The Ferryhill Axe Murders: Demonic possession in Country Durham

It’s spooky season, so the gang takes a trip back to 1683, when the devil arrived in Country Durham and commanded a farm hand named Andrew Mills to murder three children with an axe in a crime described as “the most horrid and barbarous murder that was ever heard in the North”.

And if you so wish, you can try and summon the killer at midnight on Halloween - although you will have to go to the fancy hotel built on the site of the murder these days.

Look, we never said we were growing up terrified in the nineteen eighties.

We also take a look at the poisoned baby food scare of 1988, when – without the excuse of demonic possession – Rodney Whitchelo put five babies in hospital by spiking their food with acid and razor blades in an attempt to blackmail Heinz.

John is “desperately trying to be Victoria Coren Mitchell”. Jane is “perfectly memorable”. Gareth makes the devil sound like Rylan standing in your kitchen trying to bully you into getting a vasectomy. Harry’s get some free advertising they could probably do without.

Along the way: The strange direction taken by the Air Bud franchise! Judith Kerr’s odder children’s books! Murderous Come Dine With Me!

And if you want to recreate the urban myth of the Ferryhill Demon even though the buildings aren’t there anymore the what three words is “sprinter.saloons.sulk”

You can reach us on email [email protected], on Twitter at @everyonediespod, on Facebook and Instagram.

Our theme music is the song “Steady Away” by Pete Dilley and can be found on his album Half-truths and Hearsay which you can/should buy/stream here:

https://petedilley.bandcamp.com/album/half-truths-and-hearsay

Some dogs are threatened with poisoned Pedigree Chum in this podcast.

“When you punish a person for dreaming his dream, don't expect him to thank you or forgive you, the Best Ever Death Metal Band out of Denton will in time both outpace and outlive you/ Hail Satan! Hail Satan! Hail Satan!”