The death penalty has started wars, won elections, outraged the population and ruined lives. Join William Ray for this live podcast recording at the Bread and Circus Festival in Christchurch with guests Dame Fiona Kidman, Vincent O'Malley and Mark Derby as they unpick the history of executions in New Zealand.
Jun 2025
BONUS: Kelly Tarlton's Final Treasure Hunt
We're ducking into your feed to bring you an episode of a new RNZ podcast: Kelly Tartlon's Final Treasure Hunt. This story has everything! Kidnapping, smuggling, scurvy, and imaginary islands full of Jewish gold... Make sure to follow Kelly Tarlton's Final Treasure Hunt wherever ... Show More
50m 28s
Sep 2024
Spy Scandal: the story of Bill Sutch
On 27 September 1974 New Zealanders woke to the news Dr Bill Sutch, a famous economist, historian, and former senior government official had been arrested and accused of spying for Soviet Russia. He was later found not guilty, but over the last 50 years, suspicion has swirled, an ... Show More
55m 10s
Mar 2025
Ireland's Witchcraft Trials
In 1711, a wave of terror gripped the Islandmagee peninsula in County Antrim. First there was the haunting and supernatural murder of a local clergyman's wife. Then 18-year-old Mary Dunbar suffered violent convulsions, levitation and vomiting of pins, feathers, and buttons, spark ... Show More
44 m
Oct 2024
Inside the Witch Trials: Pendle | The Child Who Condemned Her Family
People in the 17th century were at spiritual war with the devil.
It was a time of huge upheaval. What became known as the witch trials soon followed.
In this first episode of a limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to the English village of Pendle in 1612, to find ... Show More
36m 18s
Oct 2024
505. The French Revolution: The Shadow of the Guillotine (Part 3)
During the "Ancien Regime", royal executioners held an unholy status, and would strike up fear in the crowds as they walked the streets of Paris. But with the Revolution, the role of executioners in society was reformed, and whilst they lost some of their privileges, they were us ... Show More
57m 44s
Aug 2023
Part One: Escape from the Magdalene Laundries: Surviving & Fighting Theocracy in Ireland
Margaret talks with writer and podcast host Sarah Marshall about the prisons for "fallen women" around the UK, US & Ireland, and the many people who fought against them, like Sinéad O'Connor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 h