 8:28 AM
OTD 1815 & morning after the day before at Waterloo. What happened to the thousands of dead men & horses? Who cleaned up & where did all the stuff go? What about the wounded? What fate befell the battlefield & its dead in the years to come? Read all about it in these 3 articles:
Reposted by Penny Dreadful Variety Hour
The brick (for which the town was famous) built gatehouse of Beverley North Bar dates from the early 15th century. The town was wealthy, in part due to its religious community. The area inside the gate was known as North Bar Within. This super Raphael Tuck and Sons image dates to 1921.
June 19, 2025 at 10:13 AM
The brick (for which the town was famous) built gatehouse of Beverley North Bar dates from the early 15th century. The town was wealthy, in part due to its religious community. The area inside the gate was known as North Bar Within. This super Raphael Tuck and Sons image dates to 1921.
Reposted by Penny Dreadful Variety Hour
Reminder for all UK authors and illustrators to register any new books for PLR by the end of June in order to have them included in the 2024/25 count. If you're not signed up, do it! You could - and should - be getting paid every time a book you contributed to is borrowed from a library!
Public Lending Right (PLR): Eligibility & Registration - The British Library
PLR is a legal right to payment for eligible book contributors when a book is borrowed from public libraries. Check if you're eligible and register. Learn more.
www.bl.uk
June 18, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reminder for all UK authors and illustrators to register any new books for PLR by the end of June in order to have them included in the 2024/25 count. If you're not signed up, do it! You could - and should - be getting paid every time a book you contributed to is borrowed from a library!
Reposted by Penny Dreadful Variety Hour
Our knowledgeable 18th century colleagues can always be relied upon to answer these tricky questions!
Could a dead person be elected to #Parliament?
Yes - or at least this was the case in May 1728, when Sidney Wortley Montagu was declared the winning candidate in the disputed 1727 general election return for Peterborough, even though he had died six months earlier.
#HistParl
Yes - or at least this was the case in May 1728, when Sidney Wortley Montagu was declared the winning candidate in the disputed 1727 general election return for Peterborough, even though he had died six months earlier.
#HistParl
June 19, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Our knowledgeable 18th century colleagues can always be relied upon to answer these tricky questions!
Starting Season Two tonight! Alas, the new music is not doing it for me, I'll have to tweak that next time. Great Dreadfuls this time though. open.spotify.com/episode/3nKa...
2.001: Lady Edith contemplates a fatal divorce. — Robbers and mace coves and thieves, oh my! (Season 2 Premier episode!)
The Penny Dreadful Story Show: A Late Regency/Early Victorian Weekly Feast of Crammers and Moonshine · Episode
open.spotify.com
June 19, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Starting Season Two tonight! Alas, the new music is not doing it for me, I'll have to tweak that next time. Great Dreadfuls this time though. open.spotify.com/episode/3nKa...
HELLO WORLD! Yup, it's our first Bsky post! [EDIT: Technically second - oops wrong link!] Last night Episode 30 went live. Featuring Highwayman Dick Turpin, Spring-Heel'd Jack, evil Colonel Bertrand, and our latest addition, ballet-girl Rose Mortimer! open.spotify.com/episode/4GAL...
030: Dick Turpin cries "Stand and deliver!" ... the bitter fruit of Lady Edith's secret marriage ... two more ballet-girls threatened with a Fate Worse Than Death! (Mid-Victorian Edition)
The Penny Dreadful Story Show: A Late Regency/Early Victorian Weekly Feast of Crammers and Moonshine · Episode
open.spotify.com
June 9, 2025 at 2:58 AM
HELLO WORLD! Yup, it's our first Bsky post! [EDIT: Technically second - oops wrong link!] Last night Episode 30 went live. Featuring Highwayman Dick Turpin, Spring-Heel'd Jack, evil Colonel Bertrand, and our latest addition, ballet-girl Rose Mortimer! open.spotify.com/episode/4GAL...